page_title: Upholder/Victoria-class submarine
section_title: Fire
hierarchical_section_title: Upholder/Victoria-class submarine / Canadian service / Fire
caption_attribution_description: English: HMCS Chicoutimi on the TERN docked at Odgen Point, Victoria, B.C. Shipname: TERN IMO Number: 8000977 MMSI Number: 306029000 Callsign: PJXY Length: 181 m Beam: 32 m Information about Tern may be found at IMO 8000977.A ship can change name and flag state through time, but the IMO number remains the same through the hull's entire lifetime. As a result, it can be useful to identify a ship by using the IMO number.
context_page_description: The Upholder/Victoria-class submarines, also known as the Type 2400, are the class of the diesel-electric submarines that were built in the United Kingdom in the 1980s to supplement the nuclear submarines served in the Submarine Service of the British Royal Navy.
  Originally classified as the Upholder class in the British service, these submarines only served for a short span of time and were decommissioned in 1994. After an unsuccessful bid to transfer these submarines to Pakistan Navy in 1993–94, Canadian Forces Maritime Command eventually purchased the submarines and a suite of trainers from the Royal Navy to replace their decommissioned Oberon class of submarines in 1998.
  In Canadian service, the submarines are classified as the Victoria class. These submarines initially suffered from serious electrical problems and were beset by mechanical operational incidents that limited their active service and the scope of their deployments.
context_section_description: Chicoutimi cleared Faslane on 4 October 2004 on her homeward journey to Canada. Since Faslane was a nuclear submarine base, Chicoutimi was forced to travel on the surface for the first stage of the passage. On 5 October Chicoutimi was passing through a gale with 6-metre (20 ft) seas. During a watch change at 0300 sea water entered the conning tower. The lower hatch prevented the water from entering the sub; however, the drain in the tower failed to operate. When the lower hatch was opened, the water fell into the sub. However, the water was pumped overboard and the incident noted. The drain valves required repair before diving. At 1052 two crew entered the tower to perform repairs. The upper hatch was opened. However, after roughly 25 minutes, another tool was needed from within the sub. When the lower hatch was opened, the submarine was rocked by a large wave, throwing roughly 500 gallons of sea water into Chicoutimi. Electrical explosions and fire erupted soon afterward, spreading quickly. In order to fight the fire, all systems aboard the submarine were shut down, leaving the submarine dead in the water. An attempt to restore auxiliary power caused another fire to break out. At 1912, attempts to remove smoke by starting an oxygen generator caused another fire. Nine sailors were injured, three seriously.
  The first ship on the scene was the Irish patrol vessel LÉ Róisín, which suffered damage in the heavy seas and was forced to return to port. The British frigate HMS Montrose arrived the following day to provide aid. Rescue efforts had been hampered by the poor weather. The three seriously injured crewmen were evacuated by Montrose's helicopter and flown directly to Sligo, Ireland. One sailor died of his injuries shortly after arrival. Chicoutimi was taken in tow on 7 October and arrived back at Faslane on 9 October.
  Chicoutimi was transported to Halifax aboard the submersible heavy lift vessel Eide Transporter, arriving on 1 February 2005. The commissioning of the submarine was delayed until the assessment of the damage could take place. Following the assessment, Chicoutimi was carried to Esquimalt aboard the submersible heavy lift ship Tern, arriving on 29 April 2009 to undergo a major refit.
caption: HMCS Chicoutimi aboard the heavy-lift ship Tern
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