Posted on 12/18/2004 7:40:52 AM PST by Clive
OTTAWA (CP) - A board of inquiry into the fatal submarine fire aboard HMCS Chicoutimi has submitted a report with 23 recommendations to the head of the navy.
But don't expect to hear any details soon - the findings are not likely to be made public until February. The five-member panel concluded hearings last Monday and delivered the report Friday to Vice-Admiral Bruce Maclean, chief of maritime staff. The board heard from 78 witnesses in 27 days of testimony over 10 weeks, after an Oct. 5 fire ravaged the boat on her first transatlantic voyage with a Canadian crew.
Lieut. Chris Saunders died in the accident.
The inquiry head, Commodore Dan Murphy, and his staff worked long into the night Thursday to finish the report, which delves into 38 areas of interest.
The technical report is separate from a Commons committee investigation into the acquisition of four used Upholder-class submarines from the British navy. Chicoutimi was the last of them to be delivered.
While the navy board operated behind closed doors, the all-party committee heard how the political concerns of former prime minister Jean Chretien delayed the purchase while the boats lay neglected and rusting.
The fleet has been plagued with problems since the first of the boats was delivered several years ago, including electrical malfunctions, leaks and equipment failures.
Documents suggest Chicoutimi left Scotland with an unresolved electrical glitch and took in water through two of her hatches.
Maclean is to review the report with his own team of experts whose specialities are specifically related to its findings and recommendations, including engineers, electricians and submariners.
The team is to develop an action plan to implement the recommendations. Once finished, Maclean submits his comments and the action plan to the chief of defence staff, Gen. Ray Henault.
Assuming he accepts the report, Henault then briefs Defence Minister Bill Graham before the families of Saunders and the other casualties are informed, followed by the submarine fleet and, finally, the public.
The board gathered 142 exhibits in Scotland, Halifax and Ottawa. It was initially supposed to deliver its report by Nov. 30.
It was granted an extension to Dec. 22 "based on the complexity and scope of the issues, balanced with the requirement to conduct an expeditious yet comprehensive investigation," said a statement.
Murphy, a former commander of the patrol frigate HMCS Toronto, is now the military's director general of human resources policy and planning.
Chicoutimi remains tied up alongside a pier in Faslane, Scotland. She is scheduled to be transported to Canada on the deck of a cargo ship starting Dec. 29, arriving in Halifax by mid-January.
-
I shudder to think that we might have had our own Jean at the helm in the US. I can't help wondering about the Captain of this sub and why he would allow it to go to sea in such a condition.
Now that's bad, all the way around.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.