"Live mating" exercise historic achievement towards DSRV integration into Navy

The Indian Navy has tested a Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicle (DSRV) at Visakhapatnam and has successfully undertaken "live mating" exercise with a submarine, officials said. Navy officials said the exercise was carried on June 2.

"This included personnel transfer from the bottomed submarine, INS Sindhudhvaj, simulating a distressed submarine to the surface using the DSRV. The entire evolution was done by the Indian crew and marks the culmination of the training phase on the East Coast," a senior official said. The submarine hatches on which the mating was carried out has been certified by the IN Submarine Designer i.e. DND (SDG), officials said.

This is also a skill that has been "newly acquired" by the Indian Navy. "The live mating exercise is a historic achievement towards DSRV integration into the Indian Navy and would pave the way for the Navy to emerge as a Submarine Rescue Provider in the IOR (Indian Ocean Region)," the official said.

Though DSRVs are used for rescue of personnel in downed submarines, they are also deployed for various other missions including to lay cables on the sea bed. Some DSRV vessels are air transportable in a very large military cargo The Navy last year inducted its first 'Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicle' into service. With the DSRV's induction, the Indian Navy had joined the select league of world navies that have an integral submarine rescue capability.

(With inputs from agencies.)