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One of the most interesting yet forgotten stories in regard to Canadian Military Procurement is that of rather blandly named HMCS CC-1 and CC-2. While historians are familiar with the ships themselves, the climate in which they were acquired and their accompanying tale are rather conveniently left out of many an official publication. The story of their purchase and daring acquisition seemed to come straight out of a cheap adventure novel although as will soon be clear, truth can be stranger than fiction. Submarines had been considered for Canada for many years although as with almost everything related to military spending, they were never acted upon before the outbreak of the first World War. These diminutive vessels were a rather effective weapon for any small nation requiring mobile defenses while also working within a small budget. Crew compliments were almost always very small, allowing a perspective nation to potentially man 2-3 submarines for the same the manpower required to operate a single destroyer. Looking back through the lens of hindsight, the officers and men of the period were almost completely unaccustomed to defending themselves against the submarine threat. Anti-submarine warfare as we know it was not developed until into the conflict itself. The German submarine U-9 sinking a trio of British armored cruisers late September of 1914 clearly showed that even larger warships could be sunk by a well positioned single submarine. The ability of these vessels to sit or move rather undetected in comparison to surface warships was another key advantage they held. With proper warning and a good positioning, submarines would be a deadly adversary for an unsuspecting raider.

Although it should be remembered that while submarines had significant advantages, the flaws present in such early boats rather dampened their effectiveness. Submariners of this period were very much operational pioneers; training was provided but the technology was far from proven. Early diesel engines utilized within these submarines required frequent maintenance and replacement of parts as the material science was not quite up to the future standards of World War II or even the interwar period. Submarines were incredibly cramped even with the small crew compliments and their machinery was rather dangerous, seawater contaminating their batteries could result in chlorine gas being expelled into the interior of the submarine which also lacked ventilation. Torpedoes of this period also had limited range and therefore effectiveness, somewhat nullifying the advantage of surprise that these boats enjoyed. Operational range and the combination of effective torpedo range limited these ships to laying in wait and in open waters, this drastically reduced their usage. In confined waters though such as straits, harbors, etc, submarines had few challengers to their deadliness.

The beginnings of Canada’s Submarine Service occurred in an unlikely place, within its neighbor to the South. As part of it’s July of 1910 Naval Bill, the nation of Chile placed an order for a pair of submarines with the Electric Boat Company of New Jersey. The pair of boats were designed so that while they were originally built in New Jersey, they were disassembled and transported across the country to the Seattle Construction and Drydock Company. This second company was subcontracted to rebuild the boats and deliver them to the Chilean Navy. The pair was laid down in 1912, launched in 1913 and completed in August of 1914. For a total construction price of $818,000, the pair of submarines was a tidy bargain however when the Chilean delegation inspected the ships, the reason for this pricing became clearly evident. The quality of both boats was rather lacking, fit and finish of parts were incredibly rough in places once a closer look was had. What was most worrying to the Chilean delegation was the fact both boats failed to meet the contractual obligated range requirement and in diving trials, both ships displayed worrying dive patterns with dangerous performance underwater. These issues alongside what was likely cold feet on the part of the Chilean government, caused them to fall behind over a year in their payments. Chile's constant threatening to back out of payments left the Electric Boat Company with two boats and no owners, their construction and details being evident to the US Navy which would almost certainly decline to purchase.



This all laid the foundation for the events of July 29, 1914. A group of influential figures and politicians had gathered for a dinner at the Union Club in Victoria and having caught wind of the impending war, the topic of reinforcing British Columbia’s almost non-existent defenses was raised. It just so happened that one of the men in attendance was James Paterson, President of the Seattle Dry Dock and Construction Company. After sitting through the various discussions and potential answers to rectify the provinces problem, Paterson chimed into the conversation with the tidbit that his company happened to be in possession of a pair of submarines that could possibly be up for sale. Yet another figure present at this meeting was Captain William Logan, a master mariner and representative of Lloyd's of London. As a local maritime insurer for Lloyd’s, Logan was seen as a very reputable and trustworthy figure within the greater Victoria area. Logan himself would be contacted by a committee of concerned citizens on August 2 who asked him to join in their attempts at purchasing a dreadnought for local defense. Hearkening back to the details he skimmed on July 29, Logan mentioned that perhaps they should look into purchasing Paterson’s submarines and later into the day, another citizen asked that he use his connections to inform the Premier of the possibility. Premier McBride received a telephone call from Logan early the next day and upon hearing the news, he was elated. He had been long looking for any kind of supplementary defenses for the province and with war on the horizon, the time could not be better. McBride was also a staunch supporter of the navy in general, although he had generally fell alongside Robert Borden in the contributionist camp. With Logan placed at the head of the submarines acquisition, he immediately contacted Paterson by telephone and confirmed the subs were still available. Logan was initially worried due to the fact that the submarines and their contract were in the end held by the Electric Boat Company, Paterson assured him that the sale would be legal given how Chile had defaulted on their payments and the ships were laying finished but unused. While a price was not established, Logan sent this news through to McBride who in return, brought Logan, a cabinet Minister from Ottawa, a local MP and the Attorney General of BC into his office to discuss the purchase. All parties agreed with the fact that Canada needed the submarines and a preliminary estimate was assigned of $375,000 each for the vessels.

Even with their agreement, the party wanted the opinions of a naval officer to back their decision. As Commander Hose had departed aboard Rainbow previously, Lieutenant Henry B. Pilcher of the Royal Navy had been brought in to act as the overall commanding officer of Esquimalt navy base. Previously an officer aboard Rainbow, Pilcher was quickly thrust ashore and had been dutifully attempted to bring Esquimalt and BC as a whole up to a war ready state. The poor man had already been under extreme pressure even before Logan and the federal Minister of Agriculture arrived in his office. Pilcher was dumbfounded at the questions regarding the submarines as he had never been in command of one however, adding additional defenses to his meager offerings was in his best interests, so he was quickly won over. Using his office telephone, Logan called Paterson to finalize the overall pricing. With his clients up against the wall, Paterson jacked the price for the submarines up to $575,000 each with the caveat that no negotiations would take place, he also pushed for the payment to be made in whole by government cheque. Even with the hefty markup of $332,000 over what the Chileans were originally planning to pay, the Canadians had little choice but to accept. After having the federal Minister witnessed the agreed upon price, the group wrote out a telegram informing Ottawa and Admiral Kingsmill of the possibility of purchasing the vessels.

“Two submarines actually completed for Chilean Government Seattle, estimated cost $575,000 each. Could probably purchase. Ready for action torpedoes on board. Chilean Government cannot take possession. I consider it most important to acquire immediately. Burrell concurs. Provincial Government will advance money pending remittance.”

Ottawa was unexpectedly slow on the roll in regard to the ongoing situation and much to the dismay and protests of Lieutenant Pilcher, the purchase went ahead regardless. It's relatively easy to show sympathy for Pilcher given his overall situation, his rapidly deteriorating physical and mental health were beginning to be noted by people around him. Paterson attempted to jump the gun and get the submarines ready to depart that very night however, Logan had to stall the overeager man from stirring up suspicion over the purchase. The United States was to pass the Neutrality Act any day and if they did before the submarines were out of US waters, there would be political hell to pay. Logan departed for Seattle immediately alongside Able Seamen Thomas A. Brown, a naval reservist picked at random by Lieutenant Pilcher to accompany the insurer on his trip. As the men moved to get the submarines into custody, McBride quickly lobbied the BC Cabinet to get a $1.15 million dollar cheque and through an order in council, the funds were passed through to McBride.

The Committee of the Privy Council have had before them a report, dated August 3, 1914, from the Officer in command of Esquimalt Naval Base, submitting that, in view of the existing emergency, it is necessary to provide some additional means of Naval Defense on the Pacific Coast of Canada. The Officer states that two submarine boats have been offered to the Dominion Government; that these boats were originally built for the Chilean Government, which was unable to receive them, and that their dimensions are as follows:

Displacement - 313 tons.
Length - 144 feet and 152 feet, respectively.
Beam - 15 feet.
Speed - 13 knots.

The Technical Officers of the Esquimalt Naval Base report that these boats are very suitable, and recommend their purchase. The Minister concurs and recommends, therefore, that these boats be purchased for the sum of One Million and One Hundred Fifty Thousand ($1,150,000) Dollars and that as the necessity is urgent, a Governor General's Warrant
be issued covering this expenditure, the Minister of Finance having reported that there is no Parliamentary Appropriation from which this expenditure can be defrayed. The Committee advise that a Governor General's Warrant do issue as recommended accordingly.

Signed Rodolphne Boudreau,

Clerk of the Privy Council.

Ottawa would be rather lucky that unlike themselves, Provincial politics had much less baggage to them and without this quick thinking, the submarines could have very easily have slipped away. With both parties working their absolute hardest, the Great Submarine Caper had begun.