Ottawa, Aug 31 (IANS) Two Royal Canadian Navy warships collided in Pacific Ocean while conducting manoeuvres, an official release said Saturday, adding there were no casualties.
HMCS Algonquin and HMCS Protecteur collided Friday en route to Hawaii, Xinhua reported citing a press release from Canada’s department of national defence.
Both warships ships are returning to their home port in Esquimalt in British Columbia.
The ships were conducting towing exercises, which require close-quarters manoeuvring, when the incident occurred.
HMCS Algonquin sustained significant damage to her hangar on her port side while HMCS Protecteur sustained damage of a lesser degree to her bow.
While the full impact on the ships’ future sailing schedules is yet to be determined, Algonquin will no longer be deployed in Asia Pacific region as planned.
A board of inquiry will be convened to further investigate the incident and circumstances surrounding it.
