Indian Navy conducts 'live test' of submarine rescue system

In boost to India's underwater capabilities, the Indian Navy announced on Wednesday that one of its new deep-submergence rescue vehicles (DSRVs) had successfully conducted a 'live mating' exercise with a submarine.

DSRVs are small submarines that are specially designed to dive to greater depths than most military submarines and rescue stranded crews in the event of an emergency. In December last year, the Indian Navy had inducted two DSRVs, supplied by UK-based company James Fisher Defence (JFD).

Providing details about the exercise, the Indian Navy revealed the test of the DSRV was carried out on June 2 near Vizag and involved transfer of personnel from INS Sindhudhvaj, an in-service Kilo class submarine purchased from Russia. The INS Sindhudhvaj simulated a submarine in distress from which the DSRV was able to transfer stranded personnel successfully.

The DSRV is equipped with a sophisticated radar and a remotely operated vehicle (ROV), which extends the vessel's operating depth and can be used for clearing debris and obstructions. The DSRV has a crew of three personnel and can rescue up to 14 personnel from a stranded submarine at a time.

The DSRV, being smaller than military submarines, can be transported by specially equipped ships or the Indian Air Force's heavy-lift aircraft, such as the C-17, to the vicinity of a submarine emergency.

In October last year, the Indian Navy had announced it had concluded the maiden trials of the DSRV obtained from the UK. The maiden trial involved mating with a submarine at a depth over 300 feet and involved the opening of “its hatches and the submarine hatches... transfer of personnel from the submarine to the DSRV”.

During the trial, the DSRV dived to a depth of 666 metres, which was described by the Indian Navy as a record for the “deepest submergence by a manned vessel” in Indian waters.

The Indian Navy signed a contract with JFD in 2016 for the delivery of two DSRVs at a cost of approximately $269 million. While the Indian Navy had mulled the purchase for DSRVs for several years, the tragic accident on the INS Sindhurakshak in 2013 that left 18 personnel dead highlighted gaps in rescue facilities in the event of underwater emergencies.

In 2018, the Indian Navy awarded a contract to Hindustan Shipyard to build two diving support vessels that will act as 'mother ships' to support the operations of the DSRV fleet. The diving support vessels, which will be about 118 metres long, are expected to be ready by 2021.

The Indian Navy's Twitter account described the exercise as a “historic achievement towards DSRV integration” that would pave the way for India to emerge as a submarine rescue provider in the Indian Ocean region. Several countries that are friendly with India have either begun inducting submarines or are expanding their nascent fleets. These include Bangladesh, Thailand and Indonesia.