Update courtesey of The Telegram
http://www.thetelegram.com/news.aspx?storyID=27937
Monday, January 17, 2005
Crew pulled from icy waters
By BRIAN CALLAHAN, The Telegram
Four crew members from HMCS Toronto were pitched into the icy Atlantic Ocean outside St. John's harbour Sunday due to a mechanical malfunction on the Canadian navy frigate.
The four bobbed in the sea for 16 minutes before being hauled to safety by fellow crew members in two Zodiac rubber dinghies launched from the warship.
Three of the four emerged physically unscathed from the ordeal, while the fourth suffered a minor leg injury. He was treated by the physician's assistant aboard the HMCS Toronto and was transferred to hospital after docking in St. John's.
He was back aboard his ship three hours later.
The incident occurred at about 1:30 p.m. as the frigate was approaching The Narrows, about a quarter mile from the entrance to the harbour.
The four crew members were in a boat that was being lowered into the water from the frigate.
â Å“One of the cables used to lower it didn't release in the proper sequence,â ? Mike Bonin, a navy spokesman with Maritime Forces Atlantic in Halifax, told The Telegram Sunday night.
â Å“There was a mechanical malfunction.â ?
The bow of the boat suddenly jerked downward and into the water, causing it to capsize, and spilling all four crew members into the ocean.
Fortunately, and as is standard policy during such operations, they were all wearing survival suits.
â Å“Of course, they were very cold and wet, but there's no hypothermia or anything else of that nature,â ? said Bonin. â Å“So, they're all fine now, and are in the process of speaking to their next of kin to just reassure them that they are fine.â ?
Unlike the rubber Zodiacs and fast-rescue craft used by the navy and coast guard, the boat that capsized has a fibreglass hull with an inflatable buffer for docking.
It was recovered and brought to port where navy officials will examine it, as well as the rigging on its mother ship, as part of the investigation into the incident, said Bonin.
Such malfunctions are unpredictable, he noted, unlike the response of the crew.
â Å“There's at least two or three people who would supervise the lowering of that boat into the water. Someone would've witnessed the incident and brought the ship to emergency stations immediately.â ?
'Efficient response'
Two survival teams then suited up and launched two rescue boats to recover the crew members.
â Å“It was an efficient response and just shows the level of professionalism that these guys have on board the ship. These are things that they practise on a regular basis,â ? he said.
Bonin did not know why the ill-fated boat was being launched in the first place.
â Å“But I do know that HMCS Toronto's first stop was to be the refuelling jetty. Perhaps (the four) were on their way in to meet with the refuelling people as an advance team.
â Å“But I don't know that for sure. That's really only speculation.â ?
The ship's commanding officer, executive officer and two or three other navy officials will make up the investigation team.
Weather at the time of the incident was unusually co-operative given
the time of year, with clear skies,
light winds and relatively calm waters.
A coast guard rescue boat was sent to the scene immediately after operators received the distress call, but the crew members had already been rescued by the time it arrived.
â Å“Anytime someone goes into the water under these conditions, it is definitely a very anxious time for all of us,â ? added Bonin.
It's not clear how long the Toronto will be in port, or if the incident will affect its regular patrols of the Atlantic.
bcallahan@thetelegram.com
