KRI Nanggala-402, The Indonesian Submarine That Went Missing In Bali

Documentation of KRI Nanggala-402 in the waters of Dermaga Indah Kiat Cilegon, Banten (Photo: Antara)

JAKARTA - The depths of the dark and lonely sea have become their field of work in military operations. There is no horizon and a refreshing gust of wind they can enjoy but the air from the conditioning machines they breathe all day long.

Reported by Antara, Thursday, April 22, the room where they live and work for combat and war operations is also very narrow and many things that are normally done in a normal environment are prohibited from being done in the hull of a submarine.

Apart from certain qualifications, the psychological quality of the personnel of the Indonesian Navy's submarines really determines their ability to be able to carry a Shark brevet in the Navy Fleet Submarine Unit with the motto of Tabah Until the End. They must be able to be in very confined and high-pressure situations in a closed environment for weeks under water.

Wednesday, April 21st, shocking news came from the island of Bali, in the form of news that KRI Nanggala-402 had lost contact during a joint training mission for the firing of Indonesian Navy torpedoes and missiles. It was stated in the news that TNI Commander Marshal TNI Hadi Tjahjanto confirmed that the estimated location of the incident was 60 nautical miles north of Bali Island.

It is in the north of Buleleng Regency, which is one of the waters that is quite busy for shipping. Information states that this location is the focus of attention of Indonesian military ships (TNI AL) for reasons that cannot be disclosed to the public. In the past, Singaraja in Buleleng Regency was the capital of Bali Province before being moved to Denpasar, and had become the capital city. Eastern Indonesia.

Throughout the history of the TNI and TNI AL, incidents related to the submarines of the Indonesian Navy are among the least disclosed to the public, except for ceremonial matters and fundamental innovations.

The submarine is one of the military arsenal of a country whose presence is very calculated in the region. The basic character that dives in depth and is very difficult to detect its location and the secrecy of the weapon system and the mission that is being carried out, makes everything completely secret.

As if to thicken secrecy, the daily uniform of the TNI AL submarine escort is also black with a black beret.

KRI Nanggala-402 was made by the Howaldt Deutsche Werke shipyard in Kiel, (West) Germany, in 1981 after an effective contract was signed in 1977. During the Old Order government, Indonesia had a large number of respected submarines, namely 12 units. from the Whiskey class made in the Soviet Union which operated from 1959 to 1962. They were also deployed in Operation Trikora which led to the return of West Irian to Indonesia. Between the KRI Dewaruci voyage in 2003, this HDW pier at the end of the Kiel Canal to Rostock from Hamburg.

KRI Nanggala-402 has a "twin brother", KRI Cakra-401, which is both of the Type 209/1300, a German HDW-made submarine that has a large population worldwide and is made under license and developed in several countries, including by Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering in South Korea, which is the Changbo-Go class, was also purchased by Indonesia under the original scheme of six units. Indonesia is also building the Changbo-Go submarine at the PT PAL pier, Surabaya. Three of these Changbo-Go class submarines have arrived in the country, namely KRI Nagapasa-403, KRI Ardadedali-404, and KRI Alugoro-405.

As a mid-range submarine with a conventional (non-nuclear) propulsion system, the Type 209/1300 is powered by a low-speed Siemens electric motor whose power is channeled directly through a shaft to the ship's propeller at the stern. This means that this power does not use other additional mechanism gears.

The total power that can be generated is 5 000 shaft horse power, while the presence of electric batteries makes him able to store electric power, the power of which is supplied by four MTU supercharged diesel engine generators. Because KRI Nanggala-402 was purchased directly in the country of manufacture in the same new state. once, its subsurface weapons system consisted of 14 AEG-made terpedo, a Zeiss periscope that sits alongside Maschinenbau Gabler's snorkel.

The electric batteries take up about 25 percent of the submarine's total weight which is 1,395 tonnes (hence the name Type 209/1300 as there are also Type 209/1200 and Type 209/1400). In terms of dimensions, the overall length of the Type 209/1300 is 59.5 meters, an outer diameter of 6.3 meters and an inner diameter of 5.5 meters. If diving, the maximum boat speed is 21.5 knots with a crew based on the manufacturer's basic specifications of 34 sailors. The KRI Nanggala-402 situational vigilance relies on the sonar CSU-3-2 suite. "One ping" is a submarine commander's utterance that is often used to activate sonar to detect the presence of enemy submarines in Hollywood films about submarines, including The Hunt For Red October.

Fourteen 21-inch / 533mm torpedoes in eight tubes are the mainstay of its weapons system, which in 2021 will be tested for its peak training in the waters north of Bali Island. From that narrow torpedo tube it could also be a vehicle for launching frogmen for infiltration missions behind enemy lines, a very high-risk mode of action.

KRI Nanggala-402 together with KRI Cakra-401 are the most senior submarines in the Indonesian Navy with a long record of assignment. The ship departed from its hangar at the Armada II TNI AL in Ujung, Surabaya.

Among the participants, in 2002, KRI Nanggala-402 was involved in a joint training exercise between the Indonesian Navy and the United States Navy, CARAT-8/02 on 27 May-3 June 2002, in the waters of the Java Sea, Bali Strait, and Situbondo. In 2004 he was involved in the XV / 04 Joint Marine Operations Exercise in the Indian Ocean from April 8 to May 2, 2004. That's where the KRI Nanggala-402 with its SUT torpedo sunk the former KRI Rakata, a 1942-built ocean tug.

Referring to the list of names of commanders in circulation, currently the commander of KRI Nanggala-402 is Lieutenant Colonel Pelaman Ansori, who has been carrying out this task since 2019.

On Tuesday, April 20, in the early hours of 03.00 WITA, it was stated that the KRI Nanggala-402 lost contact in its role as one of the elements of the joint Indonesian Navy training in the waters north of Bali Island. When confirmed by journalists, Tjahjanto answered simply, "Only the dive permit, given clearance, immediately lost contact. "

Now the search is being carried out. The head of the TNI Information Center, Major General TNI Achmad Riad, said, "We are still waiting for developments. Meanwhile, the statement is in accordance with what was conveyed by the TNI Commander. Thank you."