Search helicopters and many other ships left Bali and a naval base in Java headed for the area out of contact with the KRI Nanggala-402 on April 21 as she prepared to conduct a torpedo exercise. . If the submarine was still intact, officials said it would only have enough air for the crew members to survive until around dawn April 24. “So far we have not found it … but with existing equipment we can find the location,” – Achmad Riad, a spokesman for the Indonesian army, said during a press conference. An Indonesian air force pilot said six tons of equipment had been moved to a base to help with the search, including an underwater hot air balloon to help lift the ship. One of the Indonesian military ships involved in the search for the submarine – Photo: Reuters The Indonesian navy said it was investigating whether the submarine lost power when submerged and could not perform emergency procedures when it sank to a depth of 600-700 meters, exceeding the allowable limit. The Chief of Staff of the Indonesian Navy – Yudo Margono said an object with “high magnetic force” was found “floating” at a depth of 50-100 meters and an earlier aerial search had detected a trace. The oil spills near the location where the submarine last caught the signal. Navy spokesperson Julius Widjojono said the diesel-electric submarines can withstand depths of up to 500 meters but surpassing this threshold can kill people inside. The Bali Sea can reach a depth of more than 1,500 meters. One of the men on board was the commander of the Indonesian submarine fleet, Harry Setiawan. The submarine was commissioned into the Indonesian fleet in 1981 and underwent refitting in Korea, completed in 2012. It was said to be in good condition before meeting, the Defense Ministry said. accident. Australia, India, Malaysia, Singapore and the US have sent special ships or aircraft to respond to Indonesia’s request for assistance. The US military is sending a P-8 Poseidon to assist with the submarine search. The Pentagon said US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke with his Indonesian counterpart and offered additional assistance, which may include navigating underwater search equipment. Two Australian Navy ships are also heading to the search area including a frigate with special sonar scanning capabilities. Indonesia operates five submarines – 2 German-made Type 209s and three newer Korean ones.

Yudo Margono, the naval chief of staff, told reporters that authorities had found an object with “high magnetic force” floating at a depth of 50 to 100 meters. Authorities hope the object could be the missing submarine and are currently waiting for a naval ship with underwater detection facilities to help them investigate the object further. The Indonesian military has so far declined to comment on whether the decades-old submarine, carrying 53 crew, is overpowered. Submarine KRI Nanggala-402 – Photo: Reuters However, they said the submarine may have sank to great depths after a power outage left the crew unable to control the ship. If the object is found to be part of the submarine, the navy suspects the crew may have discharged its fuel load after a power outage to allow the submarine to float. Navy officials feared the submarine might explode. Collin Koh, a naval expert and research fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore, said damage to the fuel tank could cause “big trouble”. Naval spokesperson Julius Widjojono previously told KompasTV that a battery-powered submarine when submerged could only maintain a depth of 250 to 500 meters. “Anything that makes it go deeper than that can be fatal and dangerous,” he said. The waters in the region are shallower than in other parts of the archipelago but can still reach depths of more than 1,500 meters.