In 1916 it was suggested by naval planners to bring the CC-class submarines to the east coast. During 1917 that became a reality as the Admiralty ordered the two subs and "Shearwater" to Europe. On 21 June 1917 the three ships left Esquimalt. Off Cape Blanco, the fleet ran into a gale and "CC-2" rolled heavily in the seas, seawater contaminating the sub's batteries. Half the crew was incapacitated by chlorine gas. The high seas also caused the propellers on both the submarines to be tossed out of the water, in turn causing the engines to over-rev. The stabilisation of this problem later caused the battery cells to start to break down and eventually short-circuit and start electrical fires.