India joins select club with submarine rescue vehicle

India has joined the select club of nations with the formal induction of the Deep Submergence Rescue Vessel (DSRV) along with associated equipment in Mumbai on Wednesday.

Admiral Sunil Lanba, the Chief of Naval Staff, who is also the Chairman of Chiefs of Staff Committee, inducted the DSRV at the Naval Dockyard in south Mumbai here.
"I wish we should not use it, but in case we need to use, the intention is to rescue each and every life," Admiral Lanba said.

"The induction of the vehicle has put the Indian Navy into a small league of navies that have an integral submarine rescue capability...its a red-letter day for the Indian Navy and its submarine arm...we have acquired it after years of focussed effort," said Vice Admiral Girish Luthra, the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Mumbai-headquartered Western Naval Command (WNC).

While the DSRV's first vessel - that was inducted on Wednesday would be based in Mumbai, another one is expected to join in a matter of few months that would be based in Visakhapatnam, the headquarters of Eastern Naval Command (ENC).

This system has a Side Scan Sonar for locating the position of the submarine in distress at sea, providing immediate relief by way of posting Emergency Life Support Containers with the help of Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) and thereafter rescuing the crew of the submarine using the DSRV itself.

In case of a submarine accident, rapidity of response is most crucial to the safety of life. To ensure early mobilisation, the system has been procured in a flyaway configuration which permits rapid transportation of the Rescue System from the base to the exact location of the distressed submarine by transportation using air/land/sea vessels.

The Indian DSRV has the capability to rescue personnel from a distressed submarine (DISSUB) up to a depth of 650 m and it is the latest in terms of technology and capabilities.
It has been designed and supplied to meet the unique requirements of our submarines by M/s James Fishes Defence, UK.

Captain Arun George, the Officer In-Charge of the DSRV said, that it has recently undergone extensive sea trials wherein many records have been set.

The DSRV undertook two deep dives up to a depth of 656 mts and 666 mts, the ROV dived up to 654 mts and 777 mts and the Side Scan Sonar dived to 650m.

Live undersea matings with different types of submarines along with the transfer of personnel from submarine to DSRV has also been achieved, thereby simulating the submarine rescue.

"We operate five different classes of submarines, conventional and nuclear and hence a suitable response for an emergency was needed," Admiral Luthra said, adding that India is now in a position to not only provide rescue cover to our own submarines but also to other friendly nations in the Indian Ocean Region and beyond.