Salvage effort under method for Indonesian submarine that sank with dozens aboard
25 April, 2021
The hunt for a missing Indonesian submarine with 53 crew converted into a salvage effort Sunday after recovered debris suggested it broke apart since it sank off the coast of Bali.
Warships, planes and a huge selection of military personnel had led a frantic search for the KRI Nanggala 402 because it disappeared this week during training exercises, longing for a miracle rescue before its known oxygen reserves ran out.
However the navy acknowledged Saturday that pieces of the submarine, including items from inside vessel, have been retrieved.
They declared that it had sunk, effectively ending any potential for finding survivors.
Among the things recovered was a bit of the torpedo system and a bottle of grease used to lubricate periscopes.
In addition they found a prayer mat commonly found in Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim-majority nation.
The relatives of First Lieutenant Muhammad Imam Adi, a 29-year-old father of a son, clung to hope.
"My wish for now could be that my son and all of the crew are available," Adi's father Edy said from his home on Java island. "My son had wished to become a soldier since he was a child. That was his dream."
Authorities have not given the official explanation for the accident, but said that the submarine may have suffered a blackout and left its crew unable to resurface.
Navy chief Yudo Margono discounted an explosion, however, saying Saturday that the evidence suggested the submarine came apart since it was crushed by water pressure at depths greater than 800 meters -- well below what the Nanggala was built to withstand.
On Sunday, the search team centered on pinpointing the sub's exact location.
Authorities have warned that any salvage procedure will be risky and difficult in the deep waters.
Singapore's MV Swift Rescue -- a submarine rescue vessel -- is here to assist in the recovery effort, the navy said Sunday.
Neighboring Malaysia, and also the USA, India and Australia, were among the nations helping in the search.
Search vessels, reconnaissance aircraft and submarine rescue ships have already been deployed to scour a zone around 10 square nautical miles (34 square kilometers).
The submarine -- among five in Indonesia's fleet -- disappeared early Wednesday while it was scheduled to accomplish live torpedo training exercises off Bali.
The crew asked for permission to dive. It lost contact soon after.
Later, search teams spotted an oil spill where in fact the vessel was considered to have submerged, pointing to possible fuel-tank damage, and a catastrophic accident.
So far, authorities have not commented on questions about if the decades-old vessel was overloaded, but they have said that the submarine -- delivered to Indonesia in 1981 -- was seaworthy.
Source: japantoday.com
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