The disappearance of a submarine off Bali a year ago kept many in suspense. After four days there was sad certainty: the ship had been damaged and the entire crew was dead. Many questions are still unanswered.
The bereaved are left with nothing but the names of their loved ones on a black granite plaque. The sea has no longer released the bodies of 53 sailors who died in an Indonesian Navy submarine off Bali on April 21, 2021.
“We are on perpetual patrol” reads a memorial unveiled in Indonesia’s second largest city, Surabaya, in January. There the German-built KRI Nanggala-402 set sail. Four days after the disappearance, the wreck was then discovered at a depth of 800 meters, broken into three pieces. A year later, there are still more questions than answers.
A flashback: Contact is lost at around 3am during a routine mission, just after the crew has asked permission to dive deeper for a torpedo drill. Then the submarine, which is almost 60 meters long, disappears about 95 kilometers from the holiday island of Bali. A feverish search with special ships and sonar begins. Experts quickly fear the worst because the oxygen on board is only enough for 72 hours. In addition, the boat may only dive 250 to a maximum of 500 meters. After that, it can no longer withstand the pressure – and is folded like an accordion.
No rescue planned
The 1395 ton wreck will probably rest on the seabed for all time. There are no plans to raise it. To give you an idea of the dimensions: The “Nanggala” is twice as deep under the sea surface as the Empire State Building is high. A salvage would not only be complicated, but also costly and dangerous, Soleman B. Ponto, a retired admiral in the Indonesian Navy, told the German Press Agency. “And even if we could recover it, there would be no obvious benefit.”
Deep depth rescues are extremely difficult. This is also shown by the fate of the Argentine submarine “ARA San Juan”. The ship with 44 sailors on board disappeared in November 2017 while en route from Ushuaia to Mar del Plata. A year later, a search team from the private company Ocean Infinity was able to locate the submarine at a depth of more than 900 meters. The authorities ruled out a rescue because Argentina did not have the technical means.
Maintenance or water swelling?
What caused the “Nanggala” disaster is still a mystery. “There is no ongoing investigation. This was stopped immediately when the search operation was over, »said an officer in the Indonesian Navy, who wished to remain anonymous. But Ponto has a theory: Repair and maintenance work could have been the trigger.
The submarine was built in 1978 by the Howaldtswerke-Deutsche shipyard in Kiel. It has been in service with the Indonesian Navy since 1981. From 2009 to 2012 it underwent a major overhaul in South Korea. Since then, it has been able to fire four torpedoes simultaneously at different targets. Maximum underwater speed increased from 21.5 knots (40 km/h) to 25 knots (46 km/h).
“You can’t just manipulate the original design of submarines,” Ponto said. “For submarines as old as the Nanggala, you should stick to the original design because the risk is too high.” The cause of the accident has not been finally clarified. “But if we look at age, service history and recent repairs, all of that could have been a factor.”
A former commander of the “Nanggala”, on the other hand, put forward the theory that an enormous water swelling – known as an internal single wave – could have pulled the submarine down. In English, such dangerous currents are called “Oceanic Nonlinear Internal Solitary Waves”. According to NASA, they are currently found in the Lombok Strait, the strait between Bali and the neighboring island of Lombok, where water flows from the Pacific into the Indian Ocean.
families compensated
Since the accident, the Indonesian fleet has only four submarines. However, the military wants to acquire eight to ten new recruits by 2029. In February, local naval shipbuilder PT PAL signed a preliminary agreement with the French Naval Group to build two Scorpène-class submarines.
Houses were built as compensation for the families of the dead sailors. And just that monument with a faithful replica of the “Nanggala” and the names of the 53 dead. Surabaya was chosen as the location because most of the relatives lived there. That way they don’t have to go to the Bali Sea to commemorate their loved ones, Admiral Yudo Margono said at the inauguration.
Source: Stern
David William is a talented author who has made a name for himself in the world of writing. He is a professional author who writes on a wide range of topics, from general interest to opinion news. David is currently working as a writer at 24 hours worlds where he brings his unique perspective and in-depth research to his articles, making them both informative and engaging.
