Navy suffered a loss of 6000 crores! Know how it lost INS Brahmaputra

New Delhi : A 2017 audit report tabled in Parliament said that there were 38 accidents involving Indian Navy ships and submarines between 2007 and 2016. This adversely affected the operational preparedness of the force and the trend is continuing. This shows that the Navy has failed to implement corrective measures suggested by experts and audit reports. This is a matter of concern for national security. In the recent incident, the nearly 3,900-tonne INS Brahmaputra, a frontline guided-missile frigate, was extensively damaged during an operation to douse a fire on board the ship on the evening of July 21.

How is this condition of ‘Raging Rhino’

This warship is also called ‘Raging Rhino’. When this incident happened, it was undergoing repair work at the Mumbai Naval Dockyard. The ship was inducted into the Indian Navy in 2000. During routine maintenance work, the duty staff detected the fire. With the help of firefighters from the naval dockyard, the crew brought it under control. A Navy spokesperson said that on the afternoon of July 22, the ship was severely tilted on the port side (left side). The ship was tilted forward along with its berth. It is currently resting on one side. Despite all efforts, the ship could not be straightened. The Navy said that the body of Junior Sailor Seetendra Singh, who was missing during the accident, was finally recovered on July 24.

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How big a challenge is it to straighten it again?

A Rear Admiral (equivalent to Major General in the Army) will head the board investigating the circumstances and causes that led to the accident. Also, responsibility will be fixed in a time-bound manner. On July 23, Navy Chief Admiral Dinesh Tripathi reviewed the damage to the frigate at the Mumbai Naval Dockyard. An official said that he/she also met the crew of INS Brahmaputra and talked about the plan being made to make their ship operational as soon as possible. Navy Deputy Chief Krishna Swaminathan said that a lot of water was used to extinguish the fire. Perhaps due to this the stability of the ship deteriorated. he/she said that after pumping out the water, the ship can be straightened very easily and we can assess the damage.

A look at the battleship

• INS Brahmaputra was commissioned in April 2000.
• It is the first indigenously built Brahmaputra class guided missile frigate.
• Shipbuilders: Kolkata-based Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers, a Defence Ministry undertaking
• Weapons and Sensors: Surface-to-surface missiles, surface-to-air missiles, medium-range guns, anti-submarine rockets, radar, sonar and state-of-the-art electronic warfare systems
• Capacity: 400 crew members (40 officers, 360 sailors) Weight: 3,850 tons
• Length: 125 meters
• Speed: 30 knots (about 55 km/h)
• Estimated cost: More than Rs 6,000 crore

Saving INS Brahmaputra is a tough job

However, saving INS Brahmaputra will be a tough job. Its displacement (the weight of the volume of water displaced by the ship) is 3,850 tonnes. It now lies on its port side at the jetty. Another such frigate, INS Betwa, took nearly three months to be straightened with the help of international salvage experts after it too capsized after slipping from its dock blocks at the Mumbai naval dockyard in December 2016. INS Betwa took even longer to be made seaworthy and operational. Another warship, INS Vindhyagiri, caught fire after a collision in 2011. It had to be salvaged and decommissioned at enormous cost and effort.

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No lesson learned

The incident raises serious questions about how repairs and maintenance of old ships and submarines are planned and carried out at naval dockyards. The Indian Navy has a poor safety record in this regard. In 2013, India Today reported that since 1990, the Indian Navy has lost a warship every five years in peace time. However, the loss of warships in peace time is not uncommon. Few navies have had such a dubious record, the magazine noted. There are currently 150 ships and submarines and 300 aircraft in service.

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The report came after explosions in the torpedo compartment of submarine INS Sindhurakshak during berthing at the Mumbai Naval Dockyard in August 2013 killed 18 personnel. In February 2014, INS Sindhuratna, commissioned in 1988, was undergoing inspection after refit when a fire broke out, killing two officers. Then Navy Chief DK Joshi took moral responsibility for the series of accidents during his/her tenure and resigned.

What does the CAG report say?

According to a 2016 report of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), there were 38 naval accidents between 2007 and 2016. Most of them (39%) were due to fire/explosion/flooding. This resulted in the death of 33 personnel, including six officers. In addition, there were six cases of ship sinking (16%). Another six accidents (16%) were due to ship collisions and the remaining 11 (29%) were of miscellaneous nature, including accidental stranding and suspended operations, toxic gas release, damage to sonar during docking and damage to aircraft hangars on board ships, etc. The CAG report attributed these accidents to crew error and material failure. Material failure is a condition or situation in which an item or equipment does not perform its desired purpose. The report was highly critical of the safety protocols adopted by the Navy.

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Keeps property accident free

It says, “The loss of a ship/submarine adversely impacts the operational preparedness of the Indian Navy, as the acquisition of new ships/submarines involves a procurement/construction process of over eight to 10 years. It is therefore imperative that the Indian Navy keeps its assets accident-free during peace time.” Another CAG report in 2013 was critical of the management and delays in the repair of warships at the naval dockyards in Mumbai and Visakhapatnam and the repair yards in Kochi, Port Blair and Karwar. A ship commissioned late for repairs cannot be part of the optimal solution to India’s security needs. Similarly, ships undergoing prolonged repairs are not available for the operational role for which they were commissioned.