Why is it taking so long to make the submarines fully operational?
The delay is a function of several factors. First, the re-activation was very much more difficult than originally expected, a fact noted by the National Post on 18 October 2004.17 However, the engineers at the Barrow shipyard were very open in saying that this was the first time they had to lay up and then re-activate a modern submarine, and if they had to do it again, several things would be done differently. The ‘culture of safety’ that submariners everywhere embrace requires that all systems be checked and re-checked before use, especially after a prolonged period of inactivity. A submarine put into long-term maintenance or de-activated has most of its key systems taken apart, so that component parts can be tested before re-assembly. This takes time, but it is time well spent. Second, despite claims that the four submarines have been plagued with technical defects, the re-activation has gone remarkably smoothly. Defects were found, but that is why an extensive trials programme was n
