Pete E,

Here is the Canadian update on the story from one of our leadng national news sites.

Lynn D

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/1096991616876_92400816/?hub=TopStories

Stranded Canadian sub awaits Atlantic rescue
CTV.ca News Staff

One of Canada's troubled submarine fleet is stranded off the coast of Ireland, awaiting rescue after losing power when a fire broke out on board.

HMCS Chicoutimi, a diesel-electric patrolling sub, reported a fire in an electrical panel on Tuesday at around 11:15 AT. The fire was extinguished within minutes, but the vessel had already filled with smoke.

Briefing reporters in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canadian navy Commodore Tyrone Pile said the submarine had been scheduled for an "extended running period at sea" when it encountered the problem.

"This is a small setback," the commander of Canadian Fleet Atlantic said. "We're going to deal with the fire, find out what caused the problem, and get Chicoutimi over here to continue with the program."

Before that can happen, however, Pile said the now powerless sub must be rescued.

"We're taking this problem seriously, and our desire is to get that submarine and crew back to a safe port to effect repairs as soon as possible."

Britain's Royal Navy has dispatched a helicopter and a maintenance vessel to assist the stranded sub as it bobs in six-metre seas some 230 kilometres from Londonderry, Ireland. Two frigates have also been scrambled to the scene.

Answering reporters' questions in Ottawa, Defence Minister Bill Graham said the vessel could be waiting between 14 and 18 hours if it can't establish its own power before help arrives.

"It is obviously not desirable to be without power on board," Graham conceded before sounding a more positive note. "They are a terrific crew, they're very professional, and they're managing the situation very, very well."

Although the cause of the fire and the extent of damage on board the vessel remains unclear, Graham said he has learned nine crew members suffered minor injuries.

"Nine of our personnel suffered smoke inhalation... I can assure you that is the only damage, those are the only injuries."

The outstanding questions, Graham added, will be answered in an inquiry into the incident.

The Canadian navy only recently took possession of the Chicoutimi along with three other Victoria-class submarines from the British navy.

A renaming ceremony was held just this past Saturday in Scotland, as the submarine changed its name from HMS Upholder to HMCS Chicoutimi.

As Pile explained, it was yet to undergo the "Canadianization work period" that would retrofit the vessel for full service in Canada's fleet.

The Chicoutimi was on its way to Canada and was due to arrive in Halifax harbour Oct. 18.

Another of the submarines bought at the same time, HMCS Victoria, is currently testing its torpedo system on the West Coast. A third vessel, HMCS Corner Brook, is undergoing work in Halifax. The fourth craft is HMCS Windsor.

The incident is just the latest in a string of embarrassing setbacks for the Canadian military surrounding the used subs, which Ottawa bought from Britain at a cost of $750 million.

The submarines were built in the late 1980s and early 1990s, but the British navy mothballed them in 1994, when they decided to go with an all-nuclear submarine force.

Canada agreed to buy the vessels in 1998 to replace three Oberon class boats. But shortly after Canada took possession, cracks were found in key valves on the subs.

Despite their record, Graham defended the decision to procure the undersea fleet.

"From every point of view these are very, very useful tools for Canada," he told reporters, dismissing suggestions they were simply substandard bargains. "These are very expensive pieces of equipment, and these were acquired at a very reasonable price."

As for the fire, Graham said it could happen to any vessel.

"This is something that our professional mariners are capable and good at managing."

Repairs and tests to certify the boats are safe to dive took longer than expected, putting the "Canadianization process" about three years behind schedule.

Of course the Brits have a top notch military and will continue to have one so long as they can unload their clunkers on countries like us. Geez guys, why in hell do you think the Brits were selling the subs so cheaply? I'd like to see what the warranty is. Get it as far as open water and its ours I guess. Please don't buy any helicopters from them. I'm more upset about losing the personnel than the equipment. Best wishes.

Cal - Montreal

Oscar, your on the right path. We as Canadians started down this slippery slope with the cancellation of the Avro Arrow and have continued on blindly to date. After WWII we had the third largest navy on the planet. Look at us now! We as a country seem to have accepted our place as hewers of wood and bearers of water. Well at least we're well liked.

The RN has evacuated three crewmen off the stricken sub, one is said to be in a critical condition..

The BBC News website reports:

"Three crew members from the stricken Canadian submarine which is drifting in the Atlantic have been taken to hospital in Ireland.

The men arrived at 1930 BST, after being winched off HMCS Chicoutimi 120 miles off the Irish coast.

The three men were the most seriously injured of those on board, the Ministry of Defence said.

A spokeswoman for Sligo Hospital in north-west Ireland said one man was critically ill."

The full report is at:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/3719760.stm

Goods News!



Despite the weather, the RN have a frigate onsite & have managed to put a Doctor and Engineering team aboard the stricken sub. I can only imagine how dangerous that must have been.



Reports now indicate the damage was more extensive than first reported and there were actually *two* fires on different decks. This more extensive damage apparently explains why the engines could not be re started.



At the moment priority is being given to treating two or three of the worst effected casualties and it has yet to be decided whether they will need evacuation or not...



I have a couple of friends who are former Royal Navy and they tell me that there is nothing inherently wrong with this class of Sub. On the contrary, many were bittery dissapointed when they were pulled out of service & moth balled. As Desiel Electric subs go, these were state of the art at the time and were renowned for being exeptionally quiet.



The problems with these subs are apparently normal after a boat has been brought back into service or had a major refit. The haggling between the Governments apparently does not extend to the actual respective Navy's and is more a case of hoss trading over unforseen costs, which are common in military projects like this.



I don't know if the Canadian Government has cut corners to save money any where, but if these boats have the same basic or better spec than when we had them, Canada will get good service out of them.



As an example, a couple of years back I visited a submarine museum on our south coast. As a permanent fixed exhibit they had a sub on display in sort of in a "dry dock". This Sub was designed & commisioned towards the end of WW11.



The end of the war halted its production, but it was restarted in the early 1950's and finally entered service in the mid to late 50's...It saw continued service right up to the early 1980's with the last few years spent as a training sub. During that time it had numerous refits and upgrades but it was still essentially a WW11 era sub!



So you can see what Canada bought was compartively modern and state of the art....



regards,



Pete

One of the evacuated crewman has died in hospital as a result of the injuries sustained during the fire.

My condolences to his family and my thoughts and prayers are with the famies of the other sailors injured in the accident...

Peter

What have they been doing to those subs for the last six years? Apparently the one in distress was stripped for parts to make the other three run and now they've bandaided this one up enough that it was able to get out to sea before it broke down. So now we can't even support our own subs, fisherman have been first on the scene and now the Brits. This country needs to either get in the game or go home. We spend so much money maintaining junk and doing basically nothing internationally. We can't even make an effort to defend our own borders and keep terrorists from using this country as a jumping off point for their activities. Our money would go much farther if we donated it to someone, ie. US and Britian, at least we might get some bang for the buck. Just another Canadian joke in the international Comedy show. This country is pathetic.