Indonesian submarine KRI Nanggala that sank in the Bali Sea with 53 on board found in three pieces
Indonesian Submarine Broke Into 3 Pieces; 53 Confirmed Dead
” I am deeply saddened to learn the Indonesian submarine lost at sea earlier this week is now believed sunk. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Indonesian Navy, their Sailors and all those families who lost loved ones. As Sailors, we share a love for the sea and have a bond of fellowship with all who sail on it. We have a respect for its dangers and also understand the importance of the worlds’ oceans to our collective way of life. U.S. Chief of Naval Operations
By VOA News
The Indonesian submarine that sank in the Bali Sea has been found, broken into three pieces, and all 53 crew members have been declared dead, the country’s military said Sunday.
The vessel’s wreckage was located Saturday on the ocean floor, the military announced, by a sonar scan that detected the submarine at 850 meters (2,790 feet), far beyond its diving range.
Rescuers found new objects, including a life vest, believed to belong to those aboard the 44-year-old KRI Nanggala-402 submarine. Indonesia lost contact with the sub Wednesday as it prepared to conduct a torpedo drill.
“The KRI Nanggala is divided into three parts, the hull of the ship, the stern of the ship, and the main parts are all separated, with the main part found cracked. There are scattered parts of the submarine and its interior in the water,” Military chief Marshal Hadi Tjahjanto told reporters.
President Joko Widodo sent the families of the victims his condolences.
“All of us Indonesians express our deep sorrow over this tragedy, especially to the families of the submarine crew,” he said.
Fragments of the missing submarine have been spotted, raising fears that the 53 on board have perished.
DOD to Assist in Search for Indonesian Submarine
APRIL 23, 2021 | BY C. TODD LOPEZ DOD
Earlier this week, on Wednesday, the Indonesian submarine KRI Nanggala disappeared while conducting training operations in the Bali Sea. More than 50 individuals were on board at the time. The Defense Department is providing assistance to help the Indonesians search for that submarine.
“At the request of the Indonesian government, we are sending airborne assets, to include a Navy P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft, to assist in the search of their missing submarine,” said Pentagon Press Secretary John F. Kirby during a briefing today at the Pentagon.
Kirby told reporters that Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III spoke today with Indonesian Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto to ensure he knew the aircraft was coming and also to offer any additional support or assistance that might be needed.
“Indonesia is a good friend and strategic partner. We were all deeply saddened to see the reports about their submarine and our thoughts and our prayers are with the Indonesian sailors, the Indonesian navy, and of course all their families,” Kirby said.
Kirby told reporters that the Navy P-8 Poseidon is a maritime patrol aircraft specially designed to look for things, in particular for submarines.
“It’s a sophisticated platform that could be helpful in leading the Indonesian government to a better idea of the location,” he said.
Right now, he said, he is not aware that the Indonesian government has asked for any additional kinds of assistance from the U.S. military – although the defense secretary has offered the DOD’s help.
“I know of no other requests right now by the Indonesian government for other help that could exist either on the surface or subsurface,” Kirby said. “Certainly, we have lots of capability, but I won’t characterize what kind of mission this is.”
Ultimately, if the submarine is found, it will be up to the Indonesians on how to proceed, Kirby said, adding that a task like raising a submarine to retrieve it is challenging work.
“So much depends on if you’re going after an object underwater, whatever it is, the condition it’s in and how deep it is, and also what the … bottom is like and what the currents are like,” he said. “I mean, there’s a lot to take in. And raising something from the bottom of the sea is dangerous, painstaking work. We have some capabilities to assist in that.”
Right now, he said, beyond the P-8 aircraft that’s being provided, additional aspects of how DOD might help are unknown.
“We want to help them find the submarine and we want to do whatever we can, whatever they need us to do, or would like us to do, to help them find it,” he said.
The missing Nanggala is the second of two Type 209 submarines built in Germany and commissioned into service in 1981 as the Cakra class.
Ballarat left the HMAS Stirling naval base in Perth on April 18 for a scheduled regional deployment and was supposed to have linked up with frigate HMAS Parramatta (FFH 154) off Northern Australia. However, that planned rendezvous has likely been aborted.
Sirius together with the frigate HMAS Anzac (FFH150) departed their homeport in Western Australia in early March for a two-month deployment throughout the northeast Indian Ocean and Southeast Asia, which included participation in the La Perouse exercise held in the Bay of Bengal from April 5 to 7 between Australia, India, Japan, the United States and France. USNI gives fort her details: