INS Sindhurakshak catches fire at naval dockyard in Mumbai

[sayareakd]

Sub was having full combat load of explosive, when it was loading last of the missile. That means other missiles and explosive is still inside. They should be careful.

 

[JBH22]

India can currently deploy only 7-8 submarines against enemy forces

NEW DELHI: If India goes to war today, it will have just seven to eight aging conventional submarines to deploy against enemy forces. This deeply blunts the country's underwater combat edge against Pakistan, which already has five relatively new conventional submarines and is angling to get six more advanced vessels from China. Beijing, of course, is leagues ahead with 47 diesel-electric submarines and eight nuclear-powered ones.

:: Bharat-Rakshak.com - Indian Military News Headlines ::

 

[arnabmit]

I hope we go for emergency purchase of at least 3 Amur-950 with AIP & VLS Brahmos

 

[natarajan]

with current economy and election in 2014 you can expect lots of welfare schemes and money would be spent only for election purpose

 

[Neil]

the aftermath...::

India, Russia Discuss Submarine-Building – Source

MOSCOW, August 22 (RIA Novosti) – An Indian military delegation has arrived in St. Petersburg to discuss military-technical collaboration in submarine-building, a Russian defense industry source told RIA on Thursday, days after a Russian-made sub in India's navy exploded.
"It is a routine meeting of a joint [Russian-Indian] working group that had been scheduled long before the explosion on the INS Sindhurakshak," the source said on condition of anonymity. "The Indian delegation is headed by the Indian navy's chief of materiel, Vice Admiral Nadella Niranjan Kumar."

The Sindhurakshak, one of 10 Russian-built Kilo-class submarines in service with the Indian navy, blew up and sank at its moorings in the port of Mumbai last week, killing 18 crewmembers.

The boat had been recently refitted in Russia and returned to service in January. Russia has offered to send a team of experts to assist India in the investigation of the accident.

According to the source, the agenda of the talks included the possibility of a second round of upgrading for India's Kilo-class (Project 877 EKM) diesel-electric submarines, as well as Russian participation in the Indian tender for six new diesel-electric subs and other issues aimed at boosting the development of India's submarine fleet.

The discussion of the recent accident with Sindhurakshak may also be on the agenda, the source added.
Meanwhile, several Indian media outlets have speculated that the Indian navy may lease additional Kilo-class subs from Russia to maintain combat readiness of its submarine fleet.


India, Russia Discuss Submarine-Building – Source | Defense | RIA Novosti

 

[wodoo]

It is luck that it was not happen on a nuclear submarine. I cannot image how Indian handle it.

I hope we go for emergency purchase of at least 3 Amur-950 with AIP & VLS Brahmos

 

[sayareakd]

It is luck that it was not happen on a nuclear submarine. I cannot image how Indian handle it.

yeah just imagine K4 getting launched into China from ATV.

 

[ersakthivel]

It is luck that it was not happen on a nuclear submarine. I cannot image how Indian handle it.

In the same way the chinese are handling hundreds of coal mine fires and

the sinking of a submarine resulted in killing of 80 odd sailors,perhaps

before advicing us you guys also have the same russian origin weapons , one amongst which exploded,

It is not as if all chinese submariners are sitting in the hull of OHIO.

 

[RedDragon]

yeah just imagine K4 getting launched into China from ATV.

I really don't think any weapon of that sub can has that range from Mumbai to any part of China.

 

[pmaitra]

I really don't think any weapon of that sub can has that range from Mumbai to any part of China.

He is not talking about "that sub." He is talking about the ATV.

 

[RedDragon]

Anyone who take responsiblity has been sack or arrested?

 

[RedDragon]

He is not talking about "that sub." He is talking about the ATV.

Anyway not matter what lauched into China, as least one will lauched back.

 

[LETHALFORCE]

We should consider swedish Gotland's best AIP in the world IMO.

 

[RedDragon]

We should consider swedish Gotland's best AIP in the world IMO.

From other's post, it seems this incident is because of the weapon, not the sub itself.

 

[sayareakd]

I really don't think any weapon of that sub can has that range from Mumbai to any part of China.

wait some more time you will hear about its test. Already tested few times.

 

[LETHALFORCE]

From other's post, it seems this incident is because of the weapon, not the sub itself.

This should be a candidate for replacement, need to move away from outdated Russian weapons.

 

[W.G.Ewald]

Maybe RAW is testing out its TTPs for sabotaging the Chinese Navy when (not if) PLAN subs start basing out of Trincomalee.
@SamwiseTheBrave

Such a remark reflects poorly on the poster, to gloat over deaths of IN men. It would be better to apply your wit elsewhere.

 

[W.G.Ewald]

INS Sindhurakshak mishap: Sabotage angle not ruled out, says Antony

Almost a week after the sinking of INS Sindhurakshak, Defence Minister AK Antony on Thursday did not rule out sabotage angle in the Navy submarine accident.

Making a statement in the Rajya Sabha, Antony said seven bodies have been recovered, indicating there is no possibility of survival of any person onboard the submarine.

The DNA test on the recovered bodies will be conducted at JJ hospital, said the minister.

He also revealed that half of the submarine is embedded in silt and diving operations are still on to salvage INS Sindhurakshak.

Antony also told that there was no insurance for warships and submarines.

Hailing Antony, Deputy Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ravi Shankar Prasad said that he appreciated the defence minister's "honest confession that the submarine tragedy has affected our credibility".

The submarine, with 18 naval personnel aboard, was rocked by a fire in the intervening night of August 13-14 at the Naval dockyard in Mumbai. Antony had visited Mumbai on August 14 to obtain a first-hand account of the situation.

Preliminary investigations into the sinking of INS Sindhurakshak had revealed that the "near-simultaneous" explosions that preceded a fire which engulfed the submarine were caused by the possible ignition of its armaments, Antony had said earlier this week.

He had also said there was also an offer of help from Russia, where the vessel's refit and upgrade had been undertaken.

Lord God, our power evermore,
Whose arm doth reach the ocean floor,
Dive with our men beneath the sea;
Traverse the depths protectively.
O hear us when we pray, and keep
Them safe from peril in the deep.

 

[Neil]

Tribute to INS Sindhurakshak: Sailing in a Submarine

INS Sindhurakshak. Protector of the Sea. Will no longer be in operation. 18 submariners martyred in the Line of Duty.

I can't help but go back in time to the 3 days I had spent in a similar Kilo class Russian diesel-electric submarine. My team and I were filming the lives of submariners deployed at sea. I distinctly remember my first impressions - you have to be insane to sign up for this 24X7 claustrophobia where days and nights can often merge for weeks in a painfully constricting capsule.


That's not all. You are sailing '20,000 leagues under the sea' in a 'bomb-shop', locked in with deadly missiles and torpedoes. God forbid, if something went wrong, the end maybe a violently painful one. Who, in their right minds would volunteer? (Yes, we discovered submarine appointments are only by choice!) Then again, the joke among submariners is that they're all a little mad. As one of them candidly revealed, "It's the freedom I have in a confined space that I miss the most when I'm not on a sub". Ironic, huh?


For most of us, submarines are creatures of mystery. Whether it was Captain Nemo and his secret submarine created by Jules Verne, the WW2 stories of Navies and their U-Boats, or even the Cold War, where these weapons of stealth played cat and mouse games under the sea. Honestly, in the world of operational subs, the rules of the game haven't changed very much. Even today, submarine warfare is as classified as before. Because there is only rule – stay hidden to stay alive.


You're lethal only as long as your location is a secret under the sea. If that's out, you are a sitting duck. It's like playing a game of 3 dimensional chess with blindfolds on – your sonar has to track and trap the enemy before the enemy can trap and destroy you!


So, Navies go to a great extent to hide their submarines, even during peacetime drills. We were told that when an Indian submarine sets out, her mission is a closely guarded secret. Not even the Captain is detailed about the assignment. The brief lies sealed in an envelope in his cabin, and he opens it when his boat is well away from harbour. At sea, there is no contact with anyone on shore. The only sign that a submarine is safe is a designated signal sent out to a pre-determined place. Sounds straight out of a Robert Ludlum novel, doesn't it?

We were lucky enough to get on board a sub as it sailed out for a mission. Day 1 was all about loading the boat – stocking up the larder, the logistics and arming her for combat. As she may not touch land for up to 45 days, tonnes of ration went into her belly"¦ from fresh fruits and vegetables to canned rations and tetra-packs that last longer.


As we slid down the monkey ladder and explored the sub, compartment-by-compartment, I felt as if I was in the belly of a giant machine – the whole place is wired up, there are just too many valves and switches and everything seems to have multiple connections. And if you are bigger or taller than average, then get ready for a few bruises and a permanent hunch

The man responsible for all this wiring is the Electrical Officer. He described the submarine as an "animal under the sea controlled by man – it has blood in the form of hydraulics, sensors as brains, and torpedoes to attack & defend". I couldn't think of a more apt metaphor.

We did manage to get access to the torpedo room - this really is the business end of the sub! Because at the end of the day, she is a weapons platform and her job is to neutralize targets. We got to film the loading of these deadly torpedoes as they were guided into tubes – I was surprised to see that it takes about 4 to 6 submariners to load the weapon and one of them actually crawls through the length of the tube to bring it in. It's like squeezing through a wormhole between war and peace. [ god forbid if there was an IN boy right there when it was being loaded...]

Although, a fairly routine operation every time the submarine sails out, this is a high precision job. And you can almost hear a collective sigh of relief, every time a torpedo is successfully loaded. As the Captain of the sub told us, "For a man in uniform, there is no peace ever. There is either war or preparation for war!"

Once the submarine leaves the harbour, it's time for her to disappear. And when she dives, it's a state of high alert within the boat. Her nerve centre is the Control Room where she requires everyone's undivided attention. As the ballast tanks let the water in, you can almost hear her squeak and moan. A small mistake and things can pop"¦ water can rush it, and God forbid if she ever sinks below her maximum permissible depth, the pressure can crush her. She can go off like a bomb! It's a chilling experience for anyone on board the first time. Yet, for submariners this is routine - just like a cup of tea in the morning!

Routine in a sub is also about living life in 3 hour cycles - watch shifts, maintenance shifts, emergency drills and a few winks. And making the most of confined spaces. What do you do if there are 30 bunks for 70 men? You hot-bunk! Grab a quick nap between shifts and while you're away, let someone else take over your bed. We realised that submariners have actually made a habit of multi-tasking. For instance, the Officer's Mess doubles up as a Home Theatre, triples up as a cabin with bunk beds and is also equipped to turn into an Operation Theatre during a medical emergency!


Also have to admit that we had the most delicious food in the submarine – alu-pooris and hot gulab jamuns. But when we went to film the kitchen, we were shocked by its size. There is barely enough space for 2 people to stand, and yet, this is where 3 meals for almost 70 people are prepared everyday. This is space and design innovation at its best!




In this world of uniformed men and their hierarchy, I discovered that submariners have another quirk. No submariner wears his rank at sea. All of them change into medicated disposables – a use and throw cotton uniform that's the same for everyone. Quite a leveler, don't you think?

Well, 3 days was barely enough to do justice to the life of a submariner. But it was enough for us to get claustrophobic. Yet, it felt as if the sea morphs into some kind of a seductive mistress for these submariners. Despite the danger and the drawbacks, they crave to go back to her again and again. Why, you may ask? Well, I think I'd like to believe what the Captain said about his men, "We're all here to train harder than the enemy will fight, only then we will fight harder than the enemy has trained.


http://mayurica.blogspot.in/

 

[sayareakd]

Captain said about his men, "We're all here to train harder than the enemy will fight, only then we will fight harder than the enemy has trained.