Two sailors killed in British sub explosion off Alaska

ANCHORAGE — An explosion aboard a nuclear-powered Royal Navy submarine under an Arctic ice cap killed two British sailors and injured a crewmember, officials said Wednesday.

The forward compartment of the HMS Tireless was damaged in the explosion Tuesday, and the British Ministry of Defense said its nuclear reactor was not affected.

The attack submarine, which does not carry nuclear missiles, was conducting a joint exercise with U.S. forces when its air-purification system malfunctioned while the vessel was submerged about 170 miles north of Deadhorse, in northern Alaska's Prudhoe Bay.

According to the U.S. Navy, a self-contained oxygen generation candle exploded.

The submarine surfaced, breaking through the ice, and a private helicopter brought the injured sailor to Deadhorse, where an Alaska Air National Guard aircraft transported him to Kulis Air National Guard Base in Anchorage, 625 miles south. He was reported in stable condition at a civilian hospital.

The Tireless was operating with the USS Alexandria based at Naval Submarine Base New London in a joint operation to test submarine operability and tactical development in Arctic waters.

Lt. Col. Andy Price, a Royal Navy spokesman, said the submarine will be evaluated before officials decide whether it will continue the joint operation.

The two-week exercise was scheduled to end March 30.