Indian Kilo class sub catches fire, sinks in Mumbai... (August 2013)

[CougarKing]

...with trapped sailors still reportedly aboard as of this posting. 

link

NEW DELHI - An Indian navy submarine with about 18 sailors on board caught fire after an explosion and sank early Wednesday at its home port in Mumbai.

Efforts were being made to ascertain the safety of the personnel and salvage the diesel- and electricity-powered submarine, navy spokesman Narendra Vispute said.

Indian news channel NDTV said a loud explosion was heard and a huge flame leapt up in the sky. Nearly a dozen fire engines rushed to the dockyard to douse the fire, it said.

They extinguished the fire in about two hours. Afterward, the sub was nearly submerged at its berth in the naval dockyard.

Vispute said the cause of the explosion is being investigated. Further details were not available.

The 16-year-old Russian-made submarine, INS Sindhurakshak, had recently returned from Russia after undergoing an overhaul and upgrade, Rahul Bedi, an analyst for the independent Jane's Information Group, said.

(...)

 

[tomahawk6]

Compartment hatches were melted by the fire.To extract the bodies will require the sub to be brought to the surface and placed in dry dock,I would think.

 

[Colin Parkinson]

I wonder if these subs use those Russian torpedoes with the high fire risk fuel?

 

[tomahawk6]

The some time ago the sub had a battery fire.Indian investigators rule out a battery fire this time.Seems a bit early to rule out possible causes.Something caused a fire and subsequent explosion.

 

[Good2Golf]

I wonder if these subs use those Russian torpedoes with the high fire risk fuel?

VA-111 Shkval torpedo is a fitted weapon with many Kilo users, not sure if IN is one of those fitted users.  Shkval, when it works, is a pretty amazing weapon...

 

[NavyShooter]

Crap.

Buddy of mine is doing EOD in Mumbai Harbour (Civvy job) this week.  This happened while he was there.

Crap news....especially for the sailors inside. 

Hope it was quick for them.

NS

 

[jollyjacktar]

Crap.

Buddy of mine is doing EOD in Mumbai Harbour (Civvy job) this week.  This happened while he was there.

Crap news....especially for the sailors inside. 

Hope it was quick for them.

NS

Agreed.  It makes my blood run cold.  Poor buggers, duty watch to hell.

 

[winnipegoo7]

From the Economist:
http://www.economist.com/news/asia/21583699-week-triumph-and-tragedy-indias-navy-all-sea

The cause of the explosion on the 16-year-old Sindhurakshak, built in Russia, is not yet known for certain. But it is likely to be the result of hydrogen gas leaking during the recharging of the batteries that propel the Kilo-class submarine when it is submerged. A fire seems to have spread to the missile compartment: the Sindhurakshak carries Russian Klub-S cruise missiles, which have a range of about 200 kilometres (125 miles). That triggered a series of explosions that resulted in the submarine sinking and, according to some reports, the launch of two torpedoes that struck other vessels (including another submarine) in the dockyard. Internal bulkheads were destroyed by the force of the explosions, trapping or drowning the crew.

 

[tomahawk6]

http://www.mumbaimirror.com/mumbai/others/Muck-low-visibility-hit-salvage-operation/articleshow/21835224.cms

HOW INDIA'S WORST NAVAL TRAGEDY UNFOLDED:

INS Sindhurakshak was docked at the South Breakwater in the naval dockyard on Wednesday night, and was being readied for a secret mission beginning Thursday morning.

♦ The crew, say navy sources, was equipping the vessel with Russian surface-to-air klub missiles when two blasts took place at 11.35 pm. The submarine has two chambers for a total of 16 missiles, which need to be handled with great care as they have what experts call a "low threshold".

♦ The crew had already loaded the rear chamber with eight Russian Klub missiles, and was in the process of arming the front chamber. Things went wrong in a hurry after the crew loaded the last Klub missile: it was reportedly not inserted in its slot properly, causing a short circuit that set off two missiles

♦ One missile hit a dockyard wall, while the other exploded inside Sindhurakshak. Water rushed in after a second blast and the submarine sank nose-down in 15 minutes, trapping 15 sailors and five officers.