US submarine on fire

The USS Dolphin can descend to depths of 900 metres

A US Navy submarine has caught fire off the coast of California, 160 kilometres (100 miles) from San Diego.

Officials said all 43 people aboard the USS Dolphin, a research vessel, had been rescued.

A Pentagon spokesman said there were only a few minor injuries among the crew.

Fire and flooding were reported at 0630 GMT and said to be beyond the crew's ability to control.

A small boat was sent to evacuate the group, which included two civilians, and take them to an oceanographic ship which was in the area.

Officials said two of the crew had fallen into the water and had to be rescued by a Coast Guard helicopter.

The cause of the fire is not known and the Navy is evaluating whether it can be towed.

The USS Dolphin is the American Navy's only diesel-electric submarine. A deep-diving research and development vessel, it was used recently to test the Navy's new sonar system.

It was commissioned in 1968 and, according to the US Navy, holds the world deep-diving record for submarines, descending to depths in excess of 900 metres (3,000 feet).