![]() Since water is precious, it is used only for drinking and cooking. “ None of us take a bath till we reach a port for replenishing,” explains a junior officer of the Indian Navy. Surrounded by water, the most precious commodity inside the submarine is water. But it is relatively calmer once it reaches the depth of around 280 ft. ![]() You tend to get nauseous as the submarine makes its way down the ocean and when it is nearer the surface of the sea. Beyond the stairwell was man’s modern marvels cloaked in jet black-valves, gadgets and machinery all required to help the submariners guard the waters of the country. What welcomed us was a cylindrical staircase dropping 10ft down into darkness as we climbed down we could feel the air being sucked out of our lungs - call it the psychological effect of entering a submarine. We then gingerly made our way along the side of the submarine, towards the conning tower. INS Sindhugosh was on one such ‘replenishing trip’ to the port when we got a chance to partially experience life inside the submarine.įrom the jetty, we walked through a launch pad to the top deck of the submarine. Submarines dock at particular jetties inside ports for replenishment and refueling. Spending a few hours inside INS Sindhugosh one soon realises that submariners are a special breed indeed! ![]() When they enter the submarine and the hatch closes above them they know fully well that there are no exit doors for them in the event of danger.Yet, they step down the ladder bravely with their heads held high. Any man with the Dolphin pin on his lapel deserves all the respect and some more, for they are submariners men who volunteer to lock themselves up in a windowless, cramped, steel contraption of a vessel to work tirelessly for one and a half months at a time with 250 ft of sea above them. E ven hardcore sailors think ‘they’ are crazy, but they do so with great regard.
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