India’s sub rescue facilities primitive and inadequate

The Times of India: India’s sub rescue facilities primitive and inadequate

NEW DELHI: If an Indian submarine gets disabled deep underwater, the sailors on board are virtually sunk. India may be spending big bucks on importing fighters, warsh ips and tanks but the Navy is still stuck with woefully-inadequate submarine rescue facilities.

For one, there has been no progress on the well over a decade-old project to buy two DSRVs (deep submergence rescue vessels). More like 'mini submarines', DSRVs can rescue 24 sailors at a time after 'mating' with the hatch of the stricken submarine, equipped as they are with pressurised chambers, sonars, cameras and other hi-tech facilities.

For another, as the latest CAG report states, the contract inked with the US Navy's "global submarine rescue fly-away kit service" is "yet to be fully operationalized" despite being finalized way back in 1997.

"Lack of adequate need assessment, poor planning and absence of a conclusive time-bound agreement with the US Navy led to extensive delays in the timely commissioning of the essential and life-saving submarine rescue facility," observed CAG. When India had first inked the contract for the US rescue service in 1997, paying a total of $734,443, it was meant to be more of an interim measure till the Navy got its own DSRVs.

While the DSRVs still remain a pipedream, even the implementation of the US submarine rescue programme has been plagued by delays. The CAG report holds its utility is "questionable" since 75% of the submarines in the Indian fleet have already completed three-fourths of their estimated operational life.

The reported stated that "Padeyes", which are holding devices welded into the escape hatches of submarines to secure the DSRV, had been fitted on to only 11 of the 15 Indian submarines till date. Of the 11, only four Kilo-class submarines have, so far, been certified by US navy for mating with its DSRVs, and that, too, for a period of three years effective from December 20, 2007.