Tight Ropewalk

	TIGHT ROPEWALK
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BR Note: The article states that INS Sindhuratna normally travels at a depth of 2,000 to 5,000 feet (609.6 metres to 1524 metres). That appears to be an error on the part of the author, as the Kilo Class submarine has an operational depth of 240 meters (787.4 feet) and a maximum depth of 300 meters (984.25 feet).

INS Sindhuratna

Spending four days on a naval warship with a bunch of exceptional sailors was quite an experience. But nothing had prepared me for the life inside a submarine. If warships lack sufficient elbow room, inside a submarine it is painfully constricting. Imagine being encapsulated in a tube 300 feet long and 200 feet wide and as high as a three-storey building. Weighing over 1,500 tonnes, the submarine INS Sindhuratna has a sophisticated atmosphere regeneration mechanism.

The interior is so cramped that two people cannot walk abreast. To enter a compartment you will have to crawl on your belly. But submariners quickly learn to make themselves comfortable in the limited space. Captain Deepak Bisht, who commands INS Sindhuratna, claims his boys are versatile. Qualified technicians who can operate and repair the complicated electronic and mechanical systems on board, they are equally good at cooking. They devise their own ways to amuse themselves underwater.

"It is a tough assignment that needs raw courage and tenacity," says Captain Bisht. It sounds like an understatement. The submariners are a jovial lot who enjoy their comics, joke books, scrabble, crossword puzzles, light music and Govinda films. The demanding and risky job and cramped surroundings have not dimmed their sense of humour one bit. They normally travel at a depth of 2,000 to 5,000 feet with dangerous weapons on board. Even a minute crack on the submarine's surface can lead to a watery grave. Because of the limited space, crewmen sleep in the torpedo and engine rooms or other odd places where they make themselves comfortable. Civilians who complain of a stiff back after an overnight train journey would do well to remember that submariners spend close to 280 days in such bunks without even a murmur of protest!