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The "Sub" Subject
The "Russian" Sub at New Westminister
****Update November 2000****This sub is now berthed in Victoria BC beside the Canoe Club at the foot of Swift Street****
by Romain Klaasen
Fueled and propelled by Ron Wild's letter to the Binnacle - published encomium, I better live up to last month's promise and talk about my two under whelming visits to the so-called "Russian" sub (U-521) that is or was tied up in the Fraser River at the New Westminster Quay.
Accompanied by wife, son and two granddaughters, I devoted part of Boxing Day 1997 to being rushed through that piece of junk, dropping copious bucks ($7.00 for me and less for my escorts), and snapping pictures. But my camera must have sensed something. The snaps didn't turn out all that well, because I hadn't put in a film. The bear for punishment that travels with me drove me back on February 1st last year. There had been no improvement during the five or so weeks that had lapsed between disappointments No. 1 and 2. The guide said (and seemed to know) very little on both dates, the tour was as fast and as unsatisfactory the second time as it had been the first time but, Whoopee! now my pictures did turn out well and clear. Even the Cyrillic notices are plain and clear, but not understandable.
Perhaps, prejudice may have played a role. Why, for starters, was she advertised as a "Russian" sub? Her 1971 launching goes back to the days of the Evil Empire, when "U.S.S.R." and "Soviet" were part of our vocabulary. So, O.K., that's nit picking. Still, the hoped-for public appeal that may have lurked in the "Russian" moniker didn't do the trick. The owner-syndicate went belly up, U-521 was auctioned off to a Los Angeles-based group and, going by the Colonist, may be towed to Victoria, for christ-sake. What if she sank in Active Pass? Would that thrill B.C. Ferries? Not all that likely.
Breathing easier now, I may as well jot down a few words about the U-521 sub, which the NATO gang had labeled a Foxtrot. The 300.1' long object was cobbled up by Sudomekh Krasnaya Sormova Shipyards, in Sverdlofsk (see why Russian and Ukrainian school kids fail spelling tests?) in 1970/71, commissioned in 1974 (three years to fix the leaks?) and decommissioned (all in one piece, by golly) after 19 years in 1993. U-521 has or had three Tatra diesels, three shafts with a screw on the end of each, and three electric motors. Three, three and three must have made it easier to balance the very dented brute. Anyway, it says she trucked along at 18 ks surfaced, and 16 dived. Not too shabby, what? Meanwhile, no one hides the fact that she represents an unmitigated knock-off of the Nazi's Type XXI. Just a few small differences here and there: for starters, the bodies at Sudomekh took a leaf out of the British Admiralty's book on subs , and made 100 per cent sure to uglify the Type XXI's fine lines. Next, where the German workers may have used grinders, files and squares, the Sudomekh honchos must have issued torches, sledgehammers, picks, axes and guesses to their comrades. No kidding: I haven't seen a purer, clearer fuller strength lack of pride in workmanship. Had the boat been mine, I'd have plastered Mickey Mouse decals all over. That way, I'd have known for sure why people could still laugh, after they'd parted with seven loonies.
Another thing that hurt my eyes were the plywood partitions and paneling in the crew quarters. It looked as if the varnished wood was recycled from packing crates, or it may have been the rejects of a packing crate shop. Rough stuff. Count the knots and win a prize.
It may have been that either the vendors or the new owners removed some of U-521's equipment, because there was not one periscope in sight, the radio room was as empty as a wasp' nest after the queen pulls out, and in the engine room there wasn't a motor in sight. It looked as spacious as a ballroom before a dance. And I was suspicious of three plywood panels on the floor. Maybe they covered the holes left by the three Tatras?
Should you be tired of my tirade, I'll turn positive for a few brief moments. The tour guide did know a few things all right. He mentioned that the four stern tubes could only be loaded from the outside. That isn't or wasn't all that unusual. The unusual is that, before loading those four torpedoes, the Foxtrot's bow tanks had to be flooded so that the stern tubes would come up above the waterline. Meanwhile, six bow tubes were rechargeable from indoors. That makes it unlikely U-521 was ever caught with not a fish ready to launch.
On one of the reserve berths in the torpedo room, there was one torpedo on display. It was painted green, had a very smooth finish, and sported a bronze screw that was impeccable in all regards. "The Soviets made this?" I asked. Indeed they did. In fact, bringing it into Canada had been quite a hassle. Customs had insisted on an inspection by a Navy expert just.......to make sure.
Finally, an unexpected nice touch: on the table in the officer's wardroom sat a gorgeous samovar coffee urn. I'm not sure it came with the boat, but it was a nice touch. Oh, and by the way, the guide was fair enough to tell me that the controls column and its half wheel had come from a scrapped Canadian frigate. The original one was taken out in Sverdlofsk.
I talked to a former R.C.N. submariner who had also visited the Foxtrot in New West. He, generally, was happier with what he had seen than I am. He mentioned, for example, that the pressure hull where it had been cut for public access showed some excellent, nicely welded steel. From that and other impressions, I gather that the then Soviets and now Russians do not subscribe to the "What looks good usually is good" maxim. Obviously, their priorities in manufacturing differ from what we are accustomed to.
My October blurb will deal with visits to two other museum subs: Pampanito in San Francisco, and Blueback, in Portland. Those experiences, I suspect, coloured my take on U-521.
Romanus Unicum
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