Indonesia accepts Chinese offer to recover lost sub
China has sent salvage vessels to assist in raising the lost Indonesian submarine, KRI Nanggala.
Indonesia has accepted a Chinese offer of assistance to help it raise the lost submarine KRI Nanggala. The submarine sank during an exercise off the north coast of Bali on 21st April, and was found with the loss of all hands on 25th April.
A sonar survey and ROV dive confirmed the vessel had broken into three pieces and the Indonesia Navy said the damage was consistent with crushing under extreme pressure.
Salvagers face a daunting task as the vessels lies in 3,000 feet of water.
“Bringing some 1,300 tonnes of metal back to the surface from a depth of more than 800 meters remains a formidable proposition. Only a handful of salvage organizations would even be capable of such a task,” wrote James Goldrick, adjunct professor of naval and maritime strategy at Australian National University.
The Indonesian Navy confirmed on Saturday that three Chinese salvage and sub rescue vessels are under way to the location of the wreck site in the strategic Lombok Strait.
The cause of the sinking is as yet unknown and may never be, but the area is known for its strong currents and internal waves. Internal waves are a phenomenon capable of pulling submarines to depths greater than they are designed to operate at and have accounted for submarine losses in other turbulent waters, such as the Straits of Gibraltar.
