TWO CANADIAN NAVY SHIPS COLLIDE AT SEA

Collision damage to the HMCS Algonquin.

This is one of those "thankfully no one was hurt" stories: Two Royal Canadian Navy ships, the HMCS Algonquin (an Iroquois-class destroyer) and the HMCS Protecteur (a resupply ship), collided on Friday while they were carrying out a towing exercise. The two vessels, both of which are around 40 years of age, were en route to Hawaii when something went wrong; the destroyer took the brunt of the impact with damage in the ship's hangar along the port side of the vessel.

A friend of mine's brother served as an officer on the HMCS Athabaskan, sister ship to the Algonquin. They're fine ships, even if the ladies are getting on in age. (It should be mentioned that even though a ship is listed as being decades old, the vessel has been modified one or more times. 'Hull age' is something else, of course, and that subject is taken into consideration by a Navy when looking to replace a ship with a new model.)

The RCN will be launching two investigations regarding the incident at sea.


The Toronto Star...
Canadian warships collide during manoeuvres in Pacific
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2013/08/31/two_canadian_warships_collide_during_exercise_manoeuvres_en_route_to_hawaii.html


HMCS Algonquin (DDG 283)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMCS_Algonquin_(DDG_283)

HMCS Protecteur (AOR 509)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMCS_Protecteur_(AOR_509)