BREAKING NEWS: Indonesian Navy Loses Contact With One of Its Submarines

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com – The Indonesian Navy has lost contact with one of its submarines,  as the ship was carrying out a training exercise on Wednesday, April 21.

Indonesian military chief Air Force Marshal Hadi Tjahjanto noted that the KRI Nanggala-402 was reported missing 65 kilometers off the northern coast of Bali at 3 am, local time.

“[The Navy] lost contact with [KRI Nanggala-402] after it was given clearance to dive,” Hadi said, as quoted by Kompas.id. “I will go to the area tomorrow to see efforts to find KRI Nanggala-402 firsthand. We still hold out hope of finding the vessel.”

Also read: Indonesian Navy Launches First Domestically Built Submarine

The Indonesian government has requested Singapore and Australia for aid in finding the missing submarine, as both countries have the rescue ships to find the vessel. The Indonesian Navy estimated that the KRI Nanggala-402 has gone down to a depth of 700 meters. 

The KRI Nanggala-402 was scheduled to take part in missile launching exercises off Bali on Thursday. Hadi and Indonesian Navy Chief of Staff Admiral Yudo Margono are expected to attend the maneuvers.

Also read: Indonesia, US Defense Chiefs Meet in Pentagon

The Indonesian military did not say how many crewmen were on board the KRI Nanggala-402 when it disappeared. The submarine was made in Germany in 1979. The Reuters news agency reported that it can carry up to 34 crewmen and has a cruising speed of 21.5 knots.

Indonesia is the only Southeast Asian country with the capability to produce its own submarines, after the Navy commissioned the KRI Alugoro-405, the first submarine to be entirely produced in Indonesia, last March.

(Writers: Achmad Nasrudin Yahya, Ardito Ramadhan | Editor : Bayu Galih)

Sources:

https://nasional.kompas.com/read/2021/04/21/17202851/kapal-selam-kri-nanggala-402-hilang-sekitar-60-mil-dari-utara-bali. 

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