Battery pit leak led to smoke in sub?

Mumbai/NEW DELHI: The mid-sea mishap on Wednesday took place when INS Sindhuratna had just begun its "sea workup phase" after undergoing a refit at the Mumbai dockyard from May to December last year.

As part of the procedures, the Western Naval Command's commodore commanding submarines, S R Kapoor, and his inspection team were on board to test both the crew and the submarine before clearing it for operational deployment. In all, there were 94 personnel on board.

"The submarine was not carrying any ammunition. A board of inquiry has been ordered to ascertain the cause of mishap," said a senior officer.

But preliminary reports said a leak in the battery pit, which runs under the third compartment, could have caused the smoke to engulf the submarine.

The submarine, in fact, was forced to surface after smoke was detected and the fire-fighting equipment kicked in.

"At sea in the early hours, smoke was reported in the sailors' accommodation, in compartment number three, by the submarine. Smoke was brought under control by the submarine's crew. In the process of controlling the smoke/fire, seven crew members fell unconscious. The submarine is now returning to harbour under its own power,'' said the officer.

INS Sindhuratna, incidentally, was berthed next to INS Sindhurakshak when the latter was hit by a series of internal explosions last year and sustained minor damage to its hull.