Before the tragedy: Indonesia Navy releases video of submarine crew singing a farewell song
Indonesian navy ships arrive at the naval base in Banyuwangi on April 22, 2021, to join in the search for a decades-old navy submarine that went missing off the coast of Bali with 53 crew aboard during regular exercises.
A poignant video has emerged showing the crew of a sunken Indonesian submarine singing happily together on board their vessel.
The video, filmed a few weeks before the KRI Nanggala 402 went down with all hands lost, shows some of the 53-strong crew singing "Sampai Jumpa", an Indonesian hit whose title means "Goodbye".
Submarine commander Heri Oktavian is among those gathered around a seaman strumming an acoustic guitar.
"Even though I'm not ready to be missing you, I'm not ready to live without you," the sailors sing.
"I wish all the best for you."
The video was recorded as a farewell for the outgoing commander of the navy's submarine corps, whose successor took up his role in early March, Indonesian military spokesman Djawara Whimbo said.
The German-built submarine, one of five inIndonesia's fleet, disappeared early Wednesday while it was scheduled to do live torpedo training exercises off Bali.
An international search and rescue effort involving aircraft and specialised naval vessels, including from Singapore, Australia and the United States, had raced against the clock to find the submarine in case it was still intact and before oxygen ran out.
But on SundayIndonesia's military chief Marshal Hadi Tjahjanto confirmed the Nanggala had sunk and all of it crew had died.
Navy chief of staff Yudo Margono said the crew were not to blame for the accident and that the submarine did not experience a blackout, blaming "forces of nature".
(With inputs from agencies)