Peninsula Day News news sources
VICTORIA — Two Canadian Navy warships have returned to their base in Esquimalt, across the Strait of Juan de Fuca from Port Angeles, after they collided during a close-proximity towing exercise en route to Hawaii.
HMCS Algonquin, a destroyer, sustained heavy damage to its hangar on her port side after it was hit head-on by HMCS Protecteur, the Canadian Navy’s only oiler replenishment ship in the Pacific Ocean.
There were no reported injuries from the collision, which occurred around
11 a.m. Friday, said a public affairs spokesperson.
The two ships returned to the navy’s Pacific headquarters at Esquimalt on Saturday afternoon.
“The Royal Canadian Navy will be conducting an investigation into this unfortunate incident in order to determine exactly what happened,” said Commodore Bob Auchterlonie, commander of Canadian Fleet Pacific.
The two warships were conducting towing exercises, which require close-quarters maneuvering, when the incident occurred, Auchterlonie said.
The Algonquin will no longer deploy to the West Pacific region as planned, and a board of inquiry will be convened to investigate the incident, the spokesperson said.
This is the second incident involving an Esquimalt-based naval warship this year.
In April, a fishing vessel smashed into HMCS Winnipeg while the frigate was docked on a jetty at the naval base. An investigation into that incident by the Canadian Transportation Safety Board is ongoing.
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The Victoria News, sister newspaper of the PDN, contributed to this report.