HMCS Windsor is a Victoria-class long-range hunter-killer submarine operated by the Royal Canadian Navy. Originally built for the Royal Navy as HMS Unicorn (pennant number S43), she was constructed at Cammell Laird's Birkenhead yard, laid down on 13 March 1990, launched on 16 April 1992, and commissioned into the Royal Navy on 25 June 1993. She was the last ship built at Cammell Laird until the start of construction on HMS Queen Elizabeth in 2010. The vessel measures approximately 230 feet 7 inches (70.3 meters) in length, with a beam of 25 feet (7.6 meters) and a draught of 17 feet 8 inches (5.4 meters). Her displacement is 2,220 long tons (2,260 tonnes) surfaced and 2,455 long tons (2,494 tonnes) submerged. Powered by a single-shaft diesel-electric system, she features two Paxman Valenta 1600 RPS SZ diesel engines coupled with GEC electric alternators, and a 5,000-kilowatt (6,700 hp) GEC dual armature electric motor driving a seven-blade fixed-pitch propeller. Her maximum surface speed is around 12 knots, while submerged she can reach speeds of up to 20 knots. Her range extends to 8,000 nautical miles at 8 knots, with a reported dive depth exceeding 650 feet (200 meters). Armed with six 21-inch torpedo tubes, she was originally equipped with 14 Tigerfish Mk 24 Mod 2 torpedoes and four UGM-84 Sub-Harpoon missiles. Canadian modifications removed the missile and mine-laying capabilities, replacing the fire control system with Canadian and Lockheed Martin components, including the ability to fire Gould Mk 48 Mod 4 torpedoes, with future upgrades allowing Mk 48 Mod 7AT torpedoes. Her sonar suite includes Type 2019, Type 2007, Type 2046, and the Canadian Towed Array Sonar (CANTASS), along with radar systems such as Type 1007 and Type 2040. After service with the Royal Navy, she was leased to Canada in 2001, arriving in Halifax and being commissioned as HMCS Windsor in 2003. She is notable for being the only Canadian submarine deployed in the Atlantic. Her service history includes various training missions, NATO exercises, and operational deployments. Windsor has undergone extensive refits and upgrades, including repairs to hull issues, sonar and weapon systems, and maintenance following incidents such as flooding in 2023. Her operational history underscores her role as a vital component of Canada's maritime defense strategy in Atlantic waters.

This description has been generated using GPT-4.1-NANO based on the Vessel's wikidata information and then modified by ShipIndex.org staff.