Indonesia lost a submarine with 53 sailors on board. It happened off the holiday island of Bali and has come as a shock to the families. Al Jazeera reports the submarine was on a regular training mission that involved live torpedo exercises. It went missing and the debris that appeared on the surface of the water confirmed the worst.
Air Marshall Hadi Tjahjanto confirmed the news: “The objects found near the last location of the submarine are believed to be parts of the submarine. These objects would have never got out of the submarine unless there was pressure.” The Navy chief Yudo Margono added that the items retrieved belonged to the submarine.
There were also prayer rugs. He concluded that these are authentic evidence to show that the submarine sank.
How did Indonesia lose the submarine?
Many theories are doing the rounds. Preliminary investigations have ruled out an explosion on board the submarine. Al Jazeera says in case of an explosion, there would be evidence in the form of loud noises. It seems the sub was short on oxygen supply for the 53 sailors. The stock exhausted early on Saturday and such a situation should not have happened. Margono confirmed that the sub was lying at a depth that was beyond its survivable limits. Obviously, it had exceeded its design parameters. There is no trace of any of the bodies and the military was preparing “to evacuate” the vessel.
In April, flash floods and landslides killed more than 70 in Indonesia.
The submarine was in service in Indonesia since 1981
The diesel-powered KRI Nanggala-402 was built in Germany and had been with Indonesia since 1981. On its last trip, it had 49 crew members, 3 gunners, and a commander. Al Jazeera adds that the sub was to conduct training exercises.
It requested permission to dive and subsequently lost contact. There is a mystery surrounding the disappearance. The navy suggests an electrical failure.
That could have hampered carrying out emergency procedures to come back to the surface. Indonesian President Joko Widodo wants his people to assign priority to locate the remains of the submarine on priority.
The chance of there being any survivor is remote. The families are shocked because the loss of innocent lives in normal times leaves the families shattered. As an expert in naval affairs and maritime security explains: “The submarine is found at a depth that is far beyond the crush depth of the boat.”
Missing submarine of Indonesia located
According to Sky News, the missing submarine belonged to the Indonesian navy and it is lying on the seabed. A scan helped to locate it and rescue teams have recovered debris from the vessel. It seems the oxygen supply for the 53 crew members of the submarine might have exhausted. Some of the items recovered have apparent links to a submarine-like grease bottle associated with a periscope.
The submarine was conducting a torpedo drill. However, there was no feedback on its progress. The naval authorities of Indonesia have launched an investigation. They are investigating the possible loss of power during a dive. That might have prevented it to undertake emergency procedures during its descent. In case the sub had provisions of Renewable Energy as standby, such a tragedy could have been avoided. An aerial search had spotted an oil spill near the sub's last location. The defense ministry indicated the submarine was in good condition. It joined the Indonesian fleet in 1981 and underwent a refit in South Korea in 2012.
