Why did Canada buy the four British Upholder Class submarines?
At various times, the Canadian navy has operated submarines since 1914, and Canadians have routinely served in Royal Navy submarines since the Second World War. Although the operational need for Canadian controlled submarines has always existed, it was not until the late 1960s that a credible Canadian submarine capability was acquired when three Oberon Class vessels were purchased. In the early 1980s, the initial steps were taken to replace the Oberons, which would become obsolete in the 1990s after roughly 25 years of use. In terms of fighting equipment, the submarines were already obsolete when plans were first made to replace them, but, as ASW training platforms, they remained useful. At that time, several options existed for new submarines. These included the Dutch Walrus Class, the Swedish Nächen Class that, in turn, became the basis for the Australian Collins Class, various German designs, such as the TR-1700, and the then-very-new British Type 2400 Class, which emerged later as
