Nova Scotia marks HMCS Kootenay Day
Posted Oct 23, 2018 03:36:00 PM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
A commemorative event took place Tuesday morning at the Damage Control Training Facility Kootenay in Herring Cove to mark HMCS Kootenay Day.
On Oct. 23, 1969, HMCS Kootenay was taking part in sea trials off the coast of England when a blast on the naval ship killed nine crewmen and injured another 53.
“The gearbox overheated, exploded and pretty much destroyed the interior,” explained director of the Naval Museum of Halifax, Rick Sanderson.
It remains the worst peacetime accident in the history of the Royal Canadian Navy.
Sanderson told NEWS 95.7's The Rick Howe Show one of the gearbox parts had been installed backwards, which caused it to overheat.
“The sailors who were inside didn't really have a chance,” he said. “It's very difficult to get out of those enclosed spaces at the best of times, and when it fills very quickly with toxic smoke and flame — flame hot enough to actually bulge out the side of the vessel — then you scramble to get out.”
Listen to Rick Howe's conversation with Rick Sanderson:
As bad as the disaster was, it could have been worse. Sanderson said the ability for sailors to continue following orders saved a lot of lives.
“Without them doing that, without the training that they had, that ship would have been lost … they're very fortunate they were able to keep the ship afloat.”
In 1972, six crewmen were awarded bravery decorations accredited by Queen Elizabeth II, including two crewmen who were the only recipients of the Cross of Valour that year.
