Early indications were that the accident on board HMS Tireless involved a piece of air purification equipment to the bow (front) of the submarine, but the vessel was "never in any danger," the Ministry of Defence said.

"The MoD can confirm that at (0430 GMT) this morning there was an accident onboard a Trafalgar Class submarine on exercise in the Arctic," it said in a statement.

"The submarine, HMS Tireless, was never in any danger, its nuclear reactor was unaffected, it quickly surfaced and is completely safe."

The nuclear-powered hunter-killer submarine, which was taking part in a joint exercise with the US Navy, does not carry nuclear missiles.

The MoD said the family of the two crew members had been informed while the third who was injured was airlifted to a US military hospital.

His injuries are not thought to be life-threatening and he is expected to make a full recovery, it added.

"At this early stage, it is thought that the accident involved a piece of air purification equipment in the forward section of the submarine," the statement read.

"The ship's company dealt with the incident quickly and professionally and, as a result, there is only superficial damage to the forward compartment ...

"The crew are trained in surfacing quickly through the ice, and did so in exemplary fashion."

Admiral Sir James Burnell-Nugent, commander-in-chief (fleet) of the Royal Navy and vice-admiral of the United Kingdom, voiced regret but added his praise for the crew.

"I very much regret that this incident has occurred and my thoughts go out to the family and friends of the men who have lost their lives," he said in a statement.

"I also wish to pay tribute to the crew of HMS Tireless that this incident has been dealt with and contained so professionally."

Air purification equipment is fitted to all Trafalgar Class submarines, of which Tireless is one of seven in the Royal Navy.

The defence ministry said the equipment had a 100 percent safety record to date, but as a precaution its use on other submarines has been restricted until safety checks can be carried out.

HMS Tireless, which is based in Devonport, in Plymouth, southwest England, was launched in 1984, but the piece of air-purification machinery thought to have failed was fitted as part of an update in 2001.

The vessel has had a controversial history, having to dock in the British overseas territory of Gibralter in May 2000 after a coolant leak was discovered in its nuclear reactor. It remained there for nearly a year, sparking tens of thousands of people to protest in neighbouring Spain.

A spokesman for the defence ministry said that the coolant leak in 2000-2001 was entirely unrelated to Wednesday's incident, and described the 2001 update to the air-purification machinery as "routine".

Several incidents in recent years have highlighted the dangers faced by submariners.

In September last year, two submariners died and one was injured in a fire on board the Russian nuclear submarine the Saint Daniel of Moscow in the Barents Sea near Norway.

In February 2003, it emerged that an Australian submarine, the HMAS Dechaineux, was just 20 seconds from sinking to the bottom of the Indian Ocean with 55 sailors on board, prompting safety fears.

The biggest submarine catastrophe was the sinking of Russia's Kursk in August 2000, also in the Barents Sea, in which 118 crew died.

earlier related report
Britain's HMS Tireless: a hunter-killer submarine
London (AFP) March 21 - Britain's HMS Tireless, on board which two sailors were killed in an accident Wednesday, is one of seven similar submarines designed for stealth, endurance and flexibility.

They are particularly geared up for wiping out opposing submarines and providing a deadly advance force in a given area.

Her Majesty's Ship Tireless is the third of the seven Trafalgar-class SSN (Ship Submersible Nuclear) submarines, based in Devonport, Plymouth, on the southwest English coast.

It was launched in March 1984 and commissioned in October 1985 and is the second British submarine to bear the Tireless name. Its motto is "Esto Perpetua" -- "It Goes On".

The nuclear-powered Trafalgar-class submarines are 85.4 metres long, 9.8 metres wide and 9.5 metres high. Their displacement is 5,200 tonnes when submerged.

They can carry up to 130 people, including 18 officers. They have five torpedo tubes and can fire Spearfish wire-guided heavyweight torpedoes and Tomahawk land-attack cruise missiles.

SSNs are sophisticated, deep-diving, high-speed submarines, capable of fulfilling a range of maritime military tasks.

They are designed for stealth, endurance and flexibility, allowing them to operate worldwide. SSNs can act independently or in support of a surface ship task groups and land operations.

It has a strong capability in seeking out and destroying other submarines. They are also able to detect and attack surface forces.

SSNs are used to great effect when deployed in advance of friendly forces to reduce by denying an opposition force the use of a region.

In an underwater emergency requiring personnel to escape to the surface, the submarine has two escape compartments, while watertight doors allow Tireless to split herself into sections if seawater floods in.

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