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16TRIDENT, NOVEMBER 1, 200435th anniversary of HMCS KOOTENAY markedBy Virginia BeatonTrident StaffOctober 23, 2004 was the 35thanniversary of the catastrophicfire aboard HMCS KOOTENAYin 1969.On October 22, former membersof KOOTENAY’s ship’s company,the commandant and staff of theDamage Control Division of theCanadian Forces Naval EngineeringSchool (CFNES) and seniorMARLANT staff gathered at theDamage Control Training Facility(DCTF) KOOTENAY to commemoratethe occasion.“Thirty-five years ago an explosionoccurred aboard HMCS KOOTE-NAY, with tragic and devastatingimpact,” stated Commander (Cdr)Flemming, CFNES commandant.In his remarks, Rear-Admiral(RAdm) Dan McNeil spoke aboutthe lasting impact that the KOOTE-NAY event has had on naval damageThese are the last fires that will produce black smoke at the Damage Control Division in Purcell’s Cove.PHOTOS: VIRGINIA BEATONcontrol training. Noting that hejoined the Navy 34 years ago, justafter the KOOTENAY fire, RAdmMcNeil recalled that tragedy as adefining moment in the CanadianNavy’s history. “In adversity, thereis challenge and in adversity, thereis opportunity... The opportunity isto learn and do better.”Recalling that the cause of theKOOTENAY fire had been a bearingthat had been improperly assembledin the gearbox, RAdm McNeilstressed that the crew had beenexonerated of any blame. Hereminded the retired and servingNavy personnel who were presentof the rigorous fire and damagecontrol training they had undergoneduring their careers, emphasizing“Our damage control is second tonone in the world today.”He referred to the recent crisis ofCHICOUTIMI and reiterated theimportance of training and constantvigilance, stating “The NavyBlack smoke evaporates for the last time at fire fieldBy Virginia BeatonTrident staffIt was the end of an era. OnFriday, October 22, the lasttwo fires were ignited andthen extinguished on the oldfire field near the CanadianForces Engineering School(CFNES) Damage ControlDivision (DCD) on Purcell’sCove Road outside Halifax.Chief Petty Officer SecondClass (CPO2) Chris Cummings,DCD’s CPO, estimatedthat since 1959, hundreds,1. Are you presently employedearning $2000.00/month?2. Can you afford reasonablepayments monthly?3. Would you like to establish/re-establish your credit?4. Do you need a car,truck or van?5. Does excellent serviceinterest you?even thousands of Canadiansailors have done their firefightingtraining at this site.Asmall group of observers,including DCD’s commanderLieutenant Commander(LCdr) Roger Heimpel, gatheredto watch the historicevent.Eleven students from aHull Technicians’ coursewere the last people to fight afire on the site. Dressed infirefighting gear, they awaitedinstruction from SergeantGelinas.Complete this questionnaire andreceive $100.00towards your first payment *OACIf you answered “yes” to 3 of these questions,call Michele at 902-233-3740to get you new start!YNUsing A triple F, the students in the firefighting course have put out the fire in thehelicopter mock-up.Their test assignment wasto put out a fire from a helicoptercrashing on a flightdeck, with several casualties.A helo mock-up, charredblack from previous fires,was the scene of the incident.Flames erupted from thehelo mock-up and at theshout of “Fire, fire, fire!” theteam moved in, approachingthe helo through thick cloudsof black smoke. As hewatched them, CPO2 Cummingsstated “The goal is toget the casualties out and toget the fire under control.”The firefighters battled thefire by spraying it with aqueousfilm forming foam, otherwiseknown as A triple F.Within minutes, the flameswere out, the intense heatsubsided and the smoke wasgone. After a short break, asecond fire was started andput out quickly.According to Cummings,the old fire field soon will beploughed under. “Remediationstarts at the end of October,”stated LCdr Heimpel.Training for putting outfires will move to a sitenear the Damage ControlTraining Facility (DCTF)KOOTENAY. There has beena complete switchover toenvironmentally friendly andnon-toxic materials such asvegetable oils.These fires mark the lasttime that DCD will producethe gusts of black smoke thathave been the cause of difficultieswith some of the nearbyPurcell’s Cove residents.That’s now a thing of thepast, says Cummings, addingthat any smoke that DCDproduces from its fires willbe white.
TRIDENT, NOVEMBER 1, 2004 17would never send a ship orsubmarine to sea if it wasnot safe.”Finally, RAdm McNeilstated that for professionalmilitary members, “Our jobis to be prepared. That’s whatDamage Control Division ishere to do.”Captain (N) (ret’d) JohnMontague, a young officeraboard KOOTENAY at thetime of the fire in 1969,recalled the events of thatday. The starboard gearboxoverheated and caused anexplosion in the engine room.It was a fierce fire butMontague stated “We hadreceived firefighting trainingright here in Purcell’s Cove.That training allowed us tocombat the fire successfully.He remembered that theship’s commanding officerhad summed up their responseby saying “A less professionalcrew easily could have finishedthe day in life rafts.”Nine men died at the time,with another three later succumbingto their injuries, andanother 55 suffered fromburns and smoke inhalation.To his former shipmates,Montague stated that hewished them “many moreyears of health and happiness”and in closing, thankedthe Navy for commemoratingtheir ship in the naming ofthe Damage Control TrainingFacility (DCTF) KOOTENAY.The padre, Lieutenant (N)Bonita Mason, led the assemblyin prayer, the singing ofthe national anthem, and thereading of Psalm 107, alsoknown as the Naval Psalm.After the Last Post, formercrewmember Harold Crocketread out the names of thosewho perished in the KOOTE-NAY fire, and after reveilleand the laying of a wreath,Three former members of HMCS KOOTENAY met at the ceremony marking the 35th anniversary of the fire and explosionaboard the ship. From left to right; Ernie Moffat, John Montague, and Earl Saunders.VIRGINIA BEATON51 Raddall Ave., Unit 3Burnside Ind. ParkDartmouth, NSCanada B3B 1T8Tel: 902-481-9000Fax: 902-481-1900Website: www.atlanticaeromarine.comEmail: sales@atlanticaeromarine.comPO2 ALLAIN, CFNES DCthe ceremony concluded.At a reception afterward,several former shipmates gatheredto reminisce about theirtime aboard KOOTENAY.According to them, eachone of the sailors couldremember where he was atthe time of the explosion.Crocket stated “I was opschief and my job was to getrid of the books.” He recalledthat he quickly climbed up tothe ops room, found thebooks, put them in the safeand locked it.Earl Saunders was in theweapons workshop, just ontop of the engine room.Ernie Moffat was at thattime the deck officer andrecalled that the ship wasabout to go to full power.“We had to do a full powertrial and a sonar trial.” Whenthe explosion and the firebroke out, Moffat thought atfirst that the ship had blowna boiler.It took about half an hourto get the blaze under control,according to the men. “Weknew the fire was in theengine room,” said Moffat,adding that almost everyonewho was in the engineroom died.Though there was a doctoronboard, the injured crewmemberswere airlifted off tothe nearby aircraft carrierMAGNIFICENT and flownback to England. The shipwas towed back to Plymouthand the surviving crewmemberswere flown back toCanada.Though it was a terribleepisode, the KOOTENAYdisaster resulted in significantimprovements in damagecontrol training, Moffatbelieves. “We learned a lot ofgood lessons from it.”WHOLESALE • RETAIL• Equipment to Military Specifications • To Coast Guard Specifications• To Solas Specifications • Quotations to Government & IndustryWe specialize in the sale of Marine, Aviation and Land Products Recreational & Commercial• ACR EPIRBS 406• Aircraft Recovery Systems• Boatswain Pipes & Chains• Canvas: Fabrication & Repairs• Cortec Anti-corrosion Supplies• Cyalume: Chemical Lightsticks• Distress Signals, Black Ball• Electrical & Lighting Supplies• Emergency Survival Kits• Environmental & IndustrialClothing• Extruded Rubber Products• Firefighting Equipment• Flags and Banners• Glow-in-the Dark Safety Signage(photoluminescent)• Gun-line Refills• Industrial filters & gaskets• Inflatable Boats• Lifting Hardware & Wire Rope• Locks & Security Devices• Marine Hardware• Mechanical Equipment• Mustang Survival ClothingEnter toWIN!Mustang SurvivalCoveralls (MS185)$295.00 ValueVisit our website forfull description & featuresFill out the ballot belowRed or orangeS-XXL• NATO Equipment• Navigational Aids & Electronics• Personal Protective & First AidEquipment• Pollution Control Equipment• Ropes: Nylons, Poly, Manila,Cotton• Safety and Survival Equipment• Survival Rations• Toggle Pins• Tool Sets• Traffic Control ItemsServing the Canadian Military Since 1985Please visit our all-new website with 122-pagedownloadable catalogue and price listwww.atlanticaeromarine.comEnter to Win a Mustang Survival Coverall MS185 ($295.00 value)Mail or drop off ballot at the Trident Offices 2740 Barrington St. Bldg S-93(Former Queen’s Printer Bldg) Halifax, NS B3K 5X5 or Fax 427-4238Name ____________________________________________ Phone _____________________________________Address ______________________________________________________________________________________Before preceding to the fire location, the students donprotective gear.E-Mail Address _____________________________________Draw date November 26, 2004 at the Trident Office by Trident Staff.One ballot per person.
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