Crippled sub being towed to safety
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 British ships try to rescue a Canadian submarine stranded in the Atlantic.
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LONDON, England -- A Canadian submarine stranded in the Atlantic is being towed to safety by a British tug after a fire that resulted in the death of a crew member.
A line was fixed to the submarine on Thursday after rescue ships had struggled for two days with stormy conditions off the coast of Ireland.
"Conditions are continuing to moderate but they have done the most difficult bit," an Irish navy spokesman was reported by Reuters as saying after the line was fixed to the submarine, now being towed to Scotland.
A member of the 57-strong crew of HMCS Chicoutimi died Wednesday from injuries sustained in an electrical fire.
The submarine caught fire on Tuesday morning about 100 miles (about 160 km) northwest of Ireland as it was making its first voyage as a Canadian ship from Scotland to Halifax, Nova Scotia.
The British Coastguard launched a rescue operation to airlift three injured sailors from the submarine, which had a crew of 57, according to the Canadian Department of National Defense.
On Wednesday, Prime Minister Paul Martin announced that one of the sailors, Lt. Chris Saunders, had died.
"He gave his life serving his country, and we pay him our profound respects and his family our deepest condolences."
Nine sailors suffered smoke inhalation in the blaze.
A spokeswoman for Sligo General Hospital, where the two most injured sailors are being treated, told the UK Press Association they were in a "stable" condition.
British forces mounted a comprehensive operation to go to the Chicoutimi's rescue, after the captain of the vessel called for help at 3 p.m. on Tuesday, but have been battling against "treacherous" weather conditions.
The blaze happened just over a week after The Times newspaper reported that Canada might sue Britain over the purchase of four second-hand submarines -- including the Chicoutimi -- after they had been plagued by "serious malfunctions and corrosion."
The submarine was bought from Britain in 1998 -- a purchase government opponents have long said was a waste of money.
Canada's main opposition party has questioned the competence of the minority Liberal government, which faces a confidence vote in parliament later on Thursday.
"Why that submarine had begun its trek across the Atlantic Ocean, given the condition, remains to be seen," said Peter MacKay, deputy leader of the opposition Conservatives.
Four British ships, an Irish vessel and a U.S. submarine support ship went to help the submarine
