Sub HMCS Victoria fires 1st torpedoes in test

TheRoyal Canadian Navy says one of its troubled submarines has finally managed tofire torpedoes in a test exercise.

The navy said HMCS Victoria, its only active submarine, firedthe torpedoes in waters off Nanoose Bay, B.C., this week.

"As the submarine fleet achieves steady state it will be ready to act decisively at sea in defence of Canada, when and where needed, Capt. Luc Cassivi, director of the Canadian Submarine Force, said in a news release.

"These trials represent a major milestone for the Victoria-class submarine program as Victoria is the first submarine in the fleet to fire a MK48 heavyweight exercise torpedo."

The four used submarines Canada owns were purchased in 1998 and until now, noneof themwasable to carry or fire itsAmerican-built torpedoes.

The torpedoes Victoria fired didn't have an explosive warhead, butcarried an electronics package used to gather data.

Additional weapons system trials are scheduledfor the spring, the navy said.

Equipment and crew trials will continue throughout March as part of Victoria's program to be declared fully operational later this summer, according to the release.

When Canada bought the submarines it opted not to buy the British torpedoes the submarines were designed to carry.

That decision has cost the navy millions of dollars. All of thesubmarines' torpedo tubeshave to be modified and the fire control systems removed and replaced.

News of the torpedo firing comesafter aBritish MP told CBC News ThursdaythatCanada got a bad dealon the submarinespurchasedfrom Britain.

Mike Hancock, the Liberal Democrat MP for Portsmouth South, said the submarine deal was an embarrassment and should be investigated.

The navy's other three submarines are not in the water and are still not capable of firing torpedoes.

The navy hopes to have threeof thesubmarinesoperational by 2013.