A Canadian naval officer has died despite being airlifted from his storm-battered submarine.

The officer, Lt Chris Saunders, was one of three men taken by Royal Navy Sea King helicopter from the submarine HMCS Chicoutimi, which has been drifting without propulsion power around 100 miles out into the Atlantic.

As Lt Saunders’ condition deteriorated during the rescue flight, so the helicopter, based at HMS Gannet in Scotland, diverted to Sligo in the Republic of Ireland, where the officer was transferred to the local hospital’s Accident and Emergency unit.

But later yesterday afternoon the Canadian Prime Minister, Paul Martin, announced the death of Lt Saunders, saying he “gave his life serving his country”. Nine crew were reported to have been injured in the incident, most believed to have suffered smoke inhalation.

As soon as the Chicoutimi sent out a distress call on Tuesday afternoon, having suffered a fire on board, two Royal Navy frigates and a British auxiliary headed out into stormy seas and gale-force winds to reach the submarine, one of four former Upholder-class boats sold to the Canadian Navy by the British Government.

HMS Montrose reached the conventionally-powered submarine yesterday afternoon, and was followed by sister Type 23 frigate HMS Marlborough and tanker RFA Wave Knight, which carried supplies, a medical team and also had a helicopter on board.

It is also reported that aviation training ship[ RFA Argus – which also serves as a hospital ship in times of conflict – is on her way to the scene, where the submarine, with her crew of more than 50, is still wallowing in 25ft waves driven by gale-force winds.

The plan is that the Chicoutimi will be towed back to the Clyde Submarine Base at Faslane in Scotland – the base she left at the weekend on her maiden trip to Nova Scotia in Canada.

Chicoutimi was the last of the four Upholders to have been ‘regenerated’ – brought back to life and converted – for the Royal Canadian Navy by BAE Systems, who originally built her as VSEL in Barrow-in-Furness.

Formerly HMS Upholder, she was the first of the four boats launched between 1986 and 1991, but by 1994 they had been laid up, with no role to play as the Cold War was over.

She and her sisters, HM ships Unseen, Ursula and Unicorn, were sold to Canada in 1998, and have undergone extensive modification work to incorporate a new torpedo and weapons fire-control system.

The other boats are now known as HMCS Victoria (ex-Unseen), HMCS Windsor (ex-Unicorn) and HMCS Cornerbrook (ex-Ursula).

The Victoria-class boats, as they are now known, displace almost 2,500 tons when submerged, have a diving depth of around 200 metres and a speed of some 20 knots submerged.