Mark 2 SUBMARINE

• 2 Man Submersible
• 10feet
• 20t Depths
• RMC Navy Bay
• St. Lawrence River, Kingston

A small submersible vessel was designed and built in the department in the early 1950s. The boat was intended to be a prototype inspection craft to examine ship hulls and propulsive gear from underwater. It was driven by a modified torpedo motor- a radial compressed-air motor, adapted for the purpose by department members. The concept for the boat was deemed to be highly creative, but it never entered production and after completion of the test program, it was broken up and disposed of in Navy Bay, adjacent to the College grounds. Portions of her hull were recovered by scuba divers in the summer of 2000 but were ultimately returned to Navy Bay.

Blog Post – Written By: Helen Cutts, KAM Visitor in Residence #

It was the early 1950s when work began on an unusual project with connections to Navy Bay. In October 1951, the Head of the Mechanical Engineering Department at RMC, Lieutenant-Colonel Peter King, submitted a proposal to the Defence Research Board of Canada. This new entity, established in 1947, co-ordinated science, research and development for the three armed services.

King believed that existing methods for locating objects on the bottom of relatively shallow waters were inadequate. The main drawback of sending divers down was fatigue. He proposed an Undersea Exploration Craft, saying in his submission, “It seems that a device with a two man crew in the nature of a midget submarine…would permit reasonably rapid search of the bottom without tiring the operators unduly.”

With the project approved, the RMC Machine Shop staff got to work on the construction. King had proposed some innovative design features to ensure that his submarine would be lightweight. For example, his design called for the air exhausted by the engines to be fed into the crew compartment and vented out its bottom. In addition to ensuring fresh air to the crew, this was important for the construction of a relatively light hull since the pressure inside the submarine would be the same as the outside hydrostatic pressure, independent of depth.

The RMC team was able to construct a submarine that weighed 7200 pounds. By September 1953, three trials had been completed in depths ranging from 20 to 30 feet of water, with adjustments between the trials to improve buoyancy control. In the third and final trial, the submarine was able to operate successfully for three hours and move at two feet per second. According to RMC, to the best of its knowledge, this was the first submarine designed and built in Canada. The submarines built in Montreal during WW1 were US-designed.

RMC’s submarine became a popular attraction for visitors, including the UK’s famous Field Marshall Monty Montgomery who was in command of all Allied ground forces during the Battle of Normandy (Operation Overlord) from D-Day on June 6, 1944 until September 1, 1944. He is pictured here with Canadian naval officer Commodore Horatio Nelson Lay.

Today, Navy Bay is the final resting place for this fine submarine. When orders came, it was dismantled and sunk in the bay. As you look out onto the bay, take pride in this story of Canadian ingenuity.

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