U.S. submarine's trip to Arctic should sound alarms for Canada: expert

[phantom power]

The recent surfacing of a U.S. submarine near the North Pole and an increase in military activity in the Arctic this year should send a warning to the Canadian government that other nations are serious about boosting their presence in the resource-rich region, says a specialist on Canada's northern security.

The U.S. navy recently confirmed that the USS Texas and its 134-member crew completed an Arctic mission, with some U.S. media outlets noting the nuclear- powered submarine broke through the ice near the North Pole and stayed on the surface for 24 hours.

Rob Huebert, an Arctic specialist with the University of Calgary, said the Texas is the third U.S. submarine to visit the region so far this year. Earlier this year, five Russian submarines operated around the North Pole during test firings of missiles, he added.

``It takes a lot of effort to get up there,'' Huebert said. ``The message being sent with the Texas is that the U.S. takes the Arctic seriously, as do other countries. I don't get the impression that Canada is taking all this in.''

http://www.canada.com/submarine+trip+Arctic+should+sound+alarms+Canada+expert/2228051/story.html

[Captain Hilts]

1. They're there ALL the time and have been for years. Nothing new there. nt

[hobbit709]

2. Been there for 50 years or so.

[Captain Hilts]

8. There you go!

[Submariner]

3. We have been surfacing under the ice caps since the 1950s

Kind of late for Canada to become alarmed now.

[Captain Hilts]

10. Some parts are edibile...

[GliderGuider]

4. What exactly are we going to do about it?

Send our navy?

[phantom power]

5. Well... if you can somehow make this all about a curling match...

:shrug:

[happyslug]

11. Isn't that Machine Gun more of a threat to the Boat it is on then anything else?

That is a very small and light boat for such a weapon. The Electric engine at full speed MAY reduce the speed of the boat as it goes backward do to the recoil (if the recoil does NOT sink the boat by tipping it over). I see no one is firing the Machine gun, the boat operator knows better (Must be a well-trained Machine gun Operator, he knows NOT to fire that thing in such a light boat).

Anyway, that boat has US Coast Guard markings, thus NOT available for Canadian Arctic duties.

[Captain Hilts]

12. My great uncle was director of Material for the RCN in WWII. He's whirling right now. nt

[LunaSea]

6. Nom...

[Bonhomme Richard]

7. Remember Ice Station Zebra.

Great movie, at least Howard Hughes thought so.

[Captain Hilts]

9. I actually enjoy that one. Hudson's great in it, though the interior scenes - especially

with the huge Hudson - are unrealistically spacious.

And the interior doesn't belong to the old diesel sub that was used for the surface scenes - ARCHERFISH?