saneindian Posted August 14, 2013 Posted August 14, 2013 A huge explosion and fire have destroyed India's most advanced diesel-electric submarine, the INS Sindhurakshak, which was docked at a high-security military dockyard in Mumbai. About 18 sailors are feared killed in the vessel, which tilted and has sunk nose down. Defence Minister AK Antony confirmed the death of sailors outside Parliament this morning but did not give any details. (See Pictures) There has been no contact established yet with the personnel feared trapped on board. It is not clear if some sailors jumped to safety before it went down. Some injured personnel have been admitted to a navy hospital in Mumbai's Colaba but it is not clear if they were from the INS Sindhurakshak. There is no word on casualties or on what caused the explosion, amid speculation on whether a fire caused weapons on board to explode. According to sources in the Ministry of Defence, early reports said the explosion happened in the armament chamber of the fully-armed submarine, which carried heavy weight torpedos and "Klub" anti-shipping and land attack missiles. Navy divers are conducting rescue and salvage operations, but have not been able to enter the submarine yet. A Navy statement said the submarine, refurbished three months ago in Russia at a cost of Rs. 480 crore, is "submerged at her berth with only a portion visible above the surface." (Navy's full statement) Reports said another submarine docked close by, the INS Sindhuratna, managed to pull away, but has been damaged in the explosion. Defence Minister AK Antony will visit Mumbai today; Navy Chief Admiral Devendra Kumar Joshi has left for Mumbai. The internal explosion occurred a little after midnight yesterday. The fire was brought under control after 3 am by 16 fire tenders. The loss of the 16-year-old submarine is a major setback to the Navy's operational preparedness. It had been fitted with an improved warfare system and was expected to serve for at least 10 years more. India has only 14 submarines; it needs 20. A board of inquiry has been set up to determine the cause of the accident http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/navy-submarine-ins-sindhurakshak-gutted-after-explosion-18-sailors-feared-trapped-405494 Terrible tragedy. RIP to our bravehearts who lost their lives :((
G_B_ Posted August 14, 2013 Posted August 14, 2013 poor media reporting. too early to call it a loss. and its not a blow at all. These submarines were terrible and would be the first to be sunk in the event of an actual war. 1-2 years time the scorpenes should take to the waters joining our nuclear submarines (though those subs make not have ballistic missiles)
saneindian Posted August 14, 2013 Author Posted August 14, 2013 poor media reporting. too early to call it a loss. and its not a blow at all. These submarines were terrible and would be the first to be sunk in the event of an actual war. 1-2 years time the scorpenes should take to the waters joining our nuclear submarines (though those subs make not have ballistic missiles) Twitter timelines of the defense experts suggests the submarine is beyond repair now as the explosion occurred in the area where torpedoes are stocked. The Sub was getting ready for its patrol and was fully loaded. Some say the explosion happened when they were loading a missile , some others saying while battery charging process. One of those with detailed info https://twitter.com/saikatd
surajmal Posted August 14, 2013 Posted August 14, 2013 Horrible news. Explosion video is frightening. Thoughts are with the sailors' families.
King Tendulkar Posted August 14, 2013 Posted August 14, 2013 And they had just spent 80 million dollars on this thing for russia to upgrade it
SLICKR392 Posted August 14, 2013 Posted August 14, 2013 And they had just spent 80 million dollars on this thing for russia to upgrade it That sucks ! RIP :((
Clarke Posted August 14, 2013 Posted August 14, 2013 Worst naval tragedy since 1971. Its either poor material or not following procedures.
surajmal Posted August 14, 2013 Posted August 14, 2013 Worst naval tragedy since 1971. Its either poor material or not following procedures. IN will need to implement a subsafe like program for the nuke subs. Even putting aside the corruption issues with importing substandard parts and the third rate quality of Russian junk, this accident highlights the need for a domestic defensive industry. Maybe, in a typical Indian jugaad fashion, logistics people tried to work with third party components. A proper quality assurance program needs scale (and vice versa), otherwise it is just too expensive. Defense Industrial complex is the need of the hour.
surajmal Posted August 14, 2013 Posted August 14, 2013 2 more subs damaged. One can't rule out sabotage either.
jf1gp_1 Posted August 14, 2013 Posted August 14, 2013 2 more subs damaged. One can't rule out sabotage either. is it something you are speculating or did you read it some place ? there are 18 men still trapped praying that they come out safely
hhunaeh Posted August 14, 2013 Posted August 14, 2013 I read recently that they were planning to test the 3000 km plus slbm in the next few months. They recently activated a nuclear reactor on one of our subs that was supposed to act as the 3rd part of a triad and carry these missiles most probably. I wonder how this accident affects all this.
surajmal Posted August 14, 2013 Posted August 14, 2013 is it something you are speculating or did you read it some place ? there are 18 men still trapped praying that they come out safely Speculation. Diesel subs are frequently docked for supplies and refueling; thus present an easy target for the interested parties. With US leaving Afghanistan next year, and China and Pakis acting like they are...
jf1gp_1 Posted August 14, 2013 Posted August 14, 2013 Speculation. Diesel subs are frequently docked for supplies and refueling; thus present an easy target for the interested parties. With US leaving Afghanistan next year' date=' and China and Pakis acting like they are...[/quote'] There are restricted areas, all activities are carried out by Naval personal and with all the recent alerts issued i doubt this is anything but an accident/malfunction
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