India submarine fire: Navy crew members killed

[American Patriot]

Updated: August 15, 2013 00:36 IST
“If it was sabotage, only an insider could have done it”

S. Anandan

The fully-armed submarine was to go on a long patrol




While the jury is out on what really triggered the crippling blasts that wrecked the naval submarine INS Sindhurakshak in Mumbai on Tuesday night, chances of a sabotage causing it are giving the Navy the jitters.


Given that the fully-armed submarine was at the high-security Naval Dockyard in preparation for a long patrol on Wednesday evening, only an insider could have done some foul play, if that was the case, indicate Navy sources.


The severity of the twin explosions that gutted the forward area of the kilo-class submarine, which was handed over to India after a $ 150-million upgrade in January this year, points to torpedo burst, as the flame bore an unmistakable orange hue, sources say.
Hydrogen the trigger?

Live ammunition was being loaded on the boat till 10.30 p.m. on Tuesday in view of the patrol on Wednesday. “There must have been frenetic activity going on. Hydrogen released while charging its 800 kg batteries could have caused the first explosion, which would have set off the torpedo burst,” said an officer.


While the Navy Chief Admiral D.K. Joshi did not fully rule out sabotage, seasoned submariners like Vice-Admiral (retd) K.N. Sushil, former chief of the Southern Naval Command, consider the scenario “very very dangerous.”


“I don’t even want to think of such a possibility,” said Mr. Sushil. It would mean someone had penetrated the crew, which was highly unlikely.


He said if there was just a hydrogen blast, it would not have been this disastrous and damaging. But if that were the case, it somehow caused the oxygen torpedoes [torpedoes having oxygen compressed to 200 bars instead of compressed air as fuel oxidizer in its propulsion system] to explode. It could also be conjectured that electric short circuit or something caused the oxygen to blow out. Shockingly, the sequence of events hardly explained anything, he told The Hindu.


The missile warhead couldn’t have gone off as missiles “are loaded into the torpedo tubes in nitrogen-pressured containers.” To a question on chances of sabotage, he said someone adept at handling torpedoes executing it could not be ruled out.


Vice-Admiral (retd) A.K. Singh, who commanded nuclear submarine INS Chakra and headed the Eastern Naval Command, told The Hindu that there could be two surmises. “Submarine batteries give out hydrogen while charging. There are devices to neutralise hydrogen thus released, as its concentration above 4 per cent can set off a blast. Two decks above this is the weapon compartment and the fire caused the warheads to explode. Another possibility is that something went terribly wrong while arming the boat,” he said.


Former Vice-Chief of the Navy Vice-Admiral (retd) Raman P. Suthan termed ‘highly unlikely’ the sabotage theory, citing that access to submarines was highly restricted.

[American Patriot]

India submarine fire: Navy crew members killed




14 August 2013 Last updated at 10:44 ET Help



Indian Defence Minister AK Antony has described two huge explosions and a fire on an Indian submarine berthed at a Mumbai dockyard as a "shocking tragedy".


Navy chiefs earlier warned the families of 18 sailors on board the submerged vessel to "prepare for the worst" after the two near-simultaneous explosions.


Mr Antony offered "heartfelt condolences" to relatives of the dead.


It is not clear what caused the blasts. Sabotage has not been ruled out.


Yogita Limaye reports.

[American Patriot]

India Submarine Explosion Leaves 18 Sailors Dead? Navy Officials Investigate Dire Blast

By Maxine Wally | Aug 14, 2013 03:19 PM EDT

• 
• 

Navy officials in India gather at the site of a submarine explosion in Mumbai. (Photo : Reuters)



18 sailors aboard a submarine docked in Mumbai are feared to be dead after the vessel exploded on Wednesday, in one of the most horrific accidents India has seen in years.


Some of the sailors, all of whom were Indian, were reported to be definitely deceased, Defense Minister A.K. Antony told NBC. He did not specify how many had died, nor did he release any names.





"There are some people who are trapped on board, we are in the process of trying to rescue them," P.V.S. Satish, navy spokesperson explained.

According to the Associated Press, the Russian-crafted INS Sindhurakshak, a submarine fueled by diesel gas, exploded twice, then burst into flames while berthed at the navy base in Mumbai.


The orange-red flames licked at the murky water, after the torpedo compartment in the submarine lit up and launched an enormous fireball into the sky. Sailors stationed nearby told AP they jumped back in fright-some even leapt into the ocean.


Navy chief Admiral D.K. Joshi also stated that some of the arms on the submarine also exploded during the twin blasts.


Navy officials reported that divers who had been sent to search for the sailors on board had not yet found any bodies.


"We hope for the best but we have to prepare for the worst," Joshi wryly told the press hours after the explosion.


An investigation into the cause of the explosion and whether or not the 18 sailors are alive was launched shortly after fire fighters arrived on the scene to put out the flames that surrounded the dockyard.


Some claimed that the blast was due to a glitch on the vessel, including ex-Indian navy chief Arun Prakash, who told NBC that there is always a possibility for such an accident on these kinds of heavily armed subs.


"Lots of things are in very close proximity, there is fuel, there is hydrogen, there is oxygen, there are weapons with high explosives on board," he said. "So a slightest mistake or slightest accident can trigger off a huge accident."


Other wagered that someone could have sabotaged the submarine. Prakash claimed this was "probably the last possibility."

[American Patriot]

India Submarine Has Twin Explosions, Death Toll Estimated at 18



Wednesday, 14 Aug 2013 02:55 PM
By Michael Mullins


Share:




More . . .
A A |
Email Us |
Print |
Forward Article

• Tweet
  
• 
  

A submarine in India had twin explosions for the second time in three years, likely killing all 18 sailors onboard.

The explosions occurred Wednesday when the underwater vessel was docked at a Mumbai navy base, the Associated Press reported.

Urgent: Should Obamacare be Repealed? Vote Here Now

The explosions triggered an intense fire that quickly engulfed the vessel. The submarine fire took about two hours to fully extinguish.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, an Indian official told the AP that divers have yet to recover bodies from the diesel-powered submarine.

"We hope for the best but we have to prepare for the worst," Admiral D.K. Joshi, the navy chief, told reporters earlier in Mumbai.

The explosion, which was captured on video, initiated in the submarine's torpedo compartment and gave way to a massive fireball that went hundreds of feet into the air and sent sailors on nearby vessels jumping into the water to avoid the flames, the AP reported.

"It's a loss to all of us. It's a tragedy," Defense Minister A.K. Antony told reporters in New Delhi before leaving for Mumbai to assess the situation.

The minister confirmed that some sailors were killed, but would not elaborate further, the AP reported.

Though it is unclear how much damage the explosion caused at the naval base, Joshi told reporters that the blast triggered secondary weaponry explosions in nearby areas.

The cause of the explosions is currently under investigation, according to Indian Naval spokesman Narendra Vispute.

The 16-year-old INS Sindhurakshak, which was Russian-made, suffered a less significant explosion in 2010. The initial explosion was reportedly caused by a faulty battery valve that leaked hydrogen.

The 2010 blast killed one sailor and injured two others, the AP reported.

Following the 2010 explosion, the submarine was sent to Russia for repairs where it was refitted and upgraded. It was returned to India in April of this year, and had been certified for use by the Indian navy, according to Joshi.

Zvyozdochka, the Russian ship repair company that upgraded the vessel, has already claimed the blasts were in no way related to its repair work, the AP notes.

The explosions come at a time when India is rapidly expanding its Navy, having in 2012 acquired a Russian Nerpa nuclear submarine on a 10-year lease at a cost of nearly $1 billion, activating the sub's atomic reactor this past Saturday. According to Indian officials, the nuclear submarine will be ready to deploy it in the next two years.

On Monday, India launched its first aircraft carrier, the INS Vikrant – which translates into "courageous" — into the Arabian Sea.

With the launch of the 37,500-ton aircraft carrier, which measures 853 feet long and 196 feet wide, India joined a select group of nations capable of building such warships.


Read Latest Breaking News from Newsmax.com http://www.newsmax.com/thewire/india...#ixzz2byRMPSus
Urgent: Should Obamacare Be Repealed? Vote Here Now!