Indian Navy dispatches submarine rescue vessel to help Indonesian submarine

The Indian Navy dispatched its Deep Submergence Rescue Vessel (DSRV) on Thursday to assist Tentara Nasional Indonesia-Angkatan Laut (TNI AL-Indonesian Navy) in search and rescue efforts for the Indonesian submarine KRI Nanggala which was reported missing on Wednesday.

The Indian Navy received an alert through the International Submarine Escape and Rescue Liaison Office (ISMERLO), regarding the missing Indonesian submarine.

The submarine was reportedly exercising in a location 25 miles North of Bali with a crew of 53 personnel.

“I have already directed the Indian Navy to move the DSRV to Indonesia. I have also tasked the Indian Air Force to see the feasibility of induction of the DSRV intervention system by air,” Defence Minister Rajnath Singh tweeted.

“Spoke to the Defence Minister of Indonesia, General Prabowo Subianto, over the phone and shared my pain over the news of the missing submarine Nanggala and its crew members. India is extending its full support to the ongoing Indonesian rescue efforts. The Government of India is always committed to assist its strategic partners during the time of necessity. General Subianto has acknowledged and appreciated India’s support to Indonesia,” Singh said.

“Submarine rescue is required to be undertaken when a submarine is reported to be missing or sunk and specialised equipment is required for the underwater search to locate the disabled submarine and rescue the personnel who are trapped inside the submarine,” Indian Navy officials said.

India is amongst the few countries in the world capable of undertaking the search and rescue of a disabled submarine through a DSRV. Indian Navy’s DSRV system can locate a submarine up to 1,000m-depth utilising its state of the art Side Scan Sonar (SSS) and Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV).

After the submarine is successfully located, another sub-module of DSRV— the Submarine Rescue Vehicle (SRV)— mates with the submarine to rescue the trapped personnel. The SRV can also be used to provide emergency supplies to the submarine.

Under the framework of comprehensive strategic partnership between India and Indonesia, the Indian and Indonesian navies share a strong partnership of operational cooperation. The two navies have been exercising regularly in the past and have developed synergy and interoperability which is considered important for the present mission.