Engine Room Fire in HMCS Protecteur

[Navy_Pete]

Look how high she's riding in the water. Her Screw is almost showing. That'll make her corkscrew thru the water as they tow her. That isn't going to be a pleasant ride but at least they'll be in Pearl in a couple of days.

Thank-you to our good friends in the USN.

She's actually riding reasonably low following a 7 week trip; the bottom of the boot top is still below water.  You can see blue through the waves and through the water itself in the up close pictures, but that's pretty normal (in clear water vice dirty harbour water).  When they are empty there is a good ring of blue (that's the anti fouling coating) showing under the boot top above the waterline(the black strip around waterline level for non-navy types).

Still going to suck, but in the grand scheme of things, better then the alternatives.

Thanks for the flickr link to the USN photos; their photo techs obviously know their stuff.  I noticed in this one you can clearly see the dent off the ALG on the tip of the forepeak;

http://www.flickr.com/photos/compacflt/12872991415/sizes/l/

 

[McG]

The seventeen family members (including retired vice-admiral Larry Murray) have arrived in Pearl Harbor:

• http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/family-of-crew-aboard-crippled-hmcs-protecteur-arrive-in-hawaii-1.1713727
• http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/17-hmcs-protecteur-evacuees-arrive-at-pearl-harbor-1.2559842

By the accounts given, the the sailors did very well during the fire ... as one would expect.


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[jollyjacktar]

She's screwed...

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Fire-damaged HMCS Protecteur could be headed for the scrap heap.

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[daftandbarmy]

She's screwed...

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Glass Half Full?

Potentially, another cool artificial reef to explore here on the West Coast!

http://www.artificialreef.bc.ca/

 

[jollyjacktar]

Glass Half Full?

Potentially, another cool artificial reef to explore here on the West Coast!

http://www.artificialreef.bc.ca/

I agree from the standpoint of my imagination (I'm not a diver).  I always said that the Tankers would be excellent to dive on as there's so many large open areas to explore.  # 6 Centerline for example is big enough to put a PMQ into.  The Jungle Deck is a couple of hundred feet long and would give access into all the cargo tanks aside from the #'s 1 Pt, Stbd and Centerline, which are in the Open Jungle Deck.  The Engine Room and Boiler Rooms are huge as is the Hangar, and Dispersal Area.

But.  The cost to prepare the ship for that would probably be prohibitive to say the least they are environmental nightmares with all the pipes full of fuels and other nasty stuff here and there.  Who would really want to pay for that kind of thing? 

 

[daftandbarmy]

I agree from the standpoint of my imagination (I'm not a diver).  I always said that the Tankers would be excellent to dive on as there's so many large open areas to explore.  # 6 Centerline for example is big enough to put a PMQ into.  The Jungle Deck is a couple of hundred feet long and would give access into all the cargo tanks aside from the #'s 1 Pt, Stbd and Centerline, which are in the Open Jungle Deck.  The Engine Room and Boiler Rooms are huge as is the Hangar, and Dispersal Area.

But.  The cost to prepare the ship for that would probably be prohibitive to say the least they are environmental nightmares with all the pipes full of fuels and other nasty stuff here and there.  Who would really want to pay for that kind of thing?

The artificial reef geeks love to do that stuff... for free. Gawd Bless 'Em All!

 

[jollyjacktar]

The Tankers would be really amazing to dive through.  Lots of large compartments like 6 Stores, Main Magazines, the Fwd and Aft House, Bridge, Ras Deck and Uppers.  Better than a warship as the size of things are I would think more dive friendly and safe. 

Who knows where PRO will end up, but I fear from what I'm reading it will be sooner than was planned in the grand scheme of things.  IMHO, if they have any dollar and cents sense, that is.

 

[MarkOttawa]

Meanwhile RN is getting four 37,000 tonne AORs, buiilt in South Korea, fpr spme US$700M:
http://www.defensemedianetwork.com/stories/royal-navys-mars-ships-will-be-built-in-south-korea/
http://www.naval-technology.com/news/newsroyal-navys-mars-tankers-design-plan-completes

....
The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) awarded a contract to DSME in 2012 for the construction of four MARS tankers to replace the existing RFA's single hulled tankers, with the first ship of the class due to be delivered in October 2015, with the final vessel due in April 2017...

First ship in three/three years.  Whilst we pay some C$2.6B  (exchange rates vary) for two built-in-Canada JSS, operational never never land:
http://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/canada-issues-rfp-for-cdn-29b-joint-support-ship-project-updated-02392/

Go figure.

Mark
Ottawa

 

[Navy_Pete]

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/hmcs-protecteur-towed-into-pearl-harbor-1.2562634

PRO alongside PRO

Not sure who the PO1 is but he's remarkably well composed all things considered.  Good job on the crew!

(the other video of the reporter almost eating the monkey's fist is pretty funny..... probably bad idea to stand on the jetty while they are trying to tie up)

Anyway, glad the crew is safe.  Ship is probably beyond economical repair but she's years past the end of her service life.

(Warning  ff topic: )
To sink the tankers, they would have to have all PCBs, POL residues etc stripped (steam clean all piping etc), and gut all the insulation etc.  Would be an awesome wreck but would cost tens of millions to prep.  Darn environmental legislation!

Also, so far artificial reef societies have had no luck getting rid of our old ships in modern times due to the regulations they have to comply to.  (See the former HMCS Fraser and the former HMCS Annapolis)

 

[Colin Parkinson]

I'm quite aware of the HMCS Annapolis situation. Environment Canada changed the rules at the last minute (in response to pressure from a group opposed to the sinking) the association was going to have to walk, the government did not want it back, so they are paying for the removal of the insulation so the ship can be sunk were it is planned for. The government already paid millions to remove all the wiring from the ship, because it might contain PCB's. These new rules are going to drive up the cost of disposing of the old vessels as it's likely the insulation issue will apply to the next set of ship tagged for disposal.

 

[Navy_Pete]

These new rules are going to drive up the cost of disposing of the old vessels as it's likely the insulation issue will apply to the next set of ship tagged for disposal.

Feel bad for the Annapolis reef society; they seem to have gotten screwed by EC on this one as far as I can tell as well.

In general though, with all the environmental and controlled goods issues that would have to be dealt with prior to turning any ship into a reef, it's no longer feasible or cost effective.

Back on topic though, this situation is an excellent example of training paying off.  The ship is really just a floating collection of parts moving in (generally) the same direction; it's the crew that makes it something more, and they all made it back safely.

Fingers crossed this also helps some decisions get made on PRE, as she's equally as tired.

 

[chrisf]

Fires at sea are a terrifying prospect, good job to all involved, glad to hear you're in a safe harbour.

 

[ringo]

I think the Dutch support ship Amsterdam is to decommission this year perhaps Canada could buy or lease this vessel.

 

[Colin Parkinson]

Commissioned in 1995, not sure if we are used to something that new.  ;D

 

[d_edwards]

Commissioned in 1995, not sure if we are used to something that new

I wonder if the government would be willing to go down the used vessel path again.  Any problems encountered would be media fodder, especially given the outcome of the sub purchase.

 

[daftandbarmy]

(Warning  ff topic: )
To sink the tankers, they would have to have all PCBs, POL residues etc stripped (steam clean all piping etc), and gut all the insulation etc.  Would be an awesome wreck but would cost tens of millions to prep.  Darn environmental legislation!

Why not just put a submariner at the helm and let the artificial reef occur as part of the drill?  ;D

 

[Navy_Pete]

Or hire 'Bubba's Tug and grill Co.' to get her back and let nature run it's course!

Our luck it would go flawlessly!  Highly reputable tow company = CBC leading story; sketchy fly by night tugs = success?

As long as it happened in deep enough water, and the fuels etc were off beforehand, it'd be the cheapest disposal option!

 

[suffolkowner]

Link removed in accordance with site policy

This is sort of what I had in mind, although I don't know why we wouldn't crew them ourselves.

I don't see the new AOR's coming online before 2020, and that might be optimistic.

Would the 230m length pose an issue?

 

[chrisf]

Or hire 'Bubba's Tug and grill Co.' to get her back and let nature run it's course!

I have a joke about this that would be very funny to anyone involved in towing on the eastern end of the country, but it may construed as libel.

Rest assured it's very funny though.

 

[Colin Parkinson]

If the old ships sinks in deep water by accident, EC will not do anything or require that anyone does anything.