Life of 2nd sailor from stranded sub in danger
CTV.ca News Staff
One of the sailors aboard HMCS Chicoutimi, has died and now there is word that the life of a second sailor may be in danger.
A doctor says the unidentified sailor, who is suffering from smoke inhalation, has been transferred to intensive care at a hospital in Ireland. He has extensive lung damage and may have to be put on a ventilator.
A third sailor is said to be in a stable condition.
Another sailor, Lieut. Chris Saunders, a 32-year-old husband and father of two small children, died of injuries Wednesday evening.
The three were airlifted Wednesday night off the Chicoutimi, which remains stranded at sea after a major fire Tuesday.
News of the death came as a shock, since initial reports said the fire was "minor" and there was no indication that any of the three injured sailors were suffering from life-threatening injuries.
On Wednesday night, about half a dozen people gathered outside Saunders' home to offer comfort to his wife, Gwen, who stayed in the house with her parents and sister.
Saunders was injured Tuesday by a large fire that broke out on board between the commanding officers' cabin and an electrical equipment room. The fire's cause is still unknown.
Initial reports were that nine of the 57 crew members suffered smoke inhalation. British navy medical officers were lowered on board Wednesday and determined that three of the sailors needed medical attention.
They were evacuated by helicopter later in the day. But en route, the aircraft was diverted to a hospital in southern Ireland when Saunders' condition worsened.
Cameras captured the landing of the British helicopter and the sight of two men wheeling a stretcher while a third man applied CPR. The two other Canadian sailors walked to a car and were driven away.
Saunders was declared dead at the hospital in Sligo.
"Regrettably, during the course of the medical evacuation, his condition worsened," Gen. Ray Henault, chief of defence staff, told an Ottawa news conference Wednesday evening.
An autopsy is expected to be performed Thursday.
Sub still stranded
The rest of the crew is still stranded on the Chicoutimi, which was on its was to Halifax from the port in Faslane. The sub currently has no power and is being tossed around in the North Atlantic between Ireland and Scotland.
Graham said the sub will have to towed to shore but the weather has been bad, with choppy waves that have been delaying that operation.
"Until the weather is calm enough, they certainly cannot attempt anything as tricky as towing a submarine," he said.
"So some speculation is for much later today. There's other speculation it might be tomorrow. That's obviously for the navy to determine."
The submarine will likely be towed to a base in Faslane, Scotland, but the journey will take a few days and the vessel likely won't reach shore until Sunday.
Severity downplayed?
Now there are accusations the military downplayed the severity of the situation. Henault faced questioning after a report suggested that the Saunders' family was told Tuesday the sailor was okay.
"We were certainly aware Chris Saunders had suffered smoke inhalation," Henault replied, adding that the crew had been communicating via cellphone.
"But there was certainly no indication from the onboard medical staff that there was any cause for concern, other than the fact that they had had smoke inhalation," he said.
When the Royal Navy medical team saw the three, they determined they needed further observation, "and there were no indications of any problems until the very last moment," he said.
With communications equipment between the sub and Canadian marine officials damaged, it was difficult to maintain contact and "to come to a conclusive result early on," Henault said.
"It was our understanding that everything was stable with (the nine injured)."
On Thursday morning, Defence Minister Bill Graham could offer few other details about what went wrong.
"I cannot give you the answer to that question because we don't have that answer yet," he told Canada AM.
"The information we received that situation wasn't life-threatening was based on the analysis of those on board. After that, we were able to get two medical people on board. At the point, it was decided it would be wise to transfer three of our sailors to shore hospital.
"Obviously, the medical officer in charge made a decision that was appropriate to transfer him. And that's all I can tell you at this time. "
Originally, officials said the fire was a minor event but on Wednesday, that story changed when rescue ships arrived.
"Information we have received... indicates damage was more extensive than first thought," Cmdr. Tyrone Pile told reporters at a briefing in Halifax.
Describing it as a "major fire," the commander of the Canadian Atlantic Fleet said it, "was of sufficient strength that most of the ship's portable firefighting equipment was used to put it out."
A second fire broke out soon after, Pile added, when the crew tried to start an oxygen generator. It was quickly extinguished. The blazes knocked out all power to the vessels and Pile says "the restoration of propulsion ... is unlikely."