To assist Indonesia's investigation of missing submarine, Indian Navy dispatched vessel

The Indian Navy has dispatched its Deep Submergence Rescue Vessel (DSRV) to assist in the search and rescue operations for the Indonesian Navy submarine KRI Nanggala, which has been missing since Wednesday morning.

The DSRV is a special vessel designed to carry out such missions. The DSRV has been dispatched from its base in Visakhapatnam, on India's east coast, according to Indian Navy Spokesperson Commander Vivek Madhwal.

The DSRV is a remotely operated vehicle that uses side-scan sonar to locate a submarine in distress at sea and provides urgent relief by deploying emergency life support containers (ROV). After that, the crew of the submarine can be rescued using the DSRV.

In terms of technology and capabilities, the Indian DSRV is the most advanced. These are located on the West and East Coasts of India, respectively, and have high operational availability and early response to deal with a submarine contingency, according to James Fishes Defence, UK.

The Navy has already put it to the test by moving staff from the submarine to the DSRV.

The Indonesian navy is looking for a submarine that has gone missing with 53 people on board. KRI Nanggala-402, a German-built submarine, was conducting a torpedo drill in waters north of the island of Bali, but the results were not relayed as predicted.

The KRI Nanggala-402, weighing 1,395 tonnes, was installed in Germany in 1978. In South Korea, it underwent a two-year refit that was completed in 2012.