Commander's sorrow for crewman

Cdr Pelletier choked back tears as he spoke to reporters

The commander of a fire-hit Canadian submarine has broken down as he paid tribute to a crewman who died on board.

Commander Luc Pelletier became clearly emotional at a news conference in Scotland, where the vessel was towed.

Canada's defence minister has praised the bravery and quick thinking of the crew in rough Atlantic weather.

Bill Graham said he would not be raising the question of compensation or faults with the submarine until a naval board had completed its investigation.

Lieutenant Chris Saunders, a 32-year-old father-of-two, died from smoke inhalation and two crewmen were injured in the blaze on board HMCS Chicoutimi.

The coffin of Lt Saunders has been flown to Canada

Cdr Pelletier spoke on behalf of his crew as he remembered Lt Saunders.

He said: "I want to pass on my most sincere condolences to Mrs Gwen Saunders and family.

"It's a great loss, we miss Chris very much, he had just joined the submarine two weeks ago and he was looking forward to his time at sea with us.

"I must say that his courage inspires us all."

Mr Graham held an hour-long meeting with UK Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon on Monday.

Afterwards he voiced confidence that Canada and Britain could sort out any issues that arose from the investigation.

Situation deteriorated

Mr Hoon added: "This is something we all take extremely seriously. It is a matter of grave concern to us both."

Speaking earlier, Mr Graham described how the crew only had moments to react as the situation deteriorated.

The minister said: "They had a few seconds to get their masks on when it filled up with smoke in a ship that was bounding around without power in the middle of rough seas, and they stood that for hours.

The purpose of an inquiry is to tell us facts and I don't think you make judgements about who's responsible until you know the facts Bill Graham Canadian defence minister (right)

"I can only say that if it hadn't been for the courage, the determination and the tremendous professional qualities of the crew of the Chicoutimi then it could have been much worse."

Mr Graham said he had personally seen "serious damage" aboard the vessel and said a Canadian naval tribunal would be announcing how it intended to conduct the investigations into the cause of the fire.

He used the meeting with Mr Hoon to thank him for the support of the Royal Navy.

However, he said he would not rule out the possibility of seeking compensation from the UK Government over the purchase of the vessel and three others.

"The purpose of an inquiry is to tell us facts and I don't think you make judgements about who's responsible until you know the facts," he said.

I thought I was going to die Petty Officer Francis Couture

Meanwhile, the crew of the submarine - which arrived at Faslane, on the Clyde, on Sunday - have been recounting their experiences.

Lieutenant Commander Douglas Renken, 38, was one of nine people treated for smoke inhalation.

He said: "I took two or three gulps of bad air before I got a mask.

"There was a point where I thought I wasn't going to be able to take another breath. That was going to be it.

"I'm still a little shaky but grateful to be here. I will never forget it."

The Chicoutimi crew were welcomed at the Clyde Submarine Base

Petty Officer Francis Couture, 36, said that the power had gone off by the time crew members started breaking out the masks.

"We knew we were in for something quite bad," said the father-of-two.

"It was scary. I thought I was going to die."

He said there had been a "sombre" mood among the close-knit crew on board the vessel.

HMCS Chicoutimi, was left drifting in the Atlantic 100 miles off Ireland, on Tuesday.

Fit for use

One of the injured crewmen is no longer in a critical condition, although he remains seriously ill in Sligo General Hospital in the Republic of Ireland. The other man is expected to be discharged soon.

Admiral Bruce MacLean of the Canadian Navy has said that despite the accident he was "absolutely convinced" the Chicoutimi had been fit for use.

He told a news conference he believed the submarine was "in all respects ready to sail and go to sea" when it left Faslane.

Engineers and naval architects and technical experts, who know how the systems all weave together, will essentially take things apart Commander Chris Henderson Canadian Navy spokesman Submarine crew back on dry land Diver saves submariner's life Canada faces questions

He said the board of inquiry would be "absolutely vital" to finding out what happened. Its investigations would begin shortly in Faslane.

The admiral rejected suggestions human error must have been the cause of the fire.

He said he was "very proud" of the submarine's crew and the "remarkable things" they had done in making it back to Faslane but was sorry for the loss of Lieutenant Chris Saunders' life.

Navy spokesman Commander Chris Henderson said the investigation team was gathering in Scotland.

He said: "They need to interview all the crew members and they need to go down into the boat and assess the damage.

"Then the engineers and naval architects and technical experts, who know how the systems all weave together, will essentially take things apart and work backwards to figure out what it was that happened."