Indian submarine with 18 crew catches fire, sinks

[shamu726]

Photo: Smoke and flames rise from an explosion on a submarine at the naval dockyards in Mumbai, India. (Twitter: Vikalp Shah)

NEW DELHI (AP) — 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.

India has 14 diesel-powered submarines, he said.

Last year, India acquired a Russian Nerpa nuclear submarine for its navy on a 10-year lease from Russia at a total cost of nearly $1 billion.

On Saturday, India activated the atomic reactor on its first indigenously designed and built nuclear submarine, which the navy could deploy in the next two years.

India has steadily built up its naval capabilities in recent years, spurred by its rivalry with neighboring China.

The NDTV channel showed grainy and shaky footage of the fierce explosion, which lit up the sky at the naval dockyard shortly after midnight.

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Same submarine caught on fire in 2010, killing a sailor

In February 2010, the INS Sindhurakshak also suffered a fire while docked in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh state, killing a 24-year-old sailor and leaving two other crew members with burns.

There were fears that today's explosion might have damaged other navy vessels in the Mumbai dockyard, a colonial-era facility with civilian and military sections that employs more than 10,000 people.

Rahul Bedi, a defence expert with IHS Jane's Defence Weekly, told AFP the submarine was commissioned from Russia in 1997 and lacked some modern safety equipment common to newer vessels.

"They don't have escape routes in the event of accidents unlike some of the modern submarines," he said.

"The major concern is of India's submarine capability depreciating fast.

"I think out of 14 diesel-electric subs, 12 are operational.

"That's very inadequate and a big operational drawback for the Indian navy."

The accident comes just days after New Delhi trumpeted the launch of its first domestically-produced aircraft carrier and the start of sea trials for its first Indian-made nuclear submarine.

India has been expanding its armed forces rapidly to upgrade its mostly Soviet-era weaponry and react to perceived threats from regional rival China.

The Mumbai dockyard, which is a restricted area, was closed to media.

ABC/wires

Source: Yahoo! News, ABC News

Edited August 14, 2013 by shamu726

[locoJoe]

someone put tin foil in the microwave again?

[dMog]

someone put tin foil in the microwave again?

not to make fun of people dying tragically...but that describes the canadian navy..after all we purchased a used submarine form England that was bent..really the sub was damaged so much it was actually bent...would like to know what used car salesman sold that one to us

edit....spelling

Edited August 26, 2013 by dMog

[satviewer2000]

Must have been due to all the people hanging out the windows.

Edited September 25, 2013 by satviewer2000