Submarine and warship disasters in India.

It was another shock to the Indian defence strategy, when two naval officers were feared dead and seven other personnel suffered serious injuries, following a mishap involving the submarine INS Sindhuratna off the coast of Mumbai in the last week of February this year[1]. This mishap was followed by resignation of the Chief of Naval Staff (CNS) Admiral D K Joshi on 26 February 2014 owning moral responsibility for the incidents in the past few months.

According to a source, since 1990, the Indian Navy has lost one warship in peacetime every five years. Since 2004, it has lost one naval combatant every two years. Few global navies have such a dubious record[2].

Timeline of disasters.

• February 2004: INS Agray (an Abhay class corvett[3] of the Indian Navy) was damaged while participating in an anti-submarine exercise in the Arabian Sea. After this it was towed back safely to the Naval Dockyard in Mumbai.
• December 27, 2005: The stealth frigate (war-ship) INS Trishul collided with a merchant vessel Ambuja Laxmi outside the Mumbai harbor. This warship was a Talwar Class[4]. Failure of radar installations, both in the port and on the merchant ship to pick up the warship caused collision.
• April 21, 2006: Indian Navy warship INS Prahar sank after colliding with Shipping Corporation of India's container vessel MV Rajiv Gandhi off the coast of Goa. After 5 months, the captain of the warship was sacked after the court martial found him guilty for navigational error that causing the mishap. This ship was the Veer class corvette (small warship)[5].
• January, 2008: The Indian Navy submarine INS Sindhughosh was damaged after it collided with a merchant ship MV Leeds, 140 nautical kms north-west of the Mumbai coast and south of Diu, in the Arabian Sea, off the coast of Saurashtra. Navy officials said there were no casualties. The INS Sindhughosh is a kilo class submarine[6] built by Russia that underwent a complete refit in 2005. It is among the best that the Indian Navy has and can launch anti-ship and anti-land missiles.
• August, 2009: INS Kuthar (a Khukri class corvette) collided with INS Ranvir (Rajput class destroyer[7]) in the Bay of Bengal due to rudder failure and flawed maneuver.
• 2010: Three crew men on destroyer INS Mumbai (Delhi-class[8] guided-missile destroyers) were instantly killed when an AK-630 Close-in weapon system went off as safety drills were not followed.
• January 30, 2011: INS Vindhyagiri[9]collided with MV Nordlake near Sunk Rock lighthouse. The same evening a major fire broke out and it took over 15 hours to control it. On January 31, it sank due to water filling its chambers. It was de-commissioned in 2012 after repairs. It served Indian Navy for 31 years.
• August 14, 2013: The 16-year-old Russian-made Kilo class submarine, INS Sindhurakshak, (that returned three months ago from a complete refitting in Russia and was intended to extend its active service life for a decade), sunk after the blast ripped off its torpedo compartment, killing 18 persons on the submarine. It had suffered a fire, while it was docked in Vishakhapatnam in February, 2010.
• September, 2013: India's only aircraft carrier INS Viraat suffered a minor fire off the coast of Mumbai. It is over 50 years old and has undergone several refurbishments to continue in service.
• December, 2013: Pondicherry class mine sweeper INS Konkan under the Eastern Naval Command (ENC) - caught fire at the Naval Dockyard, while it was undergoing repairs at the time of the fire. No casualties have been reported. The cabin of the vessel was learnt to have been totally gutted. 
• December 23, 2013: INS Talwar collided with a fishing trawler (which sank after collision) near Ratnagiri in Maharashtra. Four people, who were on board the trawler, suffered injuries.
• January, 2014: A hole was found in pillar compartment of INS Vipul after which, it was sent back for repairs. INS Vipul is a member of the elite 22nd Killer Missile Vessel Squadron of the navy.
• January 17, 2014: The INS Sindhughosh, a Kilo Class submarine, had a close shave after it entered the Mumbai harbour in a low tide phase.
• January 22, 2014: Brahmaputra-class guided missile frigate INS Betwa had an underground collision with some unidentified object while on its way to the Mumbai naval base, leading to massive damage to the vessel. 
• February 3, 2014: Amphibious warfare vessel INS Airavat ran aground while returning to its home base at Visakhapatnam, causing slight damage to its propellers. Following the incident, its commanding officer was stripped of his command duties.
• February 26, 2014: Seven sailors were injured and two officers are missing after an accident on board Russian-origin Kilo Class submarine INS Sindhuratna off the Mumbai coast. The accident occurred, while the INS Sindhuratna was being sea tested after a refit, about 40 to 50 km off the Mumbai coast when the smoke was detected. The senior-most submarine officer of the Western Naval Command was on board. The submarine was carrying no weapons or ammunition. Since it was still in testing mode, it had not been placed under operational command yet.

Actions taken and to be taken.

As of now, India has just five or six operational submarines, which is far too few to guard the country’s extensive coastline (with the Sindhurakshak now apparently a write off, the navy will have to make do with the 14 submarines it has left. This number falls well short of its desired level of 24.To tackle the increasing presence of China in Indian Ocean, India needs to strengthen its naval force. 

As far as the defects in the submarines are concerned, the Indian Navy has been trying to break its dependence on Russian equipment for years, but its efforts have not been entirely successful. A cooperative effort with France and Spain to build a new class of conventional submarine called the Scorpene has been delayed, and the first submarines are not expected to be ready before 2015. Though India is building dozens of other warships, but many of the projects rely on Russian equipment. 

But as far as the negligence of Naval officers is concerned, Indian Navy should take it at serious note. But also, four or five of the remaining vessels are due for retirement because of their age, as they have been commissioned long since 1980s. They are being kept alive by various means. For this India needs to look into fresh deployments to reach the desired level.

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[1] It was the tenth mishap in the series of disasters involving warships.

[2] INDIATODAY.IN, Indian Navy's dubious safety record worrisome for national security, http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/indian-navys-dubious-safety-record-worrisome-for-national-security/1/301409.html

[3] Abhay Class corvettes are customized variants of the Soviet Pauk class corvettes, primarily intended for coastal patrol and anti-submarine warfare.

[4] The Talwar class frigates are a new class of frigates designed and built by Russia for the Indian Navy. This class of frigate is equipped with guided missiles and is modified Krivak III class frigate. It uses stealth technologies and other such features.

[5] The Veer class corvettes of the Indian Navy variant of the Soviet Tarantul class. They form the 22nd Killer Missile Vessel Squadron.

[6] NATO Reporting Name for Hunter/Killer Diesel-electric submarines, made in Russia.

[7] Guided missile destroyer.

[8] The Delhi class vessels are the largest warships, which will soon be superseded by the Kolkata class destroyers and the Vikrant class aircraft carrier. 

[9] It is a Nilgiri class frigate.