Expressing hope of reusing the sunken INS Sindhurakshak submarine, the Navy on Tuesday said its record was "not all that bad" in terms of accidents when compared to other navies in the world, soon after it was pulled up by Defence Minister AK Antony for the mishap.
The fire mishap on INS Sindhurakshak in Visakhapatnam that left a sailor dead and two others injured was caused by an explosion in its battery compartment, Navy officials said in New Delhi on Saturday.
The sinking of INS Sindhurakshak is the worst accident in India's 47 years of submarine operations history and a big setback to its submarine operations, reports RS Chauhan
Facing tough conditions, Indian Navy divers on Friday extricated badly charred bodies of four personnel from submarine Sindhurakshak as hopes of finding survivors receded with naval authorities voicing worst fears that others on board could have been incinerated too.
The Russian shipyard which upgraded INS Sindhurakshak, on Wedneday said it had installed advanced weaponry, both Indian and foreign systems, to enhance the submarine's "combat capability and safe operation".
Lieutenant Commander Nikhilesh Pal, who was one of the 18 men who lost their lives on board the ill-fated INS Sindhurakshak, would soon have been promoted to the rank of a commander, his elder brother Rajesh Pal told rediff.com.
When the news of INS Sindhurakshak mishap broke out, a mother was hopeful that her son, on board the ill fated submarine, would survive. But as time passes, she is losing all hope, reports Prasanna D Zore.
India lost its frontline submarine on Wednesday in a blaze. Rediff.com presents some magnificent archival images of the vessel.
Naval divers on Friday found bodies of three naval personnel from ill-fated submarine INS Sindhurakshak, which exploded and sank at the Mumbai dockyard early Wednesday.
The Indian Navy on Thursday released the names of the 18 crewmen who were present in INS Sindhurakshak, the submarine that exploded on Wednesday.
The Indian Navy on Sunday said that they have gained access to the forward compartment of the ill-fated submarine INS Sindhurakshak by breaking open the jammed hatches.
India lost its frontline submarine on Wednesday in a blaze. This comes at a time when India is planning to phase out older class of submarines by next year. For the next few years then, the edge enjoyed by the Indian Navy in underwater capabilities with respect to Pakistan stands significantly reduced, says Colonel Ashwani Gupta.
Five months after salvors were appointed, the ill-fated Russian-made Kilo-class Indian Navy Submarine Sindhurakshak has been raised out of the water.
The autopsy conducted on five navy men, whose bodies were extricated from submarine INS Sindhurakshak, has found that they died due to severe burns and drowning, even as divers on Saturday continued search operations for other personnel who were on board.
Nearly four months after submarine INS Sindhurakshak sank following a huge explosion and fire in Mumbai, navy divers are still looking for bodies of missing sailors in the wreckage of the warship.
Rescuers from the Indian Navy on Monday extricated one more body from INS Sindhurakshak, taking the number of victims recovered from the fire-devastated submarine to seven even as professional savers from reputed companies commenced preliminary survey activities.
Indicating that all 18 crew members in the ill-fated submarine INS Sindhurakshak have died, Defence Minister A K Antony today said treating it as a "special case", compensation would be given to their families.
The Indian Navy on Wednesday ordered a board of inquiry to probe the explosion and subsequent fire onboard its submarine INS Sindurakshak which has sunk
There are some larger policy issues related to the submarine as a platform and the modernisation programme of the navy that merit brief recall and review, says C Uday Bhaskar
Nearly four months after submarine INS Sindhurakshak sank following a huge explosion and fire in Mumbai, navy divers are still looking for bodies of missing sailors in the wreckage of the warship.
The defence minister told the Rajya Sabha that at the moment, "We cannot say conclusively about the exact cause of the incident. Our armed forces work on a war footing on these aspects and they are also anxious over this issue."
Fire brigade sources claim that apart from Indian Navy submarine INS Sindhurakshak, there were two other submarines at the naval dockyard at the time of fire on Tuesday night.
Preliminary investigations have indicated that blasts on submarine INS Sindhurakshak were caused by "possible ignition" of armament, Defence Minister A K Antony said.
When contacted, a police official attached to the Malkapuram Police in Visakhapatnam city, confirmed about the mishap and said a 24-year-old sailor died and two others suffered burn injuries, after fire broke out in Sindhurakshak submarine at the shipbuilding centre of the naval dockyard.
Earlier on Tuesday, the Indian Navy officials, in their statement, informed that 'in an unfortunate incident today at Naval Dockyard Mumbai, 3 naval personnel lost their lives in an explosion in an internal compartment onboard INS Ranvir. Responding immediately, the ship's crew brought the situation under control. There is no major material damage', the officials said.
With the Indian Navy's requirement of conventional submarines standing at 24, there is critical need to expedite the planned acquisition of six more conventional submarines.
An Indian Navy submarine caught fire after an explosion and sank in Mumbai late on Tuesday night, with 18 personnel on board, including three officers, feared dead.
Close on the heels of the sinking of submarine INS Sindhurakshak in which all the 18 personnel died, a fire incident took place on country's only aircraft carrier INS Virat off the coast of Mumbai.
A second submarine berthed near INS Sindhurakshak submarine that exploded and sank was saved from a possible disaster thanks to an alert senior Mumbai Fire Brigade officer who was near the mishap spot.
A "minor" fire broke out in one of the living compartments of warship 'INS Savitri' in the Naval dockyard in Visakhapatnam but there were no casualties.
The explosion aboard the country's frontline submarine 'Sindhurakshak' was quite a setback, said former commanders and top naval experts, even as they expressed hope that the Indian Navy would soon be able to set things right.
Ajai Shukla on the titanic mis-spending of lakhs of crores by the Indian defence forces
In one of the worst disasters to have struck the Indian Navy, a series of explosions rocked its submarine INS Sindhurakshak at the dockyard here around midnight, sinking it partially in the shallow sea, in which 18 personnel including three officers are feared killed.
A look at some of the incidents involving submarines around the world in recent times
Admiral Arun Prakash, who was the chief of naval staff from 2004 to 2006 and is today a leading strategic expert, feels that one should patiently wait for the Navy to finish the inquiry into the explosion and fire aboard the INSSindhurakshak before jumping to any conclusion. "For the media to speculate on unsubstantiated rumours is not correct," he tells Vaihayasi Pande Daniel on the telephone from Goa, where he has been living post-retirement.
Indian Navy chief Admiral D K Joshi resigned on Wednesday evening after owning moral responsibility for the series of mishaps plaguing submarines in the military.
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Seven Indian Navy personnel were injured on Wednesday and two officers unaccounted for in a mishap on board Russian-origin Kilo Class submarine INS Sindhuratna, 80 kms off the Mumbai coast.
Seven naval officers were found guilty following a probe into the fire that occurred on board submarine INS Sindhuratna earlier this year, which left two personnel dead and led to the resignation of former Navy Chief Admiral DK Joshi.
Nearly 18 months after an explosion on board submarine INS Sindhurakshak sunk the vessel, killing 18 personnel, Navy Chief Admiral R K Dhowan on Wednesday indicated that human error besides other factors could have led to the tragedy.
In yet another accident involving the Navy, one civilian worker was killed and two were injured in an accident at the under-construction nuclear submarine at the shipbuilding centre of Eastern Naval Command in Visakhapatnam on Saturday night.
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