An investigation was under way last night after two British submariners died after an explosion on board a nuclear-powered submarine under the Arctic ice cap.
HMS Tireless was forced to smash through the ice to surface after the blast yesterday morning while the vessel was on exercise.
The vessel had between 100 and 130 crew aboard when the malfunction in the air purification system forced the decision to surface. The Ministry of Defence said a small explosion had caused a small amount of smoke which had been contained in the equipment and the immediate area.
Another crew member was injured in the incident and was airlifted to an American military hospital. MoD officials said his injuries were not life threatening.
The dead men have not been named but next of kin have been informed.
The MoD said the Trafalgar Class hunter-killer submarine's nuclear reactor was not affected by the incident. The Navy's seven Trafalgar class subs carry Tomahawk cruise missiles and Spearfish torpedoes, but are not armed with nuclear weapons.
The vessel, based at Devonport in Plymouth, is under the control of Commander Iain Breckenridge from Glasgow, who has 22 years' Royal Navy experience and has been a commander for three years.
Last night, the submarine was still in situ at an undisclosed location. Apart from the casualties, all crew remained on board while a preliminary investigation was started.
The crew dealt with the incident and carried out a recognised procedure to surface the submarine quickly. Superficial damage was caused during the accident and subsequent manoeuvre.
Last night, Admiral Sir James Burnell-Nugent, Commander-in-Chief, praised the actions of the crew of the submarine.
He said: "I very much regret this incident has occurred and my thoughts go out to the family and friends of the men who have lost their lives.
"I also wish to pay tribute to the crew of HMS Tireless that this incident has been dealt with and contained so professionally."
HMS Tireless was on a joint US/UK mission to test the operational and war fighting capabilities of the submarines in such conditions.
The submarine has been on similar operations under the ice cap before on training missions with US Navy attack boats. It is capable of operations anywhere in the world and is only limited in time by the amount of food it can store on board for its crew.
The submarine has been involved in serious incidents in the past, with one fault leading to inspections of the entire submarine fleet.
The MoD said the vessel was never in any danger and, until yesterday, the equipment had a 100% safety record.
Commander Breckenridge was born in Glasgow and educated at Glasgow Academy before joining the Royal Navy in 1984 as a midshipman.
His experience has involved operations in Russia and the Far East. He has also spent two years working with the US submarine tactical development command in Connecticut. On return from the US, he completed the advanced command and staff course and was promoted to commander in June 2004.
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