HMCS Protecteur, the Royal Canadian Navy ship that sustained significant damage after a fire in its engine room, is expected to be towed to Pearl Harbor by U.S. naval ships by early this week.
Commodore Bob Auchterlonie, the commander of the navy's Pacific fleet, told reporters on Saturday that several U.S. naval ships were assisting Canadian officials with the rescue mission.
The USS Chosen sent fresh supplies to the Canadian vessel on Saturday morning while the USS Michael Murphy is helping transfer family members from the stricken ship.
Auchterlonie said HMCS Protecteur is scheduled to arrive in Hawaii by Tuesday or Wednesday, but added that he could not give details about when or how the vessel would return to its home port at CFB Esquimalt in British Columbia.
The vessel was making its way there when a fire on board left the ship adrift and 20 crew members with minor injuries.
Auchterlonie called the fire a “worst-case scenario” and “a significant emotional event for the crew” but noted that the crew was well prepared for such an emergency.
“They saved the ship last night,” Auchterlonie told reporters Friday afternoon, noting that the fire occurred in a very large space and was difficult to extinguish.
While sailors on board managed to contain the fire, a power outage forced the ship to remain stranded in the water for two days.
Returning from operational duties in the mid-Pacific, HMCS Protecteur was carrying 279 crew members, 17 family members and two civilian contractors.
Auchterlonie said that he has met with several families over the past few days and says they are all eager to be reunited with their loved ones.
“They’re obviously anxious, as anybody would be, but they are also a very resilient bunch,” he told reporters.
“I had two ladies come up to me, very pregnant and obviously they’re concerned about when their husbands are going to get home.”
HMCS Protecteur, one of Canada’s two supply ships, had been at sea for approximately seven weeks.
Auchterlonie wouldn’t speculate on the cause of the fire, but noted that once the ship is safely towed to Pearl Harbor, the next step will be to assess damages and prepare for a return back to Esquimat.
