A SUBMERGED Collins class submarine and a female sailor had a lucky escape when she accidentally ignited a signal flare.Have you ever hurt yourself doing something stupid on a submarine?
HMAS Waller was submerged off the WA coast, conducting anti-submarine exercises with the frigate HMAS Toowoomba and the replenishment vessel HMAS Sirius, at 9pm on Wednesday when the accident occurred.
The sailor was loading a green pyrotechnic flare into a tube in the ship's office when it went off, seriously burning her arms. Signal flares are routinely used by submerged submarines to communicate with surface ships.
The flare ignited a small spot fire that was put out by a sailor with a fire extinguisher. The boat went to emergency stations and made a dash to the surface.
No serious damage was suffered by the submarine and the sailor was treated by medics on board.
(For those who have forgotten what various flares meant, here's a reference.)