AIRCREWS from RAF Lyneham went to Northern Ireland to help in the rescue of a Canadian submarine crew.

A Hercules aircraft from the Wiltshire base flew to Ballykelly airfield near Londonderry with several large life rafts in case of emergency.

The stricken submarine HMCS Chicoutimi ran into difficulties on Tuesday after a fire broke out on board, 100 miles off the west coast of Ireland.

Fierce weather hampered efforts to get to the submarine that had nine injured men on board and tow it into coastal waters.

Flt Lieut Jane Hawthornthwaite, spokesman for RAF Lyneham, said: "Our standby Hercules has been sent up to Northern Ireland loaded with several 80-man life-rafts which we can air-drop to the crew if necessary.

"It is something our crews train for quite often, although it is usually Land Rovers and other small vehicles."

Yesterday a Canadian Navy spokesman said nine of the 57-strong crew were receiving treatment on board for smoke inhalation.

He said: "They're all in fair health and none have felt at any point they need to be evacuated or require medical care over and above what the ship is capable of providing."

The submarine was one of four secondhand vessels sold by the Royal Navy to Canada.

But defence expert Stephen Saunders, editor of Jane's Fighting Ships claimed the sub is not defective.

He said any material problems with HMCS Chicoutimi would have been picked up during extensive trials.

The Chicoutimi had been travelling from the UK to Canada when disaster struck.

The vessel had been scheduled to arrive in Halifax, Nova Scotia, on the east coast of Canada on October 18.

HM Naval Base Clyde at Faslane said yesterday that the electrical fire had caused smoke to spread throughout the vessel.

The root of the fire was an electrical panel in one of the submarine's passageways, the Canadian Navy said.