HMCS Windsor Leaky Air Valve Makes The News

Here's another reason why submariners don't like to make the news; when you do, like they have in Canada, every little thing that goes wrong gets scrutinized by the press. This article actually does a pretty good job of just reporting the facts, though:

"Meanwhile, HMCS Windsor, which had slipped out to sea Monday, returned to port a few hours early on Wednesday to repair a leaky air valve. The sub’s skipper, Lt.-Cmdr. Luc Cassivi, described the problem as minor.
"Before I go away for a long period . . . I always like to take the boat out for a few days, kick the wheels, as we say, and then come back to provide some opportunity for technical staff to tweak the little problems," Lt.-Cmdr. Cassivi said.
"Once a pressure drop was detected in the sub’s high-pressure air system, the leaky valve was discovered using some old-fashioned detective work.
"We did some fault-finding with some soapy water," he said.
"Some aspects of these warships are a bit rocket science. But some of it is pretty primitive. You don’t need to consult NASA to find the problems."
Windsor will leave Halifax again soon.
"It’s within a week, but my sailing dates are classified," Lt.-Cmdr. Cassivi said.
"The sub, one of four Canada purchased from Britain for $891 million, is also bound for war games in local waters and with our neighbours to the south.
"Another sub, HMCS Corner Brook, has been out of service since April 2004. Both HMCS Victoria and HMCS Chicoutimi, which caught fire last year, killing Lieut. Chris Saunders of Halifax, are also out of commission."

At least they didn't have to use the "broomstick" method to find the HP air leak.