Surely, esteemed colleague, you miss the boat (pun intended).chetak wrote:Spotless white munduabhijitm wrote:Why AKA is still in the office????
I think some things are very clearLT commander Kapish Singh Muwal's brother gave a very emotional statement by saying that had his brother been alive, he would not have called himself a martyr as he died without fighting because of substandard equipments.
"There was a defect in the submarine, everyone knew that there was some defect with this submarine. These are sub standard submarines which have been used. What's the use of repairing a submarine when it's going to explode again,' asked the dead LT Commander's brother.
"I use to tell my brother that why you want to go on a submarine which has no respect for your life. He used to do it just for the love for the country. We should thank those who work for the nation, not make fun of their lives. It was a bad joke with them. When they knew that the submarine is not in proper condition they should not have sent them. We don't need financial help from the government. We pay you taxes, please use them for the upgradation of equipments. Had my brother been alive he would not have called himself a martyr. He died without fighting because of substandard equipments," he said.
Probably, strict US laws does not allow direct cash transfer to Ahmad Patel. That is why they choose an Europe vendor and french have no qualms to threw a pie to them. Moreover, if we add malpractices to gain money is corruption, then AK Anthony is no saint. If not why a PSU pays Rs. 28 crores for a mediocre painting. Because SAIL acted on Cong HQ orders who wanted to enrich AK Anthony in one way or other.Karan M wrote:On the plus side Antony did not give into Khan pressure and allowed IAF to run a free and fair MMRCA process. Also allowed several local programs to come good under his tenure. If only his obsession with his image had not forced him to overdo the ban arms vendors stuff and engage in delayed procurement syndrome.
How the f@#$! can the Defence Minister single out the Navy Chief for all the accidents? I can understand if the good Admiral chose to resign himself, but if he was forced to resign - shouldn't the principle of collective responsibility be followed?In a dramatic chain of events, navy chief Admiral DK Joshi resigned taking “moral responsibility”, hours after a major mishap on kilo-class submarine INS Sindhuratna, 50 nautical miles (80km) off the coast of Mumbai in the wee hours of Wednesday. Joshi’s resignation comes after a series of more than 10 mishaps involving naval warships in the past few months. At least five commanding officers have been stripped of command in the last 18 months.
The navy chief admiral’s resignation came after defence minister AK Antony summoned him at 11am following the INS Sindhuratna mishap. Seven sailors suffered injuries and two naval officers are untraceable. Their chances of survival are slim.
Sources told dna that Antony, who is known for his calm and composed demeanour, was furious over the navy’s dismal safety record. He underlined its inability to maintain its dwindling kilo-class fleet like INS Sindhuratna. Antony pulled up DK Joshi and the vice-chief of staff for their inability to take corrective measures to contain mishaps.
This is the sixth major mishap which has occurred in the past eight months under the Western Naval Command. In August last year, INS Sindhurakshak sank off the Mumbai harbour after an explosion took place on board, killing 18 navy personnel, including three officers. Both Sindhuratna and Sindhurakshak are of Russian vintage and belong to the Sindhughosh (kilo) class.
They are diesel-electric submarines built on contract between the Indian ministry of defence and the highly-controversial Russian arms agency Rosvooruzhenie. Sindhurakshak has a displacement of 3,000 tonnes, maximum diving depth of 300 metres and can notch a maximum speed of 18 knots. It can operate solo for 45 days with a 53-member crew. Sindhuratna was commissioned on December 22, 1988.
According to the navy, Sindhuratna was in the process of being sea-tested after a refit. The submarine was on a routine training exercise when smoke was detected in its third compartment. “It (smoke) could have been caused because of leakages in the battery which resulted in a blast inside the compartment. This led to a fire and smoke spread inside the vessel,” a source said.
“The smoke was brought under control by the crew. In the process, seven crew members inhaled the smoke and fell sick,” said navy spokesperson Rahul Sinha.
“The navy officers from the headquarters of Western Naval Command (HQ WNC) rushed to the spot with a medical team and shifted the seven crew members to Naval Hospital Asvini. They are stable,” Sinha said.
“There were 94 crew members, including commanding submarine of Western Naval Command, Commodore SR Kapur, who was training them. However, two personnel are yet to be traced and efforts are on to locate them,” a navy personal said.
Even as the rescue mission was on in the deep seas, Antony had moved uncharacteristically fast summoning the chief immediately. Sources said after being unable to give a substantive reply to Antony about the repeated mishaps, Joshi told the defence minister that he was ready to take moral responsibility, if the minister felt that way. Antony did not prevent him from taking the drastic step of resigning from his post.
After leaving the defence minister’s room, admiral Joshi went back to his South Block office and drafted his resignation letter before giving it to Antony. The defence minister then consulted PM Manmohan Singh and other key members of the cabinet committee on security before forwarding the resignation letter to president Pranab Mukherjee for the final nod. However, it took the government almost eight hours to announce the navy chief’s resignation.
Navy vice-chief vice-admiral RK Dhowan will officiate as chief of the naval staff till further orders. After admiral DK Joshi’s resignation, the Western Naval Command chief vice-admiral Shekhar Sinha is the senior-most admiral in the navy. But it was difficult for the government to appoint him as the next chief because recently, several incidents happened under his command, including the INS Sindhurakshak mishap.
Antony in December had pulled up the navy after the INS Sindhurakshak tragedy. He told the navy during the combined commanders’ conference in New Delhi “not to fritter away” such expensive national resources.
INS Sindhuratna was being towed back to the docks at the time of going to print. Once at the docks, the compartment in which the two missing officers are believed to be in will be opened, officials said. “All other crew members who were on board are safe. The submarine is also safe and does not have any weapons on board,” a navy officer said.
Since it was still in testing mode, Sindhuratna had not been placed under operations. Naval ships were dispatched by HQ WNC to provide assistance to the submarine. “An inquiry has been ordered to establish the cause of the incident,” said Sinha.
Board of inquiry ordered
The navy has ordered a board of inquiry into the accident that took place on INS Sindhuratna early on Wednesday.
Several theories behind the fire and smoke in the sub are doing the rounds. A naval officer said the battery could have leaked. Another officer said most hydrogen batteries in all Russian kilo-class submarines were upgraded before the INS Sindhurakshak caught fire and sank in Mumbai in August.
He said preliminary reports suggest the smoke in the submarine on Wednesday could be the result of a fire or leakage in one of the hydrogen batteries.
In 2010, INS Sindhuratna had collided with INS Sindhukesari at a Mumbai harbour jetty.
the system can be split up into small zones eg one of the 4 main engines only.Karan M wrote:On the plus side Antony did not give into Khan pressure and allowed IAF to run a free and fair MMRCA process. Also allowed several local programs to come good under his tenure. If only his obsession with his image had not forced him to overdo the ban arms vendors stuff and engage in delayed procurement syndrome.
In his first remarks on the sudden exit of Navy Chief Admiral D K Joshi, Defence Minister A K Antony said that he consulted the Prime Minister before accepting the resignation and praised the officer as a “very good Admiral”.
Antony, who met Joshi Wednesday noon for an explanation on the Sindhuratna accident following which the officer turned in his resignation on “moral grounds”, said on Thursday that the officer had requested to be relieved with immediate effect and had recommended that Vice Admiral Robin Dhowan take over interim charge.
“I consulted everybody. I met the Prime Minister also. Ultimately, we took a decision to accept the resignation,” he said, responding to questions on why the resignation of the Navy Chief was immediately accepted by the government. Describing Joshi as a “very good Admiral”, Antony said that the officer was very disturbed about the submarine accident and wanted to take full responsibility for the matter. “Yesterday Admiral Joshi met me personally and he handed over me resignation letter and he requested me to accept the letter with immediate effect,” he said.
The minister also called Joshi a “very fine human being”. “He was very disturbed by the whole development. He is very fine human being and a very good admiral. He was totally upset about the whole development. He requested me that he would like to take the whole responsibility, so he requested me to accept his resignation with immediate effect,” Antony said.
Meanwhile, Admiral Joshi, who came to his office briefly on Thursday in civilian clothes to speak to top officers, has written to his colleagues, saying that he was taking responsibility for the series of mishaps. “I consulted only myself and my wife before taking the decision to resign. After the submarine mishap, I was firm that I should take the responsibility for it,” a message sent by him to senior officers says.
Has pictures of his family and his parentsDK Joshi’s elevation as naval chief
Moments of pride for the Joshi family
Jotirmay Thapliyal/TNS
Vice-Admiral DK Joshi, Naval chief-designate with his wife and daughters; and (below) Joshi as a kid with his parents, Hari Ballabh Joshi and Hansa.
Dehradun, June 6
This Joshi family from Almora, now settled in Dehradun, that too in the close proximity of the Indian Military Academy, keeps little defence lineage. When one of its members joined the Navy's executive branch way back in 1974, little had Hira Ballabh Joshi, a forest officer and father of Admiral-designate Devendra Kumar Joshi, thought that one day his son would be the Admiral of the Indian Navy.
Now leading a retired life in sylvan surroundings of Indira Nagar Colony in Dehradun, HB Joshi, along with his wife Hansa Joshi, today are proud parents. Their elder son and presently Vice Admiral posted at the Western Naval Command, DK Joshi, has been appointed as the next Chief of Naval Staff, succeeding Admiral Nirmal Verma, who retires on August 31. Born on July 4, 1954, and doing his early education from Almora, DK Joshi moved to Hansraj College, Delhi. While studying in Delhi, he applied for the executive branch of the Navy and got selected. Subsequently, he got commissioned in 1974. He moved from one important appointment to another in his 38 years of service.
HB Joshi first got information about his son's appointment from a family friend. He said he was expecting this to happen as his son was heading the key Western Naval Command, a posting generally held by the seniormost officer in the Navy. "It was on expected lines. There certainly were apprehensions when he was earlier elevated as the Vice Admiral as some superseded officers had then gone to court. But after their case was dismissed by court, we were doubly sure of our son's coveted appointment sooner or later," said HB Joshi. He expressed gratitude to the Defence Ministry for upholding the seniority as the basis of selection for the Naval Chief. An octogenarian, HB Joshi asserted that his son's elevation to the top post of the Navy will inspire Uttarakhand youth towards joining defence forces.
Vice Admiral Joshi came to Dehradun almost 18 months ago and spent most of his time at home with his parents. Even in service, despite his tight schedule, the Vice Admiral somehow manages his time to talk to his parents every alternate day. "Whenever in Dehradun, he rests at home and only goes outside to play golf," disclosed HB Joshi, who retired as Chief Conservator of Forests in 1985.
Hansa Joshi, mother of Vice Admiral Joshi, recalled how she was against her son joining defence forces due to the risk factor involved, but later reconciled to her son's wishes, and today, so many years down the line, she lauds her son's decision.
Meanwhile, wishes have started pouring into the Joshi family's residence in Dehradun. Relatives and family friends are either visiting the residence in person or conveying their greetings over the telephone. "We did not even eat food today due to a large number of visitors at our home," said Hansa. Uttarakhand Garhwal MP and Chairman of Parliamentary Committee of Defence Affairs Satpal Maharaj greeted elevation of Vice Admiral DK Joshi as the next Naval Chief. He said Joshi, who hails from Almora district of Uttarakhand, has brought laurels to the state. Uttarakhand Tourism Minister Amrita Rawat, too, has conveyed best wishes to Vice Admiral DK Joshi and his family members.
Good thing that so many lives were saved. Army Chief VKS insulted ,now Navy Chief Joshi scarficed and slaughtered. Next time , it will be AF chief. UPA was madated to demoralize armed forces. They succeded 2/3 and still 2 more months to go or Did AF chief acted smart and saved himseff exposing commission and cut in Italian Choper Deal?Philip wrote:Time Now on the issue:
Maj.Gen.Bakshi."When Gen. VKS stunned the nation with the drastic situ in the army,where it could only fight for 4 days due to lack of ammo,eqpt.etc.,the reaction of the politico-babu nexus was to cut the defence budget by 10,000 crores!" (as Ramana rightly says to fund the freebie populist schemes of the Congress/UPA of which ittle actually reaches the aam aadmi.)
“...The government wants to appoint a pliant chief who has been implicated in some scandal and cannot speak up. They don’t want a straightforward person”
“Admiral D.K. Joshi was one of the best Naval Chiefs the country has had. The government’s decision to accept his resignation will lower the morale of the Navy,” former Navy Chief Admiral Vishnu Bhagwat said in Mumbai on Thursday.
“The government drove him into resigning by attacking him and demanding explanations. Such incidents have been happening for years. The Navy Chief cannot be held responsible. Did the government demand the resignation of the Army Chief for the deaths in Kargil?” he said.
“The government has shown no grace even in the manner of accepting the resignation. They accepted the resignation with immediate effect. They could have said they accept it with utmost regret. They accepted his resignation in five minutes. Is this the way things are done,” he asked.
According to the former Navy Chief the final responsibility for such mishaps lies with the Defence Minister and the Prime Minister. “They should be held responsible in every way.”
The government had no choice but to appoint Admiral Joshi because he had impeccable credentials and an excellent service record, Admiral Bhagwat said. “They could not stop him from becoming Chief. They thought he would fall in line but that did not happen.”
“The bottom line is that the government wants to appoint a pliant chief who has been implicated in some scandal and cannot speak up. They don’t want a straightforward person,” he said.
There was more to this incident than was reported. (I was based in Moscow then and knew Russian officers).Singha wrote:Rus has even managed to kill 9 or 11 skeleton crew on a sub under tow for scrapping per the wiki link I posted.
if it werent tragic for the poor 9 sailors it would be simply amazing how this whole affair was handled...and someone was saying we should bring in Rus for safety audit...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_submarine_K-159
SAMYABRATA RAY GOSWAMI
Mumbai, Feb. 26: Two young officers of the Indian Navy choked to death after they were trapped inside a submarine compartment that was flooded with toxic gases to extinguish a fire on board.
The two officers have been identified as Lieutenant Commander Kapish Muwal and Lieutenant Manoranjan Kumar.
The commanding officer of the submarine is among 29 other sailors and technical staff aboard the INS Sindhuratna, a Russian-built submarine, who are receiving medical aid after inhaling the gases.
The Sindhuratna, a Kilo-class submarine, had embarked on a Task 2 mission under Commodore Commanding Submarines (West) S.K. Kapoor to check whether the recently refitted vessel was fit to be deployed at sea. The Task 1 inspection mission had earlier certified it harbour-worthy.
The submarine belongs to the same class as the INS Sindhurakshak which was destroyed by an ordnance implosion in its missile compartment in August 2013 while being anchored at the Mumbai harbour. As many as 18 sailors had died in that accident.
This morning, around 6, an alarm went off aboard the Sindhuratna when it was about 100 nautical miles from the Mumbai harbour.
“The inspection team was at work at the time and though the alarm signified some problem in the battery pit, some sailors and officers initially did not take it seriously. They thought it was a simulated alarm set off by the inspection team,” said a naval source.
There is a set protocol by which the crew operates in submarines. In case of any exigency in the battery pit, the commanding officer of the submarine issues a series of parallel orders to ensure safety of the crew and the vessel.
In line with protocol after the alarm went off, a crewmember was sent to open the hatch of the battery pit slightly to check if there was a fire.
When he confirmed, the commanding officer ordered immediate isolation of compartment 3 so that fire-extinguishing gas could be sprayed in the compartment.
The hatch between compartment 3 and 2 had already been closed by then to aid isolation of compartment 3.
“The evacuation of crew from compartment 3 to 4 began. Everybody had to grab their IDA suits and move out to the engine room,” said the naval source.
An IDA set is a breathing apparatus consisting of a mask, suit and oxygen cylinder used by submarine crew in emergencies like a gas leak or a fire.
“When the evacuation was ordered, many of the men were sleeping and some officers were hanging around in the galley where the kitchen is located. A bit of a time lost as people did not take things seriously at first, believing them to be part of an inspection drill and not a real emergency,” said the navy source.
By the time crew members started rushing into compartment 4, the gas from the fire-extinguishing sprays which are activated from the main control room had already engulfed compartment 3 and started moving into compartment 4.
“The gases in the submarine fire-extinguishers — a deadly cocktail — are lethal but they do not kill immediately. There is a 7-to-8-minute window after the spraying starts during which one can get into the IDA suit and start breathing oxygen from the cylinder. Since getting into the suit is a two-minute affair for all crewmembers, 7 to 8 minute offer a pretty large window to escape the effects of the gas,” said the naval source.
When it was found that the sprayed gases were spilling into compartment 4, the crew were evacuated into compartment 5 and the hatch between compartment 4 and 5 was closed down.
The entire process usually takes 3-5 minutes. Immediately after compartment 3 was isolated and evacuation over, a headcount began.
“Soon it became clear who the missing personnel were and it was feared that they might have been stuck in the toilet of the sub or late in stepping out of the compartment before the hatch closed,” said the naval source.
By then, the submarine had been raised to the periscope level and then to the surface level. “After a battery accident, a submarine is quickly brought to the surface to recharge it using diesel engines. This happens at periscope level so the exhaust from the diesel can be pumped out. In the case of a fire, the submarine has to be brought to the surface so the snort mast can be raised,” said the navy source.
The snort mast is a pipe through which the toxic gases from fire extinguishers are expelled into the air and fresh air is channelled inside the submarine.
Submarine commander Sandeep Sinha opened compartment 3 after the snort mast had expelled some toxic fumes and went in with some men in search of the two missing officers. Sinha and his men, who breathed in the foul gases, took ill. A doctor on board was also affected by the gases.
“Help was sought to take the sub and its crew ashore but then luck was not on our side,” said the source. With a critical naval exercise on way in the Bay of Bengal, there were hardly any naval ships available. The ones which were deployed on the western shore were far from the Sindhuratna.
A helicopter was rushed from the Mumbai base, which airlifted seven critical crewmembers to the naval hospital, INS Ashwini.
About two hours later, two ships reached the Sindhuratna. The other affected personnel, including Sinha, were evacuated to the shore.
The bodies of the officers were airlifted in the evening to the naval hospital.
The Sindhuratna is expected to reach the Western Command Naval docks by Thursday afternoon.
Ten Kilo-class submarines were procured from the USSR/Russia between 1985 and 2000. The Sindhuratna —fifth in the series — was commissioned in November 1988 in Russia’s Nizhny Novogorod. It went through a short refit at the naval dockyard in Mumbai for six months ending December 2013. The submarine was not armed at the time of the mishap.
BY SHAILESH RANADE
Indian Navy Submarine Sindhuratna (S59) was berthed alongside Sindhurakshak (S63) on 14 Aug 2013. It very narrowly missed being put out of commission that fiery night. On 26 Feb 2014, it very narrowly missed its appointment with the Davy Jones Locker. While the sub escaped in one piece, there were a few unfortunate victims. Two Officers are dead, a half a dozen sailors injured and the Navy’s Top Boss has abandoned his South Block Office in Delhi.
In my last post I had mentioned that the Navy (including the Army and Air Force) continue to be run in a whimsical manner by two Bollywood Terms “Chalta Hai” and “Ram Bharose”.
In the last six months, the Navy has not changed at all. The safety stand-down in the immediate aftermath of the S63 incident has not produced the desired results. It was not meant to. For if it had, heads would not be rolling.
The Navy is now in “Mayday” status. A weak and dishonest political leadership begets a frail and spineless military leadership. Cover up is the norm. Statements like – Pass your time buddy, I’m here another 3 months, Let the next bugger sort it out is the new standard operating procedure.
The Chiefs have a direct responsibility for the welfare and safety of the men under them. Pray, why are old systems and platforms still in use. Why is the Air Force still flying the MiG-21? What is the Navy doing with a 50 year old carrier that spends more time in port than at sea? What happened to Gen VK Singh’s letter to the PM about shortages in the Army?
These are serious issues. Why jeopardise the lives of soldiers and colleagues in peace time? The notorious flailing by Gen VP ‘Kargil’ Malik – “we will fight with whatever we have” was actually a one-way ticket for our brave jawans. Who in the Army Headquarters, was taken to task for the shortages. None. But the Brigadiers and Colonels in the field got it in the neck.
The Navy is in a Royal Mess. The other two Services are not far behind. The current culture of this Blue Water Navy is destroying the fleet in Brown Waters without having fired a single shot since 1971.
There is no doubt that the responsibility lies with the Officer Cadre, especially the Flag Rank. While serious issues with the political leadership can be sorted out when the Navy gets its dream four star Admiral one day, the in-house spring cleaning can start right away.
The More Privileged: It is well known that certain prized appointments are the sole preserve of the kith and kin of Senior Officers. ADC’s, Flag Lts and Staff Officers of Admirals move in directly as Commanding Officers without have done sufficient sea time as Lt Cdrs or as Executive Officers. Most of these Officers are in Command for 365 days and are back to serving their bosses only to make way for the next lot of personal staff. Where is the loyalty to the sailor or the ship? In this regard the Navy can learn from the Merchant Navy, where to become a Master; the officer would have done a tour as a Chief Officer. None of the present day three star C-in-C’s have been Executive Officers of ships. Not surprisingly, almost all have poor leadership qualities.
New vs Old: The Navy has the latest ships and also some of the oldest in its inventory. Commonsense demands that the intelligent and more experienced hands run old ships. Instead, what the Navy does is to put those in Command of these ships who are lower in merit and the guy who “dared to request for being wet listed”. Old ships and obsolete engines cannot be run by Officers just seeking to mark time. It requires patience and dedication followed by rewards. None of those who Command these miserable ships get promoted to the next rank.
Lessons Learnt: The Navy almost never seems to learn its lessons. Adm DK Joshi proudly announced at the Sindhurakshak press conference that the Board of Enquiry would be completed and findings disclosed in 4 weeks. Has anyone heard of them? Have the procedures been revised and implemented? Are there any auditors to check? Quite unlikely. Therefore, we get to hear of incidents at regular intervals and the poor tax payers get to foot the expensive bills of the insufficiently trained crews.
Incompetent Dockyards: The technical leadership and the naval dockyards are in strong competition with the DRDO for ineptness and inefficiency. The Sindhuratna had just been refitted and repaired at the Naval Dockyard. Were all systems given the “Green” before she was pushed out to sea for trials? It was most probably a hurried job with a wily Admiral breathing down the submarine Captain’s neck. Despite a massive overtime bill for dockyard employees, almost no refits are completed to the satisfaction of ships’ Captains. The dockyards need a complete overhaul.
Rat Race: Hardly had the CNS resignation news been flashed across the TV screens, the three star stalwarts started promoting themselves. Some used their proximity to defence correspondents with one dumb journalist even stating that a particular C-in-C was not only a very fine officer but also a very intelligent one. The Navy has such officers even at the Sub-Lieutenant level. But the Service, unfortunately, at this moment needs a Leader. The root cause of the “lineage” and “line of succession” as some call it, is the date of promotion and the date of birth that decides the date of retirement. While nothing much can be done about the date of birth, the promotion depends entirely upon a piece of paper called the Annual Confidential Report. So, given the right connections, it is quite possible for a grounded land lubber to move into the flag rank seamlessly. There are many Admirals who have less than 10 years of sea time in a service spanning 40 years. The Navy would do well to split itself into two groups – “Wet” and “Dry”. The Wet Group (at least 20 years at sea) could be expected to occupy all the star billets. The Dry Group (less than 10 years) could hope to go up to Commodore level at best and be responsible all activities in support of the Fleet. Merit should precede seniority at all levels. If this is done, the ubiquitous publication called Navy List will cease to be the most popular book in the Indian Navy.
Admiral DK Joshi should be commended for having called it a day in the middle of his innings. He has set a high standard. It’s a clear hint for the other Senior Officers to follow suit. If one can’t run the Navy, please don’t run it. Admirals must remember – their mistakes and pusillanimity costs lives and ships.
Lead, follow or get the hell out of the way.
