INS Sindhurakshak. An obituary

INS Sindhurakshak. An obituary from her first CO

S-63 24^th Dec 1997-14^th Aug 2013.

It is my unfortunate destiny to write this obituary under such tragic circumstances. S-63 has turned the submariners greeting of ‘One Surfacing more than the number of Dives’ on its head and plunged to the depths on 14^th Aug 2013. She took with her them, who loved her and whom she loved in return. They die young whom the Gods love is I suppose not a cliché- Sindhurakshak was a chosen one.

She was a chosen one, for she stood vigil when the country needed her most off the enemy shores, in 1999, a reassuring sentinel in the deep. I remember casting her off with my hand written patrol orders in the dead of night, with a silent prayer on my lips, and how well she performed. Quiet, stealthy and led by a fine Commanding Officer and dedicated crew she accomplished what no one had done-a deterrent to the enemy in the true sense of the word for months on end.

For 15 years she carried the hopes, aspirations and dreams of the many Officers and men who sailed her, and I am sure she helped them achieve their objectives as she did mine. I am sure all those who sailed her had their moments of despair and agony and in equal measure triumph and ecstasy as I had mine. In all this, I am sure all of us would vouch she never short changed the men who sailed her. The equation was simple –you took care of her and she took care of you; and yet this unfortunate one first and last time that equation seems to have gone so horribly wrong and that for me, as it must be for all submariners so hard to digest.

As the dawn broke yesterday, I got a call from my Navigating Officer- it just seemed like those good old days onboard when he would give the ‘shake up’ with the status. Only this time it would indeed be the last time as he told me to turn on the TV to hear the sad news. Tragedy, as they say, brings people together and this was no different as my erstwhile crew and I kept calling each other offering solace.  When I called my Engineer Officer he said Sir, “I am where you will expect me to be”. Rakshak in her own inimitable way had entwined all our lives within her pressure hull, as we connected with each other. "Sab chale gaye Sir," said my Engineer Officer standing on South Breakwater, and as she rests in the bottom a piece of me will always be there, meshed within her mangled steel.

As I pause to remember my time onboard, I re-live the vivid memory of that cold wintry morning on 24^th Dec 1997, at the Admiralty Shipyard, with   Sindhurakshak enveloped by the frozen ice floes of the River Neva, getting ready to get commissioned into the Indian Navy. As the Naval Ensign went up for the first time and the Russian Band played ‘Jana Gana Mana..’ I cherish the sense of pride and patriotism that welled up as I saluted.  I thank her for giving me that one overwhelming moment.  I feel sad I will not be able to see the Naval Ensign hauled down for the last time in the customary way. Perhaps that is what Rakshak was meant to be- Always on Patrol.

I offer my prayers to all those brave souls who lost their lives in the line of duty. May their souls rest in peace.

To  S 63 My Final Salute.

Capt Ramanujam, NM (Retd); 15^th Aug 2013

Commanding Officer Sindhurakshak 24^th Dec 1997-Dec 1998