Stranded Australian submarine crew rescued

CANBERRA, Dec 5 (Reuters) Divers have rescued two crew who spent 15 hours on the seabed in a stranded rescue submarine off Australia's west coast, the military said today.

The Australian Submarine Rescue Vehicle (ASRV) Remora ran into trouble at midnight local time yesterday when a winch system failed as it was being recovered during trials.

After more than half a day in 130 metre deep water west of Perth, the vessel was brought to within 15 metres of the ocean surface and the two crew were evacuated by divers.

''They were given assistance with scuba tanks from below the water,'' the Australian navy's submarine force commander Commodore Richard Shalders told reporters, adding the pair were uninjured.

The 16-tonne Remora, operated by the civilian diving contractor Cal Dive, can carry seven people and operate at depths of over 500 metres.

REUTERS SHB BD1226