www.vanguardcanada.com OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2021 45
THE LAST WORD
BY CAPT(N) IAN PARKER RET'D)
AS CANADA LOOKS AT THE POSSIBILITY OF
ACQUIRING NEW SUBMARINES, Capt(N) Ian Parker
(Ret'd), A GRADUATE OF THE CANADIAN FORCES
COLLEGE AND THE UNITED STATES NAVAL WAR
COLLEGE, AND WHO SERVED IN THE ROYAL
CANADIAN NAVY FOR 37 YEARS AND COMMANDED
HMC SHIPS FRASER AND PROVIDER, AND AS A
CONSULTANT WHO WORKED WITH THE DEFENCE
AND SECURITY INDUSTRY FOR OVER TEN YEARS,
TAKES A FUTURIST LOOK AT CANADA'S NEXT-GEN
SUBMARINES OPERATING IN THE ARCTIC.
Her Majesty's Canadian Submarine (HMCS) Windsor
transits Halifax Harbour with George's Island in the
background in preparation for the Canadian Leaders
at Sea (CLaS) Program. Photo: DND
A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY
T
he early morning was bright
and crisp on April 1, 2042,
when the commanding offi-
cer of HMC Submarine AL-
BERTA ordered all lines let
go and began maneuvering the submarine
away from her berth at HMCS TSIM-
SHIAN, Canada's west coast submarine
base. The base was established in 2038 to
accommodate Canada's growing Pacific
submarine flotilla.
As ALBERTA entered Metlakatia Bay
heading to the North Pacific for her first
operational patrol, the Commanding
Officer reflected on the marvel that was
ALBERTA, the first of Canada's Nation
Class of submarines, each named after
one of Canada's Provinces or Territories.
ALBERTA, designed and built in Canada,
was equipped with the latest sensors and
weapons, as of course, were submarines of
many nations. But the marvel of ALBER-
TA was her propulsion system, a non-nu-
clear system that enabled the submarine
to submerge for long periods of time,
gave her great speed, and allowed her to
