Cakra-class Submarine
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The ''Cakra'' class ( read "
chakra A chakra (; ; ) is one of the various focal points used in a variety of ancient meditation practices, collectively denominated as Tantra, part of the inner traditions of Hinduism and Buddhism. The concept of the chakra arose in Hinduism. B ...
" which is a
Sanskrit Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...
derived word referring to "wheel") is a class of two Type 209/1300
attack submarine An attack submarine or hunter-killer submarine is a submarine specifically designed for the purpose of attacking and sinking other submarines, surface combatants, and merchant vessels. In the Soviet Navy, Soviet and Russian Navy, Russian navies ...
s developed by
Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft GmbH (often abbreviated HDW) is a German shipbuilding company, headquartered in Kiel. It is part of the ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) group, owned by ThyssenKrupp. The Howaldtswerke shipyard was founded in Kiel i ...
of Germany that were bought and commissioned by the
Indonesian Navy The Indonesian Navy (, TNI-AL) is the Navy, naval branch of the Indonesian National Armed Forces. It was founded on 10 September 1945 and has a role to patrol Indonesia's lengthy coastline, to enforce and patrol the territorial waters and Exclus ...
in the 1980s. The second member of the class, sank in 2021 with all hands during an
exercise Exercise or workout is physical activity that enhances or maintains fitness and overall health. It is performed for various reasons, including weight loss or maintenance, to aid growth and improve strength, develop muscles and the cardio ...
. The lead submarine, , remains in service.


Development

The ''Cakra''-class submarines were ordered on 2 April 1977, designed by
Ingenieurkontor Lübeck Ulrich Gabler (1 October 1913 – 24 February 1994) was a German shipbuilding engineer, who specialized in the design and development of diesel-powered submarines. During World War II he served as chief engineer in the U-boat force on and , then ...
of
Lübeck Lübeck (; or ; Latin: ), officially the Hanseatic League, Hanseatic City of Lübeck (), is a city in Northern Germany. With around 220,000 inhabitants, it is the second-largest city on the German Baltic Sea, Baltic coast and the second-larg ...
, constructed by
Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft GmbH (often abbreviated HDW) is a German shipbuilding company, headquartered in Kiel. It is part of the ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) group, owned by ThyssenKrupp. The Howaldtswerke shipyard was founded in Kiel i ...
of
Kiel Kiel ( ; ) is the capital and most populous city in the northern Germany, German state of Schleswig-Holstein. With a population of around 250,000, it is Germany's largest city on the Baltic Sea. It is located on the Kieler Förde inlet of the Ba ...
, and sold by
Ferrostaal Ferrostaal is a German-owned industrial services company. It has 4,400 employees and an annual turnover of around 1.6 billion euros (2008), and has a market presence in around 40 countries. The company's activities are focused in two areas: Proje ...
of
Essen Essen () is the central and, after Dortmund, second-largest city of the Ruhr, the largest urban area in Germany. Its population of makes it the fourth-largest city of North Rhine-Westphalia after Cologne, Düsseldorf and Dortmund, as well as ...
– all acting together as a
West German West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republic after its capital c ...
consortium A consortium () is an association of two or more individuals, companies, organizations, or governments (or any combination of these entities) with the objective of participating in a common activity or pooling their resources for achieving a ...
. They were
laid down Laying the keel or laying down is the formal recognition of the start of a ship's construction. It is often marked with a ceremony attended by dignitaries from the shipbuilding company and the ultimate owners of the ship. Keel laying is one ...
on 25 November 1977 and March 1978, and completed on 18 March 1981 and 6 July 1981, respectively. There were plans to build two more boats of the same class but eventually nothing came of it. On 25 September 1997,
Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...
took over two ex-German Type 206 submarines with plans to refit them, followed by three others. Funds ran out in June 1998 and the whole project was then cancelled. New plans to acquire submarines from
South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...
were announced in October 2003. Then it was revealed that the intended procurement was an improved , the members of which are now in service as the .


Design

The ''Cakra''-class submarines have high capacity batteries with GRP lead–acid cells and battery cooling supplied by Wilhelm Hagen AG.


Modernization

The ''Cakra''-class underwent major refits at HDW spanning three years from 1986 to 1989. These refits were expensive and lengthy and may have discouraged further orders at that time. ''Cakra'' was refitted again at Surabaya from 1993 to April 1997, including replacement batteries and updated Sinbad TFCS. ''Nanggala'' received a similar refit from October 1997 to mid-1999. ''Cakra'' began another refit at Daewoo Shipyard, South Korea in 2004. It was completed in 2005. Work is reported to have included new batteries, overhaul of engines and modernisation of the combat system. A similar refit of ''Nanggala'' was completed in early 2012.


Vessels in class


Operational history

In 1999–2000, relations between Indonesia and Australia were tense following a referendum in East Timor, in which the East Timorese population voted for independence from Indonesia. During the hiatus between the announcement of the referendum result and its ratification and withdrawal by Indonesia, an international peacekeeping force for East Timor, named
INTERFET The International Force East Timor (INTERFET) was a multinational non-United Nations peacemaking task force, organised and led by Australia in accordance with United Nations resolutions to address the humanitarian and security crisis that took ...
, was announced. A
Royal Australian Navy The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) is the navy, naval branch of the Australian Defence Force (ADF). The professional head of the RAN is Chief of Navy (Australia), Chief of Navy (CN) Vice admiral (Australia), Vice Admiral Mark Hammond (admiral), Ma ...
transport vessel, , was to serve as an INTERFET command post. As ''Kanimbla'' approached the coast of East Timor, it entered what were technically still Indonesian waters. An Indonesian ''Cakra''-class submarine was conducting a routine patrol duties in the
Timor Sea The Timor Sea (, , or ) is a relatively shallow sea in the Indian Ocean bounded to the north by the island of Timor with Timor-Leste to the north, Indonesia to the northwest, Arafura Sea to the east, and to the south by Australia. The Sunda Tr ...
, when its sonar detected several unidentified surface ships moving towards
Dili Dili (Portuguese language, Portuguese and Tetum language, Tetum: ''Díli'') is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Timor-Leste. It lies on the northern coast of the island of Timor, in a small area of flat land hemmed in by mountai ...
. The submarine's commander directed the ship to submerge to periscope depth. The unidentified surface ships turned out to be a convoy of three ships: ''Kanimbla'' and two
Royal New Zealand Navy The Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN; ) is the maritime arm of the New Zealand Defence Force. The fleet currently consists of eight ships. The Navy had its origins in the Naval Defence Act 1913, and the subsequent acquisition of the cruiser , whi ...
frigates. The submarine captain ordered preparations for the firing of torpedoes. While the New Zealand frigate crews were aware of the presence of a submarine, they were unable to determine its exact position. At that point, the commander of ''Kanimbla'' communicated with the Australian government regarding the situation, and
Canberra Canberra ( ; ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the Federation of Australia, federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's list of cities in Australia, largest in ...
contacted
Jakarta Jakarta (; , Betawi language, Betawi: ''Jakartè''), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta (; ''DKI Jakarta'') and formerly known as Batavia, Dutch East Indies, Batavia until 1949, is the capital and largest city of Indonesia and ...
to request permission for the INTERFET vessels to enter Indonesian waters and set course to Dili. The submarine was ordered not to obstruct the convoy. It then surfaced and shadowed the convoy for the rest of its voyage.


Sinking of ''Nanggala''

On 21 April 2021, the
Indonesian Navy The Indonesian Navy (, TNI-AL) is the Navy, naval branch of the Indonesian National Armed Forces. It was founded on 10 September 1945 and has a role to patrol Indonesia's lengthy coastline, to enforce and patrol the territorial waters and Exclus ...
announced that ''Nanggala'', with 53 sailors on board, had failed to report after a
SUT torpedo The AEG SUT 264 is a German 21 inch heavyweight wire-guided torpedo produced by Atlas Elektronik which entered service in 1967. Description SUT stands for Surface and Underwater Target. It is a dual-purpose weapon that can be launched from su ...
live fire exercise A live fire exercise (LFX) is a military exercise in which live ammunition and ordnance is used, as opposed to blanks or dummies. The term can also be found in non-military usage. Military Militaries usually use live-fire exercises as an op ...
in the
Bali Sea The Bali Sea (, ) is the body of water north of the island of Bali and south of Kangean Island in Indonesia. The sea forms the south-west part of the Flores Sea, and the Madura Strait opens into it from the west. Geography The Bali Sea is someti ...
. The Indonesian government announced that a search party had been deployed, and that they had requested the assistance of the governments of Singapore and Australia to aid in the search.
US Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...
and
Indian Navy The Indian Navy (IN) (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the Navy, maritime and Amphibious warfare, amphibious branch of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Navy. The Chief of the Naval Staff (India), Chief ...
also responded. India dispatched its DSRV from
Vishakhapatnam Visakhapatnam (; formerly known as Vizagapatam, and also referred to as Vizag, Visakha, and Waltair) is the largest and most populous metropolitan city in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is between the Eastern Ghats and the coast of t ...
and
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
stated it was sending airborne assets. On 24 April, Indonesia officially declared that the submarine had sunk, following the retrieval of objects believed to have been parts of ''Nanggala'', including a torpedo straightener and prayer mats. "With the authentic evidence we found believed to be from the submarine, we have now moved from the sub miss phase to sub sunk", Navy Chief Yudo Margono has said. He also stated that scans have detected the submarine deep, significantly below the ''Nanggala'' was able to withstand. On 25 April, ''Nanggala'' was found, split into three parts, and the entire crew of 53 people were confirmed dead. "Based on the evidence, it can be stated that the KRI ''Nanggala'' has sunk and all of its crew have died,"
Marshal Marshal is a term used in several official titles in various branches of society. As marshals became trusted members of the courts of Middle Ages, Medieval Europe, the title grew in reputation. During the last few centuries, it has been used fo ...
Hadi Tjahjanto Air Chief Marshal (Ret.) Hadi Tjahjanto (born 8 November 1963) is the Coordinating Ministry for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs, Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs under President Joko Widodo's Onward Indonesi ...
told reporters.


See also

*
List of active Indonesian Navy ships All the Indonesian Navy, Indonesia Navy (, TNI-AL) vessels are named with the prefix KRI ( or Naval Vessel of the Republic of Indonesia). Smaller sized boats with light armaments usually have the prefix KAL ( or Naval Vessel of the Indonesian Navy ...
* Equipment of the Indonesian Navy


References


Bibliography

* * {{Indonesian Navy active ship classes Type 209 submarines Submarines of Indonesia Germany–Indonesia relations