Indonesian media reported that KRI Nanggala 402 submarine of the Indonesian Navy lost signal on the morning of April 21.
According to the latest information published by local media, it is possible that the missing Indonesian submarine is lying at a depth of 600 to 700 meters – which is beyond the ship’s stamina. The ship is named after the Nanggala, a divine and powerful short spear with pointed sides that was owned by Prabu Baladewa, a recurring character in wayang puppet theatre.
KRI Nanggala is armed with 8 x 533 mm torpedo bow tubes, carrying a maximum of 14 AEG SUT torpedoes. The Indonesian Navy Commander responded to the press in 2014, confirm that the weapon that the KRI Nanggala-402 submarine carries is capable of destroying nearly all surface warships, at a maximum distance of 2 miles (about 5 km).
KRI Nanggala-402 was designed by Germany with many of the most modern sensor devices at that time, including Signaal Sinbad weapons control system, Thomson-CSF Calypso, I-band surface search radar, Atlas Elektronik CSU 3-2 active/passive search and attack sonar. Electronic warfare & decoys is Thomson-CSF D.
The Indonesian Navy currently owns two submarines of this class, including the KRI Nanggala-402 and another, the Cakra-401. KRI Nanggala-402 with 53 people on board went missing during a torpedo drill in the Bali Strait — a stretch of water between the islands of Java and Bali that connects to the Indian Ocean and Bali Sea.
Indonesia is deploying four warships to search for the submarine, including a Rigel warship equipped with sophisticated sonar that can precisely detect the vessel’s position. Two ships equipped with side-scan sonar, a tool used for mapping the seafloor, began searching the area Wednesday, the Ministry of Defense said.
To assist in the search for the Nanggala submarine, the Indonesian Navy and the government appealed for assistance from Singapore and Australia. Singapore is believed to have already dispatched its submarine rescue ship, MV Swift Rescue, from Changi naval base to the Lombok Strait to assist. Experts say rescue efforts could be complicated by the potential depth of the vessel.
