#saodefenceacademy remembers the 18 brave personnel of *INS Sindhurakshak* on their 13th 'Balidan Diwas'.
📍 *Indian Navy* | Kilo-class Submarine
⚔️ *14 August 2013* | Mumbai Harbour | Peacetime Accident
On the eve of Independence Day in 2013, tragedy struck the #IndianNavy. INS Sindhurakshak, a 3000-tonne submarine, was docked in Mumbai fully armed with missiles and torpedoes and scheduled to sail for patrol that day.
A series of massive explosions in the weapons compartment triggered fire and flooding. The blasts melted internal hull sections and deformed hatches, turning the vessel into an inferno within minutes.
Despite zero visibility, toxic smoke, and treacherous conditions, Naval divers and rescue teams worked relentlessly. They pried open the conning tower, deployed heavy pumps, and entered the wreck again and again to bring back their shipmates.
The 18 Bravehearts who made the supreme sacrifice: Lt Cdr Nikhilesh Pal, Lt Cdr Alok Kumar, Lt Cdr R Venkitaraj, POUW-I Sanjeev Kumar, POUW-I K.C. Upadhyay, POUW-I Timothy Sinha, LSUC-I Kewal Singh, SEA I UW-III Sunil Kumar, Mech-R 2 Dasari Prasad, LEMP Liju Lawrence, LME Rajesh Tootika, STD-I Amit K. Singh, SEA-I Atul Sharma, SEA-I Vikas E, ME-I Naruttam Deuri, EMR-II Malay Haldar, RO-II Vishnu V, and LSRP-I Seetaram Badapalli.
By 31 August 2013, all 18 were recovered.
We salute their courage, their duty, and their supreme sacrifice. Their names will forever remain etched in the history of the Indian Navy.