HMCS Protecteur is stranded at sea after it was heavily damaged in a spectacular night-time fire that caused minor injuries for about 20 sailors. Military officials are making arrangements to have the Canadian navy supply ship, which was heading home to CFB Esquimalt, towed to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
The fire was reported at 10:20 p.m. on Thursday when the ship was in open water on the Pacific, about 630 kilometres northeast of Pearl Harbor.
Commodore Bob Auchterlonie, commander of Canadian Fleet Pacific, applauded the actions of sailors who raced to put out the fire. “They saved the ship last night and they saved their shipmates,” Auchterlonie said Friday. “We’ve seen incidents like this around the globe and they’ve ended much worse than this. The fact . . . they got the fire under control, put it out, and secured the ship with only minor injuries on board is a testament to their training and professionalism.”
The fire caused extensive damage to Protecteur’s main engine room. “Picture an elementary school gymnasium about three storeys high filled with machinery, engines, and a lot of moving parts on fire in the middle of the ocean,” he said. “It took some time to get that fire out.”
Fortunately, Protecteur sailors are well trained and well prepared, he said.
Onboard were 279 crew, along with 17 family members ages 14 to 73, and two civilian contractors. It’s a popular practice for family to join service members for the last part of a journey after a ship has been on an extended mission. “The idea behind it is they’re seeing what life is like in a ship,” Auchterlonie said. “Last night, they experienced more life on a ship than they probably wanted to experience again.”
Auchterlonie said about 20 people suffered minor injuries while fighting the fire. “There was dehydration, there was exhaustion, there was smoke inhalation, and that’s what the nature of the injuries were,” he said. “Fortunately, we have a doctor on board, we have physician assistance on board, and we’re aware all these people have been treated.”
He would not speculate about the cause of the fire.
The fire extensively damaged machinery that controls the vessel’s propulsion, forcing the ship to stop. The U.S. Navy’s destroyer USS Michael Murphy arrived alongside Protecteur just before 2 p.m. Friday with much needed bottled water and equipment to help deal with damage to the ship.
Auchterlonie said it’s too early to say what it will mean if Protecteur is out of service for an extended period. It is one of only two supply ships in the Canadian navy’s fleet, and the only one on the west coast.
Protecteur left Esquimalt on Jan. 6 with HMCS Regina. Protecteur was conducting sea exercises and operations with the U.S. navy which, Auchterlonie said, has been of great assistance.
HMCS Protecteur and Algonquin collided during a routine towing exercise in August 2013. The navy estimated it will cost $3 million to repair damage to HMCS Algonquin. Protecteur suffered cosmetic damage to its bow and was back at sea a week later.
— With The Canadian Press
