Navy sinks ‘graveyard’ INS Sindhurakshak

Fire and explosions onboard INS Sindhurakshak in 2013 had killed 18 Navy personnel, including three officers. (File Photo0

The Navy has sunk decommissioned submarine INS Sindhurakshak after using it for target practice. A fire and series of explosions on the submarine in 2013 had killed 18 Navy personnel. The Russian-made submarine was decommissioned in March after two Boards of Inquiry stated that the vessel was “not seaworthy’. After decommissioning, the submarine was used for target practice by the Navy’s marine commandos and recently sunk.

“We lost our officers and sailors on-board the vessel. The vessel was like a graveyard for us and therefore we were not keen on scrapping it. After testing its viability for target practice, the submarine was used by marine commandos and subsequently disposed of at sea,” said a senior official. “The berth it was occupying is clear and is now being used to anchor other vessels,” added the official.

In August 2013, a massive fire broke out on Sindhurakshak followed by a series of explosions, killing all the 18 Navy personnel, including three officers, on board. The 3,000-tonne submarine sank in the South Breakwater in Mumbai’s naval dockyard within hours of the incident.