Navy budget stretched to breaking point

The repairs and damage assessment for the HMCS Chicoutimi are making a bad financial situation even worse for the Canadian navy:

The four boats, acquired from the British navy for $850 million, have been docked since the incident.

Chicoutimi is in Halifax Shipyard, still undergoing a damage assessment. The insides have been stripped and cleaned, and officials are reviewing the structural damage, said Henderson.

Repairs will take at least a year, depending on what replacement parts are required, he said.

In his internal report, prepared in December, MacLean cites $419 million in total funding shortfalls across the navy. He says the unplanned expense for Chicoutimi will compound an already strained maintenance program.

Given that the rest of the navy's vessels were already running on what is politely termed "deferred maintenance" even before the subs were obtained, you can imagine how bad the situation will be after all the bills come in. But, given the federal situation, there's literally no hope of any extra funding going to the navy in the short term.

Update: The report of the inquiry into the fatal fire on board Chicoutimi has been issued, clearing the captain and crew of any risk of charges.