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All hands on deck to salvage sunken Nanggala submarine
Three Chinese navy ships have joined the operation to lift the KRI Nanggala-402 submarine from the bottom of the Bali Sea, but a particular type of underwater currents complicates the mission.
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This handout from the Indonesian Military (TNI) taken in February 2019 and released on April 21, 2021, shows the crew and officers during a ceremony aboard the Indonesian Cakra class submarine KRI Nanggala 402 at the naval base in Surabaya. The submarine with 53 crew members sank and broke into several parts during an exercise mission near Bali on April 21. (AFP/Handout)
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ndonesia and the world grieved in late April when the Indonesian Navy officially announced that KRI Nanggala-402 submarine had “sunk” with 53 sailors on board, days after having lost contact during a training exercise.
During a live torpedo training exercise on April 21, the submarine lost contact shortly after the crew had asked for permission to dive. A search team later spotted an oil spill where the vessel is thought to have submerged, raising concerns about an accident.
The Nanggala-402 submarine, which entered service in 1977, was found four days later at a depth of 838 meters below sea level -- far exceeding its maximum operating depth at around 500 m. The vessel was found around 1.3 kilometers south of its last known location.
The submarine had broken into three parts, with portions of its stern and bow detached from its hull. They also detected cracks on its hull.
Read also: Families remember victims of Nanggala disaster
Previously, the rescuers found several items presumably stemming from the vessel, including an escape vest that suggested an emergency situation had required the crew to put the vests on.
Various Indonesian and foreign entities are now joining hands to bring the remains of the submarine and its crews to the surface, but the operation will not be a walk in the park, as technical and natural challenges need to be overcome.
