Stranded Australian submarine crew rescued

Posted by Scuba Herald at 6:41 am 0 Comment Print

Divers have rescued two crew who spent 15 hours on the seabed in a stranded rescue submarine off Australia’s west coast, the military said on Tuesday.

The Australian Submarine Rescue Vehicle (ASRV) Remora ran into trouble at midnight local time on Monday (1500 GMT) when a winch system failed as it was being recovered during trials.

After more than half a day in 130 meter (226 feet) deep water west of Perth, the vessel was brought to within 15 meters of the ocean surface and the two crew were evacuated by divers.

“They were given assistance with scuba tanks from below the water,” the Australian navy’s submarine force commander Commodore Richard Shalders told reporters, adding the pair were uninjured.

The 16-ton Remora, operated by the civilian diving contractor Cal Dive, can carry seven people and operate at depths of over 500 metres.

Marine Science