In its worst peacetime disaster, Navy loses top sub with 18 men on board

In its worst peacetime disaster, Navy loses top sub with 18 men on board Midnight Explosions Hit Newly Refitted Vessel Docked In Mumbai TIMES NEWS NETWORK  Mumbai: The Indian Navy suffered amajor setback as INS Sindhurakshak — its recently refitted, most potent submarine — partially sank at the naval dockyard here on Wednesday after a series of explosions. All 18 personnel on board, including three officers, were feared dead.     Laden with warheads, the Russian-made submarine suffered a small explosion early Wednesday, followed by two almost simultaneous blasts, which set off a fire that spread across the 16-year-old vessel. The explosions, suspected to be in the torpedo compartment, hurled a ball of fire, lighting up the sky above the dockyard.      INS Sindhurakshak had returned to the country in April from Russia after undergoing an overhaul and refit that was ordered after a blast aboard it killed a sailor while its batteries were being charged in 2010.     This is the worst peacetime disaster in the history of the Indian Navy, and ruins the sheen it gained after the indigenous nuclear submarine’s reactor went critical on board INS Arihant and its first indigenously-built aircraft carrier INS Vikrant was launched.  WHAT COULD HAVE HAPPENED? SABOTAGE: Can’t be ruled out but possibility remote, says Navy chief HYDROGEN LEVEL: Can rise during recharging of batteries, done three days ago. Still, over 2.5% hydrogen mixing with gases and explosives in confined place may trigger blast STANDARD PROCEDURES NOT FOLLOWED:Mishandling of explosives possible, failure to monitor parameters, hydrogen level etc. But crew experienced MATERIAL FAILURE: Sub had returned in April from Russia after a refit, it got new land-attack cruise missiles  SUB FLEET IN BAD SHAPE By 2013, 63% of India’s subs eligible to be retired: CAG 11 of 13 remaining subs are over 20 years old. A sub is expected to have a life of about 25 years Project of building six Scorpene subs already 4 years delayed Building of 6 stealth subs yet to take off. It will take over 10 years for the first to roll out Not even 1 new sub inducted despite 1999 plan of 12 new subs by 2012, another 12 by 2030 If some Scorpene subs are commissioned by 2020, India will still be short of minimum 18 needed Missile dropped by personnel may have triggered explosions      The Russian-made submarine’s partial sinking on Wednesday comes close on the heels of the navy grabbing global attention for its growing capabilities and ambitions. In the last few days, its indigenous nuclear submarine’s reactor has gone critical and its first indigenous aircraft carrier launched.     Defence minister A K Antony, who rushed to Mumbai in the afternoon, described the accident as a “tragedy”. Chief of naval staff Admiral D K Joshi conceded “a dent” had been left in “Indian Navy’s submarine capabilities for the time being”.     Admiral Joshi said only the submarine’s duty watch, comprising three officers and 15 sailors, was on board at the time of the disaster. The sub took in water from the torpedo compartment, where the ordnance exploded, and during the two-hour firefighting ops. It initially tilted forward and then came to rest in three metres of water. Just its conning tower and a part of the hull are visible now.     Navy divers entered the stricken vessel through the main hatch but detected no signs of life on board. The divers will be pumping out the water to try to float the sub to surface.     “Chances of survivors seem unlikely as the submarine has been submerged for 12 hours. We fear the worst, but hope for the best,” said Admiral Joshi. Antony added: “I am saddened at the loss of life of naval personnel in the service of the country.”     Fearing the worst, naval authorities have contacted the families of the personnel and requested them to come to Mumbai at the earliest. Admiral Joshi said two of the officers and six of the sailors were married. The navy refused to reveal the names of those aboard.     According to navy sources, three personnel were on board the vessel at the time of the tragedy but not inside. They jumped to safety, were admitted to hospital with minor injuries and later discharged.     The sources added that another submarine, INS Sindhughosh, was docked close to INS Sindhurakshak and suffered minor damage from the explosions.     Antony ruled out sabotage and said a Board of Inquiry will give its finding on the cause of the explosion in four weeks. Defence sources said the submarine was expected to leave for a routine patrol on Wednesday and so had been loading armaments as per procedure. “It is possible that the crew manning the crane loading the missiles into the submarine accidentally dropped one; this hit another missile, thereby triggering the explosions,” said one source.     The submarine had suffered two explosions in 2010, at least one of which had killed a sailor and injured two others. The 2010 accident was caused by rising hydrogen levels while its batteries were being recharged.  Russian shipyard says it enhanced safety mechanism Moscow: The Russian shipyard which upgraded INS Sindhurakshak said it had installed advanced weaponry, both Indian and foreign systems, to enhance the submarine’s “combat capability and safe operation”.     Zvyozdochka, part of the Unified Shipbuilding Corporation that specialises in repairs and recycling of nuclear submarines, said it had signed a contract with the Indian Defence Ministry in 2010 to carry out maintenance and upgrade the submarine. The craft arrived there in August. It sailed to Mumbai in January 2013. The Severodvinsk-based shipyard said a modern Klub-S missile system was installed together with more than 10 Indian and foreign systems. PTI