Submarines: India Battles The Tides And Loses

March 3, 2014: On January 17th an Indian Kilo class submarine went aground while entering Mumbai harbor. This happened in part because of poor timing. The sub was supposed to enter the harbor at 4 PM but was delayed 90 minutes and when it did get going it didn’t make it because the tide was going out. Tugs were dispatched to help get the sub free at the next high tide and the boat was got free and docked. A close examination of the sub found no damage.

 

Mumbai harbour has a tricky tide, with the difference between high and low tide being about three meters (19 feet). When the tide changes, if often does so very quickly.

 

A board of inquiry will investigate the accident. It is already known that the navy has been tardy in awarding a contract for the dredging of the channel warships use to get in and out of the harbor. The Indian military has long been cursed with delays, often very long, in the awarding of procurement and service contracts. This has gotten worse lately because of increased efforts to eliminate corruption. In any event the channel was silting up and while there was still enough depth (at least 7 meters, or 21 feet, for a Kilo) that was no longer the case at low tide. The captain of the sub, and his navigation officer, may take a hit for this one.

 

 

 

 

Fire in cables led to INS Sindhuratna mishap: Navy

INS Sindhuratna was caused due to problems in the cable and not the battery compartment, as was being feared earlier, Navy officials said here.

The investigations are still going on into the incident and other two accidents involving the Kilo class submarines of the Navy in the last seven months, they said.

The battery pit has been found to be fully safe and the fire took place in the compartment above it, Navy officials said.

Former Navy chief Admiral DK Joshi resigned after the accident involving the Sindhuratna taking moral responsibility of the ten accidents involving maritime force's assets.

The Sindhuratna is one of the navy's fleet of nine Kilo class submarines. A tenth submarine, the INS Sindhurakshak exploded and sank in the naval dockyard on August 14, 2013 killing 18 crewmen on board. The Sindhuratna was moored nearby and suffered minor fire damage when the Sindhurakshak exploded.

The board of inquiry (BoI) into the February 26 accident has found that the fire in

The fire in submarine INS Sindhuratna, which resulted in the death of two officers and severely affected seven other sailors last week, was caused due to problems in the cables of the vessel.

Fire On Board Royal Australian Navy Submarine

Thursday afternoon, February 27th 2014, HMAS Waller, one of the Royal Australian Navy’s submarines, experienced a fire whilst on the surface off the West Australian coast. Emergency response actions were taken to extinguish the fire.

There were no causalities. As a precaution four members of the ship’s crew who were involved in the response to the fire have been landed for observation.

HMAS Waller had recently completed a scheduled maintenance period and was at sea as part of her return to operations. A full investigation into the incident will be held.  At this stage no further details are available.

Smoke on INS Sindhuratna; 2 Navy officers missing

The incident happened off the Mumbai coast on the kilo-class submarine while it was on a routine training exercise.

Minor smoke was detected on Indian Navy Submarine Sindhuratna on Wednesday in the early morning hours. Five sailors have sustained minor injuries, Navy sources said.

News agency PTI says two officials were unaccounted for. "They might have been left in the cabin or at some other place as various cabins and compartments are isolated as part of the emergency measures," said a Navy officer to PTI.

The incident happened off the Mumbai coast around 150 Nautical miles on the kilo class submarine while it was on its routine training exercise.

The exact cause and the origin of the fire is yet to be ascertained. Sources claim that there is no grave damage caused to the submarine. As soon as the crew raised an alarm , a Navy helicopter and a Fast Attack craft were sent by the Navy.

"The smoke was detected around 6 am on the submarine by the crew. As soon as the Navy Operation Centre learnt about the mishap, Navy helicopters and a Fast Attack aircraft were pressed into service. The men who inhaled smoke because of the enclosed compartments were airlifted to INS base Ashwini and are recuperating at the Navy hospital ," Navy spokesperson told The Hindu.

"The submarine is afloat and no damage has been reported. The Navy crew is on board and the damage is being ascertained," the spokesperson added.

According to sources, the kilo class submarine was carrying no ammunition since it was still in testing mode and was yet to be placed under operation. Another submarine will also be pressed into service to render assistance , sources said.

Following the incident the submarine will be tested for its sea worthiness.

This is the third incident concerning a kiloclass submarine in the recent past. Last year 18 crew members died after a major fire broke out on INS Sindhurakshak.

Sunken nuclear sub allegedly leaking radioactivity

The underwater film shows several large holes in the outer hull of the submarine laying on the seabed just northeast of the outlet of the Kola bay. This is one of the most important fishing grounds for cod in the Barents Sea. Given to the French-German TV channel ARTE, the film is the first made publicly available of K-159 after it sank on August 30, 2003. 

 

A Moscow-based anonymous military informant provided the film to the reporters saying it was recorded during the Russian-British expedition to the sunken submarine back in 2007. The source further claims worrying increased levels of radioactivity are measured leaking from the hull of the wreaked submarine. Nothing is said about the levels of radioactivity. 

The film shows a large hole in the bow of the submarine; open door to the sail; cables are visible through holes and the submarines outer hull is very rusty. The film also shows how an ROW takes measurements of radioactivity through the air-pressure holes on the deck of K-159. A lot of fish is swimming around the wreaked submarine. The Barents Sea is one of the most productive marine biological oceans in the world.

 

The two reactors onboard hold some 800 kilos of spent uranium fuel, estimated to count for some 20 petabecquerels of radioactivity.

 

Norwegian radiation protection authorities (NRPA) consider K-159 to represent the biggest potential source of radioactive releases in the Arctic waters.

 

“Based on the information we have it is only measured levels within background variations in the near vicinity of the submarine,” says Ingar Amundsen, head of section for international nuclear safety with the NRPA

 

The Norwegian expert is aware of the expedition that made measurements in the area in 2007. “The main focus was to study the condition of the submarine and possibilities to lift it,” says Amundsen. He assures that the Russians say the submarine is in “satisfactory condition”, meaning there is no urgent threat of leakages. 

 

“However, K-159 represents the biggest potential for emission, considering the levels of radioactivity in the reactors, compared with other dumped or sunken objects in the Kara Sea with spent nuclear fuel or radioactive waste,” says Ingar Amundsen to BarentsObserver after being shown the underwater video.

 

Nils Bøhmer is nuclear physicist with the Bellona Foundation, a Norwegian environmental group that for two decades have been studying nuclear safety issues in northwest-Russia. Bøhmer says to BarentsObserver that he wants to see K-159 lifted from the seabed.

 

“If the information about leakages of radioactivity from K-159 is correct, it is of most importance that this information is made publicly available. It must be prepared a risk assessment plan for possible lifting of K-159. Russian authorities must also find financial means to an eventual lifting,” says Nils Bøhmer.

 

Commissioned in 1963, the K-159 was one of the Soviet Union’s first nuclear powered submarines. After a operation period with several accidents involving the reactors, she was finally taken out of operation in 1989 and was laid-up at the remote located naval base of Gremikha.

 

Rusting at pier for 14 years, K-159 was in late August 2003 finally put on tow towards the naval yard Shkval in Polyarny. The submarine never made it to the yard. In stormy weather, one of the pontoons keeping the submarine afloat was ripped away and a few hours later K-159 sank to the seabed 238 meters down.   

 

Nine of the ten sailors onboard died.

Mystery of French submarine disasters can never be unveiled

The death, or rather, sudden disappearance of Eridis submarine of the French fleet stirred heated debate in the world. The tragedy occurred early in the morning on March 4, 1970. Despite the fact that the site of the tragedy was found almost immediately, it took specialists almost two months to find the submarine itself. This is not the only mysterious detail about the disaster. Generally, there is very little information about French submarine Eridis. In contrast, dozens of books have been written and several documentaries have been made about the death of Russia's Kursk submarine. A well-known documentary on the Kursk disaster was filmed by famous French journalist Jean-Michel Carre. The reason and basis for the film, as the author of the film admits, was the article published on the Pravda.Ru website three years after the death of the Kursk.

 

During the International Film Festival of marine and adventure films "The Sea is Calling," which takes place in St. Petersburg, the author of this article had a chance to talk to the former commander of France's third nuclear submarine, Rear Admiral Jean-Marie Mate. The admiral did not reveal any special secrets about the Eridis other than those that can be found in the open press, albeit in limited quantities. Jean-Marie Mate pointed out that submariners, whatever their nationality might be, always remain heroes. Figuratively speaking, they have only one nationality that is directly connected with their profession that is equally difficult and dangerous in all navies of the world.

But still, why did the death of Eridis submarine receive so little attention in the press, books and movies? The disappearance and death of this submarine in the Mediterranean Sea used to be a worldwide sensation ... The secret of secrets. However, we managed to find some information on the subject. We had to resort to the help of translators from French and dig into into the archives of the Russian, or more precisely, Soviet Navy (the Russian military also investigated the disaster). Here's what we found out.

The Eridis submarine belonged to the Daphne class of diesel-electric submarines. There were eleven submarines of this type built for the French Navy, and all of them were named after mythical goddesses, nymphs and dryads. Submarines of this class were built for the navies as Spain, Portugal, South Africa and Pakistan. The full water displacement of the submarine made up a little more than a thousand tons. It was about 58 meters long and was outfitted with 12 torpedo tubes (which was a bit more than any Russian submarine of the class had). 

According to historical information that can be found in Russian sources, the construction of submarine S-644 Eurydice began in July 1958 at Direction des Constructions et Armes Navales shipyard in Cherbourg. The sub was launched on June 19, 1960, and on September 26, 1964 the submarine was passed into service. Its service was common for French submarines: combat training of the crew, patrolling the southern coast of France and North Africa and escorting civilian vessels with important goods. The Eridis has never traveled outside the waters of the Mediterranean Sea. 

Early in the morning of March 4, 1970, the Eridis left the base of Saint-Tropez. There were 57 people on board. At sea, the submarine, in cooperation with aviation, was supposed to exercise the search and conventional attack against a submarine of a potential enemy. For this purpose, the Eridis was in touch with the basic patrol plane Atlantic that took off from Nimes-Garon naval air base. The sea seemed to be calm at first. Interestingly, pilots saw the periscope breaker of the Eridis when the sub was about seven miles to the south-east off Cape Camara. Communication was normal. Suddenly, early in the morning, at 7.13 a.m. local time, messages from the Eridis ceased to arrive. The Atlantic aircraft lost the radar contact with the submarine ...

In his last radio message, the submarine commander said that he was taking the course in the area of ​​the exercise and was preparing to submerge. Very quickly, almost immediately after the break of connection, naval aircraft and anti-submarine vessels began to look for the lost vessel. The French navy sent everything that was available into the sea: surface ships Surcouf, Dyuper, Picard, Vendée, Alert, Arago, Jean Charcot, six minesweepers, Daphne and Doris submarines, as well as airplanes and helicopters. The Italians and Americans also took part in the search: they sent four minesweepers and the Skylark rescue boat.

The approximate area of ​​the death of Eridis was found quickly. The place, where patrol aircraft Atlantic saw the submarine during the last session, was found as well. A large spot of diesel fuel, pieces of plywood and a punch card with the name "Eridis" were found some time later. The remains of the submarine proved that the submarine had sunk. Experts began to investigate the disappearance of the submarine. They analyzed samples of the diesel fuel that was found on the water surface. The analysis showed that the fuel had a high content of sulfur, which was characteristic of the fuel of the lost submarine.

Four days after the start of the search, the administration of the French Navy announced the Eridis and 57 members of its crew perished. Officers on rescue ships removed their caps, and all ships of the French fleet blared their horns in memory of the victims. 

Some time later, after analyzing the data of seismographs of coastal surveying laboratories, it was found that there was an explosion recorded on March 4th, at 7.28 a.m.. The place, where the tragedy occurred, was found quickly. However, it took specialists quite a while to find the submarine itself.

The relatives of the dead sailors demanded the submarine be found at all costs and the cause of its death be established. The French government asked the United States to assist in the search for Eridis. American rescue ship Mizar arrived in Toulon: the vessel successfully demonstrated her abilities during the search for the Thresher submarine. It was only on April 22, more than 1.5 months after the death of the submarine, when the Americans detected and identified several large fragments of Eridis scattered at depths from 600 to 1,100 meters ... 

It was later found that a large fragment of the stern of the Eridis was resting in the center of a strange crater that was 30 meters in diameter. All metal fragments of the sub were strangely twisted and deformed. European newspapers started guessing. Design flaws? Crew error? The version about alien intervention was especially popular during that time. Some suggested that the Eridis collided with a merchant vessel. Indeed, Tunisian, Argentine and Greek cargo ships traveled across the area, where the accident occurred. 

The results of the investigation have never been exposed to the general public. The death of the Eridis caused national shock in France. A few years before, three French submarines sank with their crews near Toulon, one after another. On December 6, 1946, U-2326 submarine tragically sank (France received the submarine after the defeat of Nazi Germany). On September 23, 1952, submarine Sibylle was lost (former British R.229 Sportsman). January 27, 1968 became the day when France lost Minerve sub (of the same type with Eridis).

The reasons of those disasters remain a mystery. Is there a Bermuda Triangle in the Mediterranean Sea? 

In Toulon, at one of the main bases of the French Navy, a monument to the dead submariners was erected. The French still go there to honor the memory of the dead submariners.

USS Miami fire shows dangers subs face in dock

Setting sail aboard a nuclear-powered submarine that can travel deep underwater at speeds topping 30 mph with complicated equipment and an arsenal of weapons has inherent danger. But there’s potential for a bigger risk when the sub is in dock for major work.

Submarines that are being overhauled, like the USS Miami, which suffered $450 million in damage in a fire in May, are often crowded with shipyard workers and equipment. Temporary systems are established and there are cables running throughout the sub. Deck plating is sometimes removed, creating holes in passageways.

‘‘Submarines face different dangers, perhaps bigger ones, when they’re being overhauled or repaired in an industrial setting,’’ said Peter Bowman, a retired Navy captain and former Portsmouth Naval Shipyard commander.

On the USS Miami, those who battled the fire that started May 23 said it knocked out lighting, and a crew member broke ribs when he fell into a hole.

It took the efforts of more than 100 firefighters to save the USS Miami in dry dock at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard after a civilian shipyard worker allegedly set a fire that quickly spread through its forward compartments.

Two Navy panels are continuing wide-ranging investigations aimed at identifying factors that contributed to the rapid spread of the fire as well as ways to reduce hazards and improve firefighting response in the future.

The Navy hopes to complete the investigations by month’s end.

Bowman and Jerry Holland, a retired Navy rear admiral and submarine commander, said that an industrial setting exposes submarines to hazards that normally wouldn’t be present at sea, when the ship’s entire crew is present and all equipment and systems are in shipshape and in full operating order.

Some of the most serious ship and submarine calamities in U.S. naval history have happened with a vessel at dock, in construction or under repair.

In 1960, another nuclear-powered submarine, USS Sargo, suffered serious damage and the loss of one crew member during an oxygen fire at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. And 50 shipyard workers died when the aircraft carrier Constellation caught fire during construction at Brooklyn Naval Shipyard later that year in New York.

The submarine Guitarro sank during construction in 1969 at Mare Island Naval Shipyard in California; watertight doors and hatches couldn’t be closed because of cables and hoses.

Minor problems can become big problems when a vessel’s sophisticated damage control systems are offline, said Norman Polmar, a naval analyst and author.

‘‘When the sub is not operational, you can’t count on the normal tried-and-tested damage control, firefighting and other safety systems,’’ Polmar said.

In the case of the USS Miami, firefighters reported that going into the sub was like stepping into a blast furnace, and a forensic study concluded that the temperature may have hit 1,000 degrees in areas, the Navy told The Associated Press.

The pressure hull was subjected to less heat, with isolated areas hitting 700 degrees. ‘‘However, for the most part, the hull was not exposed to temperatures above 350 degrees,’’ said Dale Eng, a Navy spokesman.

The Navy intends to repair the submarine, which is based in Groton, Conn., with a goal of returning it to service in 2015.

Former shipyard worker Casey James Fury of Portsmouth, N.H., who’s accused of setting the fire, remains held without bail while awaiting trial in federal court in Portland. Fury told Navy investigators that he set the fire because he was feeling anxiety and wanted to go home.

The criminal case could have bearing on the release of the Navy’s findings.

While investigators hope to complete their work by month’s end, they won’t make their findings public if it interferes with the criminal case, said Pat Dolan, spokeswoman for the Navy Sea Systems Command.

Australia - A ``minor flood'' in one of our submarines says Defence

On Wednesday 25 July (Australian Eastern Standard Time), while participating in Exercise RIMPAC, HMAS Farncomb suffered a minor flood in one of the submarine's machinery spaces.

At the time of the incident, the submarine was at periscope depth operating its diesel engines to charge the battery.

Standard pre-planned procedures were immediately executed and the situation was dealt with quickly.

The submarine surfaced as part of this normal response. The incident has been traced to a split in a hose on the submarine's weight compensation system.

No personnel were injured and Farncomb is currently returning to Pearl Harbour in Hawaii to replace the hose. An investigation is yet to commence.

There are number of hoses fitted to systems in the Collins class submarine that use the supply of sea water as part of their operation. Weight compensation is one such system, moving water in and out of the submarine to maintain neutral buoyancy.

Following the failure of a sea water cooling hose in HMAS Dechaineux in 2003, there were immediate changes made to procedures and the development of equipment changes commenced.

One of these changes was automation of the closure of all hull valves should a similar situation arise. This change has been installed in HMAS Farncomb.

Farncomb is currently on a 13000 nautical mile, five month deployment having departed her home base in Western Australia in May of this year.

The submarine has spent the last 15 days at sea participating in Exercise RIMPAC, which has included the recent successful firing of a Mk 48 torpedo to sink the 12,106 tonne former USNS Kilauea.

New Hampshire firefighters honored for response to submarine blaze

Firefighters from numerous Seacoast New Hampshire fire departments were honored Monday by their U.S. senators for bravery in fighting the fire aboard the USS Miami on May 23.

Sens. Jeanne Shaheen and Kelly Ayotte spoke before a group of about 40 firefighters and other first responders at Prescott Park.

They also presented the fire departments with a copy of a Senate Resolution, passed unanimously last month, honoring all the firefighters who responded that day.

It took more than 100 firefighters from many area and New England fire departments more than 10 hours to bring the blaze aboard the Miami under control. The Miami was at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard for an overhaul when the fire occurred in the ship's forward compartment.

Shaheen and Ayotte talked about the courage of fighting a fire under incredibly difficult conditions. Firefighters went into the sub in 15-minute shifts, encountering black and toxic smoke that rendered them unable to see.

In fact, said acting shipyard Cmdr. James Kalowsky, the fire aboard the Miami was "the most significant event ever experienced at the shipyard."

"The efforts of the rank and file firefighters" from area towns, who were not trained to fight a sub fire, "were astounding and in many cases heroic. We're blessed beyond measure" to have Seacoast-wide fire response teams, Kalowsky said. "We're honored to be part of the Seacoast family."

The two senators, who came to the shipyard within days of the fire, said they were stunned by what they heard.

"Listening to those stories was really amazing," said Shaheen, who added there were 75 rotations down into the submarine that night. "I can't imagine what it was like — the dense smoke, the heat, the fumes from burning insulation. It's incredible no one lost their lives. The smoke was so thick they couldn't see in front of them."

"It's just incredible what firefighters did on May 23, not only from New Hampshire but from throughout New England, as they came together as a team," Ayotte said. "It reminds us not only of what they did on May 23, but of the difficult job that first responders have every single day."

Ayotte said she looks forward to the day when the USS Miami can be rebuilt, as it and all the Navy's submarines are "critically important to national security."

And she reminded the firefighters that the Senate Resolution is not just from New England's senators: "This is a commendation from the United States of America."

The Seacoast New Hampshire fire departments that received a copy of the resolution Monday were Dover, Greenland, Hampton, Lee, New Castle, Newington, Pease Air National Guard, Portsmouth, Rollinsford, Rye and Somersworth.

Portsmouth Assistant Chief Steve Achilles said he appreciated both senators honoring the local firefighters.

"It's important. We worked extremely hard that night. It was one of the Seacoast fire departments' shining moments," he said.

"Some folks say they're heroic," said Dave Lang, president of the Professional Fire Fighters of New Hampshire. "Our guys say they were just doing their job."

Navy to probe death of two sailors in submarine exercise

The Indonesian Navy says it has formed a team to investigate the deaths of two sailors during an exercise on the submarine KRI Cakra on Saturday.

"We are still waiting for the result of the investigation to find out the cause of the accident," Commodore Darwanto, the chief of staff of the Navy's Eastern Fleet Command, said, after the funeral of one of the sailors, Lt. Col. Eko Idang Prabowo, at Juanda Navy Cemetery in Sidoarjo, East Java, on Sunday.

Idang and Col. Jeffrey S Stanley died during an exercise while the submarine was at sea off the coast of Pasir Putih near Situbondo, East Java.

It was the first at-sea exercise held by the Eastern Fleet in escape, search and rescue techniques for submarine crews in emergency situations.

Eastern Fleet commander Rear Adm. Agung Pramono visited the sailors prior to the exercise. The entire crew of the KRI Cakra, including Idang and Jeffry, had completed confined-space evacuation exercises at the Eastern Fleet's Underwater Rescue Agency.

The KRI Cakra's captain, Lt. Col. Indra Agus Wijaya, said that the submarine had descended to a depth of 20 meters as part of the drill, where three teams of two sailors each were to don special diving suits, exit the boat and attempt to ascend to the surface.

"There was no problem with the first team, as they could get out of the submarine, but the second team was in trouble and the two officers died," Indra added.

The sailors fainted after their ascent. They were placed into decompression chambers and given emergency treatment for nitrogen intoxication and severe decompression, two common problems facing divers, before their deaths, according to reports.

The third 2-man team did not ascend.

"On behalf of the Navy, we express our deepest sympathy on the loss of our two officers, who died in the line of duty," Darwanto said.

Idang is survived by his wife, Dina Anggraini, 33, and his daughter Rara Chaira, 7, and son, Aditya Mardamar, 2, Antara reported. No information was immediately available on Jeffrey's family.

Navy announces delay in report on USS Miami fire

KITTERY, Maine — Navy officials said Wednesday that it will be several more months before the investigations into the USS Miami fire are complete.

The Judge Advocate General manual and the safety investigations will not be completed until late summer or early fall, said Gary Hildreth, public affairs officer at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard.

In the days after the May 23 fire, Navy officials said the investigations should only take two or three weeks to complete.

Hildreth said that neither document can be released to the media. However, the Navy will provide information periodically as the investigation work continues.

The fire broke out in the forward compartment of the USS Miami just before 6 p.m. on May 23. More than 100 area and shipyard firefighters worked over a 10-hour period to bring it under control.

According to subsequent Navy releases, the fire was caused when hot material was sucked into a vacuum cleaner. The vacuum was unplugged when the fire occurred.

Damage to the nuclear powered submarine has been estimated at $400 million.

The investigations will result in a determination of whether the Miami should be repaired or scrapped.

Maine shipyard investigates small fire outside nuclear submarine damaged in blaze last month

A Maine shipyard is investigating what caused a small fire outside a nuclear-powered submarine that was severely damaged by another blaze last month.

The fire was reported about 7 p.m. Saturday in the dry dock where the USS Miami is located, The Portsmouth Naval Shipyard said.

A shipyard employee doused the fire with a portable extinguisher before the shipyard’s fire department arrived, and the ship’s reactor was never in danger, officials said. No one was hurt. The shipyard did not release additional information.

The latest fire was reported less than four weeks after a May 23 fire heavily damaged the submarine while it was in dry dock for an overhaul. That fire damaged the torpedo room, crew quarters, and command and control areas in the front of the submarine, but the nuclear propulsion components at the back of the sub were spared.

The Navy has estimated repair costs at $400 million. The fire started when an industrial vacuum cleaner sucked up a heat source that ignited debris inside the vacuum, officials say.

In the aftermath of the fire, the Navy directed all public shipyards to empty their industrial vacuum cleaners after each shift or remove them from ships.

The Naval Sea Systems Command is reviewing all models of vacuum cleaners now used aboard ships and will issue a directive by the end of June on which models are authorized for use.

The Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Fire Department responded to a report of another potential blaze aboard the USS Miami submarine on June 6, but it turned out to be a false alarm.