ORAC
21st Mar 2007, 23:50
RIP.
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, LONDON - Sub Explosion Kills Two British Sailors
Two British submariners were killed and a third injured in an accident March 21 on board a nuclear submarine submerged under the ice cap in the Arctic Ocean, the U.K. Ministry of Defence (MoD) said. Early indications were that the accident on board HMS Tireless involved a piece of air purification equipment in the forward section of the submarine, but the vessel was “never in any danger,” the MoD said.
“The MoD can confirm that at [0430 GMT] this morning there was an accident onboard a Trafalgar-class submarine on exercise in the Arctic,” it said in a statement. “The submarine, HMS Tireless, was never in any danger, its nuclear reactor was unaffected, it quickly surfaced and is completely safe.” The nuclear-powered hunter-killer submarine, which was taking part in a joint exercise with the U.S. Navy, does not carry nuclear missiles.
The submarines were operating north of Prudhoe Bay-Deadhorse, Alaska.
The MoD said the family of the two crew members had been informed while the injured sailor was airlifted to a U.S. military facility. His injuries are not thought to be life-threatening and he is expected to make a full recovery, the statement added.
“At this early stage, it is thought that the accident involved a piece of air purification equipment in the forward section of the submarine,” the statement read. “The ship’s company dealt with the incident quickly and professionally and, as a result, there is only superficial damage to the forward compartment. … The crew are trained in surfacing quickly through the ice, and did so in exemplary fashion.”
Adm. Sir James Burnell-Nugent, Royal Navy Commander in Chief (Fleet), voiced his regrets but added his praise for the crew. "I very much regret that this incident has occurred and my thoughts go out to the family and friends of the men who have lost their lives,” he said in a statement. “I also wish to pay tribute to the crew of HMS Tireless that this incident has been dealt with and contained so professionally.”
Air purification equipment is fitted to all Trafalgar-class submarines. Tireless is one of seven of that class in the Royal Navy. The MoD said the equipment has a 100 percent safety record to date, but as a precaution its use on other submarines has been restricted until safety checks can be carried out.
Tireless, which is based in Devonport, in Plymouth, southwest England, was launched in 1984, but the piece of air-purification machinery thought to have failed was fitted as part of an update in 2001. The submarine, commanded by Cmdr. Iain Breckenridge, completed a 14-month overhaul just over a year ago.
The U.S. Navy Submarine Force (SUBFOR) released a statement providing further details. The statement noted that a “self-contained oxygen generation candle” exploded at about 4:20 a.m. local time (12:20 a.m. EDT), and that an Alaska Air National Guard C-130 transport flew the injured British crewmember to Anchorage for treatment.
The Tireless had been operating with the American submarine USS Alexandria as part of the joint ICEX 2007 ice exercise. SUBFOR noted that since 1986, “every Arctic tactical exercise has involved both U.S. Navy and Royal Navy submarines.”
U.S. Vice Adm. Jay Donnelly, SUBFOR commander, said in a statement, “Submariners are brothers at sea and we all feel the loss as if it were our own. We stand by to continue to assist in any way we can.”
The SUBFOR statement added that the Tireless remains “safe and operational.”
The two submarines were operating together over the weekend at an Applied Physics Laboratory Ice Station (APLIS) built on a drifting ice floe about 180 nautical miles off the north coast of Alaska. The submarines surfaced through two feet of ice near the APLIS station, and the Alexandria took aboard numerous visitors, including Donnelly and U.S. Navy Secretary Donald Winter.
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, LONDON - Sub Explosion Kills Two British Sailors
Two British submariners were killed and a third injured in an accident March 21 on board a nuclear submarine submerged under the ice cap in the Arctic Ocean, the U.K. Ministry of Defence (MoD) said. Early indications were that the accident on board HMS Tireless involved a piece of air purification equipment in the forward section of the submarine, but the vessel was “never in any danger,” the MoD said.
“The MoD can confirm that at [0430 GMT] this morning there was an accident onboard a Trafalgar-class submarine on exercise in the Arctic,” it said in a statement. “The submarine, HMS Tireless, was never in any danger, its nuclear reactor was unaffected, it quickly surfaced and is completely safe.” The nuclear-powered hunter-killer submarine, which was taking part in a joint exercise with the U.S. Navy, does not carry nuclear missiles.
The submarines were operating north of Prudhoe Bay-Deadhorse, Alaska.
The MoD said the family of the two crew members had been informed while the injured sailor was airlifted to a U.S. military facility. His injuries are not thought to be life-threatening and he is expected to make a full recovery, the statement added.
“At this early stage, it is thought that the accident involved a piece of air purification equipment in the forward section of the submarine,” the statement read. “The ship’s company dealt with the incident quickly and professionally and, as a result, there is only superficial damage to the forward compartment. … The crew are trained in surfacing quickly through the ice, and did so in exemplary fashion.”
Adm. Sir James Burnell-Nugent, Royal Navy Commander in Chief (Fleet), voiced his regrets but added his praise for the crew. "I very much regret that this incident has occurred and my thoughts go out to the family and friends of the men who have lost their lives,” he said in a statement. “I also wish to pay tribute to the crew of HMS Tireless that this incident has been dealt with and contained so professionally.”
Air purification equipment is fitted to all Trafalgar-class submarines. Tireless is one of seven of that class in the Royal Navy. The MoD said the equipment has a 100 percent safety record to date, but as a precaution its use on other submarines has been restricted until safety checks can be carried out.
Tireless, which is based in Devonport, in Plymouth, southwest England, was launched in 1984, but the piece of air-purification machinery thought to have failed was fitted as part of an update in 2001. The submarine, commanded by Cmdr. Iain Breckenridge, completed a 14-month overhaul just over a year ago.
The U.S. Navy Submarine Force (SUBFOR) released a statement providing further details. The statement noted that a “self-contained oxygen generation candle” exploded at about 4:20 a.m. local time (12:20 a.m. EDT), and that an Alaska Air National Guard C-130 transport flew the injured British crewmember to Anchorage for treatment.
The Tireless had been operating with the American submarine USS Alexandria as part of the joint ICEX 2007 ice exercise. SUBFOR noted that since 1986, “every Arctic tactical exercise has involved both U.S. Navy and Royal Navy submarines.”
U.S. Vice Adm. Jay Donnelly, SUBFOR commander, said in a statement, “Submariners are brothers at sea and we all feel the loss as if it were our own. We stand by to continue to assist in any way we can.”
The SUBFOR statement added that the Tireless remains “safe and operational.”
The two submarines were operating together over the weekend at an Applied Physics Laboratory Ice Station (APLIS) built on a drifting ice floe about 180 nautical miles off the north coast of Alaska. The submarines surfaced through two feet of ice near the APLIS station, and the Alexandria took aboard numerous visitors, including Donnelly and U.S. Navy Secretary Donald Winter.