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India's submarine tragedy leaves navy facing awkward questions
Inquiry set up into sinking of INS Sindhurakshak after unexplained blasts sink vessel leaving 18 sailors missing
India's navy has suffered its worst accident in more than 40 years when a fire on board a Russian-built submarine triggered two explosions and sent the vessel nosediving into the dockyard at Mumbai. Eighteen sailors on the vessel were missing, feared dead.
The explosions, believed to be caused by onboard weapons detonated by the fire, broke out overnight on Tuesday on the INS Sindhurakshak, described by analysts as India's most potent submarine.
Naval chiefs were facing awkward questions after it emerged that there was an accident on the same vessel three years ago, in which one sailor died.
Three crew members who were on watch on top of the submarine managed to jump off the hull, escaping with minor injuries.
"But they are in total shock, and unable to add very much to what we saw of the explosion on TV," said the Indian navy chief, Admiral DK Joshi. "This is a tragedy, and a dent in our capability for the time being."
The 16-year-old, Kilo class submarine, which had undergone a £50m refit and upgrade in Russia and returned to active duty earlier this year, had docked at Mumbai for supplies and maintenance and was due to leave the next day.
Most of its 58-strong crew, including the commanding officer, were on shore when the submarine exploded.
"It was the Indian navy's best and most potent submarine," said defence expert Mohan Guruswamy, who had visited the INS Sindhurakshak last week. "It was the most modern and versatile submarine in all of Asia."
Besides anti-ship torpedoes, the submarine was fitted with missiles capable of attacking targets on land 125 miles away.
As naval divers opened the first hatch in the partially submerged vessel in the hope of finding survivors trapped inside watertight compartments, the twisted and mangled nose of the submarine clearly indicated that the ordnance stored inside had exploded.
The explosion damaged another submarine docked alongside the Sindhurakshak. Two frigates and a tanker were also hit, though none of the other vessels suffered serious damage.
It was initially suspected that the submarine's batteries, located in the nose, had caught fire while being recharged, detonating at least two torpedoes. Hydrogen gas is used for the recharging, making it a risky operation. But this was ruled out by the navy chief.
"The battery recharging was over on this submarine three days ago," said Joshi. "As of now, we do not have an answer to the basic question of what caused the fire."
Although he said that sabotage could not be ruled out at this stage, "all indicators suggest that the fire was nothing but an accident". The navy has set up a board of inquiry to investigate the disaster.
The accident occurred just when the Indian navy was celebrating two important breakthroughs in its quest to emerge as a "blue-water navy", capable of operating across vast stretches of ocean.
Its first home-built aircraft carrier, INS Vikrant, was launched on Monday, though it will not be battle ready until 2020. And on 10 August, the reactor in India's first indigenously built nuclear-powered submarine, INS Arihant, went critical. The Arihant is due to begin sea trials before it is made fully operational.
But defence analysts point out that the Indian navy has fallen behind badly in its operational capability.
"The navy is functioning under strength," said Guruswamy. "For instance, it is supposed to have 24 submarines it has only 14. And only half are operational." A recent report by a government auditor painted a bleak picture of the navy's preparedness.
The construction of six French Scorpene-class submarines in Mumbai has been delayed, as has the navy's plan to acquire new submarines from foreign manufacturers.
"The Indian navy currently holds just 67% of the force level envisaged in its 1985 (maritime expansion) plan," the auditor's report said.
Defence analysts blame the government for the failure. "The defence ministry takes too long for every decision. There is a lack of urgency over everything," said Guruswamy.
India's submarine tragedy leaves navy facing awkward questions | World news | theguardian.com
Inquiry set up into sinking of INS Sindhurakshak after unexplained blasts sink vessel leaving 18 sailors missing
India's navy has suffered its worst accident in more than 40 years when a fire on board a Russian-built submarine triggered two explosions and sent the vessel nosediving into the dockyard at Mumbai. Eighteen sailors on the vessel were missing, feared dead.
The explosions, believed to be caused by onboard weapons detonated by the fire, broke out overnight on Tuesday on the INS Sindhurakshak, described by analysts as India's most potent submarine.
Naval chiefs were facing awkward questions after it emerged that there was an accident on the same vessel three years ago, in which one sailor died.
Three crew members who were on watch on top of the submarine managed to jump off the hull, escaping with minor injuries.
"But they are in total shock, and unable to add very much to what we saw of the explosion on TV," said the Indian navy chief, Admiral DK Joshi. "This is a tragedy, and a dent in our capability for the time being."
The 16-year-old, Kilo class submarine, which had undergone a £50m refit and upgrade in Russia and returned to active duty earlier this year, had docked at Mumbai for supplies and maintenance and was due to leave the next day.
Most of its 58-strong crew, including the commanding officer, were on shore when the submarine exploded.
"It was the Indian navy's best and most potent submarine," said defence expert Mohan Guruswamy, who had visited the INS Sindhurakshak last week. "It was the most modern and versatile submarine in all of Asia."
Besides anti-ship torpedoes, the submarine was fitted with missiles capable of attacking targets on land 125 miles away.
As naval divers opened the first hatch in the partially submerged vessel in the hope of finding survivors trapped inside watertight compartments, the twisted and mangled nose of the submarine clearly indicated that the ordnance stored inside had exploded.
The explosion damaged another submarine docked alongside the Sindhurakshak. Two frigates and a tanker were also hit, though none of the other vessels suffered serious damage.
It was initially suspected that the submarine's batteries, located in the nose, had caught fire while being recharged, detonating at least two torpedoes. Hydrogen gas is used for the recharging, making it a risky operation. But this was ruled out by the navy chief.
"The battery recharging was over on this submarine three days ago," said Joshi. "As of now, we do not have an answer to the basic question of what caused the fire."
Although he said that sabotage could not be ruled out at this stage, "all indicators suggest that the fire was nothing but an accident". The navy has set up a board of inquiry to investigate the disaster.
The accident occurred just when the Indian navy was celebrating two important breakthroughs in its quest to emerge as a "blue-water navy", capable of operating across vast stretches of ocean.
Its first home-built aircraft carrier, INS Vikrant, was launched on Monday, though it will not be battle ready until 2020. And on 10 August, the reactor in India's first indigenously built nuclear-powered submarine, INS Arihant, went critical. The Arihant is due to begin sea trials before it is made fully operational.
But defence analysts point out that the Indian navy has fallen behind badly in its operational capability.
"The navy is functioning under strength," said Guruswamy. "For instance, it is supposed to have 24 submarines it has only 14. And only half are operational." A recent report by a government auditor painted a bleak picture of the navy's preparedness.
The construction of six French Scorpene-class submarines in Mumbai has been delayed, as has the navy's plan to acquire new submarines from foreign manufacturers.
"The Indian navy currently holds just 67% of the force level envisaged in its 1985 (maritime expansion) plan," the auditor's report said.
Defence analysts blame the government for the failure. "The defence ministry takes too long for every decision. There is a lack of urgency over everything," said Guruswamy.
India's submarine tragedy leaves navy facing awkward questions | World news | theguardian.com
