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The Early Years 

The Beginning With The Clouds of War 

Between December 1967 and December 1969 the 

8th Submarine Squadron was formed consisting of 

the four ‘K’ class Subs. This fledgling Arm faced 

the clouds of war so soon after the commissioning 

of the fourth Sub INS Kursura 

Kursura was ordered to be positioned on patrol 

on the Makran coast by last week of November. 

Kursura was the only fully operational Sub and 

had been tasked to the West Coast to work-up 

the Western Fleet, on her arrival from USSR in 

March/April 1970. 

As for the other 3 Subs, Kalvari had been taken 

in for her Medium Repairs(MR) by ND(V) and was 

in the Hindustan Shipyard.Khanderi was overdue 

MR and she was operating with depth restriction 

as training Sub(Basic training had commenced 

under INS Virbahu) and Karanj was undergoing 

repairs to damages sustained due to her 

unfortunate collision with INS Ranjit off Cochin. 

For Kursura a host of preparations were necessary 

at very short notice for proceeding on the War 

Patrol. This included embarking Torpedoes, 

Rations –deboned Mutton and Chicken compressed 

into brick –shapes to be economically stored in 

the Deep Freeze compartment(it must be 

recollected that we had a large crew of 100 

compared to about 45 in the HDWs!),specially 

preserved Bread etc.We had also arranged for loan 

of 4nos.16mm popular Hindi Films in reels with 

the Projector which would occupy considerable 

space. Also suitable music, including march 

numbers by the Naval Band and patriotic songs 

were recorded on cassettes by my Electrical 

Officer. We had also two way communication 

Fascinating Foxtrots 

INDIAN INDIAN INDIAN NA NAVY'S NA VY'S SUBMARINE SUBMARINE ARM 

ARM 

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R Adm A Auditto AVSM, NM (Retd) 

codes to be used in case we had to break Radio 

silence for making Enemy Reports. 

We sailed from Bombay around midnight and were 

seen off by V Adm SN Kohli, FOC-in-C (W)- the 

first unit to proceed to War Station. 

We dived to Periscope depth outside Bombay and 

headed for our Patrol Station. The next morning 

at 0800 we were surprised to receive a signal from 

FOC-in-C(W) calling for our PCS (a routine 

peacetime procedure ),We complied. At 2000 the 

same day we again received a PCS signal. Obviously 

the Comcen had not shifted gear from ‘Peacetime 

mode’ We replied-‘PCS... do not intend breaking 

radio silence hereafter. The Command remained 

worried as nothing was heard from us for the next 

19 days till ordered to withdraw from our Patrol 

Station. 

Kursura proceeded to her patrol station without 

any untoward incident. We received regular 

bulletins about rumblings and political wrangling 

with our hostile neighbour. These news bulletins 

were received from Comcen and as per agreed 

procedure all signal messages for us were 

transmitted at high speed and repeated twice 

each day for two consecutive days. We could 

receive the message at periscope depth at the 

scheduled times depending on the tactical 

situation. No acknowledgement could be made 

as we were maintaining complete radio silence. 

While on patrol we had to remain at the best 

sonar listening depth in Ultra Quiet state, except 

for a few hours at night to top up Batteries. All 

except the duty watch had to rest in their bunks 

during the day. We had also to surface for a few 

minutes for astronomical fix at dawn and dusk if 

it was safe to do so.(no GPS in those early days !) 

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All the routine activities were therefore 

concentrated during the hours of darkness, such 

as Battery charging, Ventilation, Disposal of gash 

& sewage, cooking and partaking of meals. 

We had therefore staggered the Sub time by 12 

hours so it would literally swap day and night. 

This had to be done in stages over a period of 

three days while transiting to the patrol area. As 

the crew would not see the light of day for the 

next two weeks we were on patrol, I thought that 

this change of time and routine would be easy. It 

was far from the truth. The body clock operates 

with what is now known as ‘jet lag’. The human 

systems cannot adjust to change that quickly and 

one loses hunger,sleep,bowel movements and 

generally suffer from irritability, further 

aggravated by knowledge of imminent war. Each 

individual had to adjust the toilet timing 

according to his duty watch as the two toilets 

had to cater for 100. Water was rationed-half a 

bucket per head. The crew had to be kept engaged 

with quiz competitions, watching the four films 

over and over again, playing games like Cards, 

Ludo, Carrom and of course listening to the taped 

music. 

Our orders were clear that in all cases we were 

to board and check the ship’s Papers for their 

identity and we were strictly prohibited from 

attacking any neutrals. This was an absurd 

situation which may have been prompted by the 

political leadership’s fear of the reaction from 

neutrals and the inability of the Navy to convince 

them that Submarine Ops demand bold offensive 

action. In any case the cause of an explosion in a 

Tanker is impossible to identify if it has sunk. 

On the patrol we had two breakdowns firstly the 

Port Engine Exhaust Flap developed a leak and 

secondly the Hydraulic Hoist of the Radar Mast 

developed a defect.On each occasion we had to 

temporarily withdraw from our Patrol station at 



night and proceed to the vicinity of the shipping 

lane,surface and send a team including the EO,the 

CHERA and casing hands to attend to these defects 

and return to the Patrol on rectification 

On the 20 th day of the Patrol we were ordered to 

withdraw from Patrol and hand over to Karanj.RV 

was at 0800 . We approached the RV at periscope 

depth throwing off 10 degrees to Port to ensure 

that Karanj would be on our Stbd bow. At about 

0730 the Sound Room reported an HE likely to be 

Karanj.Soon thereafter at 0805 we sighted Karanj 

on the surface.I presumed that she was unaware 

of our presence as she continued on her course 

neither did we get her radar on SHFDF. We 

proceeded towards her and when abreast of her, 

at half a cable, we surfaced. We exchanged 

Greetings and briefed the CO. Apparently their 

Cold Room compressor had packed up. We 

transferred ours by a jack stay.After that we 

wished them Good Luck and returned to Periscope 

depth for transit to Bombay. 

By the way I had the distinction of being the only 

CO who did not receive a Gallantry Award, nor 

even a commendation. The COs of other ships 

that participated in the War received Gallantry 

Awards-MVCs or VrCs. 

I am certain that those years of hesitation in bold 

and offensive deployment of Submarines as also 

political weaknesses, are a thing of the 

past.Today’s Submarine operational doctrine must 

surely recognise the offensive nature of 

deployment of the most deadly of all war 

machines. 

With the last of the Foxtrots, INS Vagli being 

decommissioned on 09 December this year I 

thought that it would be an appropriate time to 

pay tribute to these great work horses which were 

such an asset in those early formative years of 

the Arm.

ANECDOTE 

When Kursura embarked rations for the war patrol 

in 1971 we had been supplied Kabuli Channa which 

had been introduced for the first time in the Navy. 

After it was cooked and thoroughly relished by 

all it was discovered that the Channa had worms. 

For the vegetarians it was sacrilege. I promptly 

announced on the Kashtan that as of now there 

were no vegetarians on board!! The crisis passed. 

THE FOXTROTS 

The ‘Foxtrot’ Class Submarines were undoubtedly 

the best conventional Subs in the world and most 

suited for our requirement. They had all the safety 

features duplicated and some even triplicate. 

They had in addition incredible operational 

endurance with ability to circumnavigate the 

Globe without fuelling. This gave them an 

operational cycle adequate to cross the Atlantic 

or Pacific and remain on patrol for 30/40 days.The 

‘Cold War’ demanded just such a capability . 

About the Author 


The high redundancy was to ensure that 

breakdowns would not force the sub to abort a 

Patrol. Furthermore a great part of the crew were 

inexperienced as they were doing their 3 year 

compulsory service in the erstwhile Soiet Union. 

All equipment were ‘Jolly Jack’ proof! 

Their system of individual Action Books for each 

Action Post ensured that every sailor was forced 

to know his duties at each station by heart and 

would be held responsible for the same. 

My first and only Submarine command was Kursura 

which I commissioned at Riga in Dec,69. It was a 

command of two and half years and I enjoyed it 

thoroughly. The Old Lady now rests on the beach 

of Vizag after 32 years of distinguished service. It 

reminds me of the exciting times and I am sure, 

all the crew who had served under me and the 

many Captains, till her Decommissioning on 27 th 

Feb 2001,would also undoubtedly have many 

interesting and fond memories. 

R Adm Auditto (Retd) was the commissioning Commanding Officer of INS Kursura. The officer has 

held many coveted appointments which includes COMSUB (East), FOSM and ACNS (Ops), to name 

a few. He was the first FOSM and is presently retired and settled in Mumbai. 

DID YOU KNOW ? 


In addition to Kursura the submarine museum in Visakhapatnam there are other Foxtrots on display across 

the world. They are 

� B-15 at New Westminster Quay in New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada 

� B-39 at the Maritime Museum of San Diego in San Diego, California, United States. 

� B-143 at the Seafront Maritime Theme Park in Zeebrugge, Belgium. 

� B-427 at the RMS Queen Mary in Long Beach, California, United States. 

� B-413 at Kalingrad, Russia. 

� B-39 on the River Medway, Kent, United Kingdom (no longer open to the public) 

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VEL VELA VEL VEL A - - THE THE FIRST FIRST AMONGST AMONGST THE THE EQUALS 

EQUALS 

INS Vela, the first of her class, was commissioned 

into the Indian Navy on 31August 1973. Old is gold, 

as they say, and she has been a befitting example 

of the same. She has played a meritorious role in 

forming the back bone of our Submarine Arm. 

Among the oldest operational submarine around 

the globe, her turn came to bid good bye to the 

Indian Navy on 25 June 2010. Her contribution to 

our navy has been phenomenal, having taken part 

in numerous exercises over these 37 years, besides 

playing vital role among the submariners. It is 

specially so for those, who all have served 

onboard, during this period. Incidentally, she also 

qualifies to be fondly remembered, being the very 

first to be depicted on an Indian postage stamp 

(interestingly designed by her commissioning 

Electrical Officer, Anil Dhir), besides those who 

had a swim at Lat 0, Long 0, while on her maiden 

voyage to her home port from Riga. She has had 

a very long and fruitful operational period. 25 

June 2010, therefore, qualifies to be a historical 

day for her to fade away into the nostalgic 

memories of a very vast Indian society; including 

the naval personnel, those who had been 

associated with her, in any way. Vela will always 

be remembered for her glorious contribution to 

the sword arm of the Indian Navy and I would like 

to congratulate all the officers and men who 

sailed in her and who carry all the wonderful 

memories of the ships’ glorious innings. 

It was in early 1973, while I was commanding INS 

Kursura (our fourth submarine -- the present 

Submarine Museum, at Visakhapatnam), I was 

informed to participate in the deep sea trials of 

a submarine at Murmansk, in May. This was 

destined to be commissioned as INS Vela, being 

the first of the new version of the four i641 class 

submarines specially ordered. It was indeed a 

great honour and privilege for me to have been 

given this opportunity especially, inspite of being 

the junior most of the four qualified young officers 

R Adm JMS Sodhi AVSM, VSM (Retd) 

for this task. 

The commissioning and subsequent work up and 

training of our Vela (1973) crew, were on a totally 

different footing since Kalvari (1967) and Kursura 

(1968) days. It was apparent from the way we 

were dealt with by the Soviet crew and their 

Headquarter staff. An interesting and historical 

fact remains that the interaction between our 

navies of the two countries was more than 

beneficial for either. Both were gainers in learning 

process, in many ways. Resultantly, the Soviets 

were treating us very differently then, while 

comparing to the earlier commissioning of 

Kalvari(1967) and Kursura(1968) that I was witness 

to. Thus it was apparent that whilst the first four 

submarines laid the foundation of the Indian Navy 

Submarine Arm, it was left for the next four 

submarines to consolidate the gains and for the 

Arm to emerge as a potent force in the Indian 

Ocean. It is for this reason that I would like to 

pay a tribute, especially to Vela, as the very'first 

amongst the equals'. 

I must share my exceptional experiences as one 

among the pioneers, for it has to be of interest 

to us all. As is known, some of us had been on 

attachment with the Royal Navy too, before 

relationship with Soviet Union jelled more 

intimately towards induction of Soviet submarines 

into our navy. The first batch of our submariners 

had arrived in Vladivostok on 21 June 1966. After 

almost a year of professional class-room lectures 

in Russian language, we were exposed to sea, 

onboard a similar submarine of the Soviet Navy, 

that was to be inducted into Indian Navy. 

Once, we were delayed by 3 to 4 hours in absence 

of clearance to leave harbour. On discreetly 

chided that it does not happen thus in India, we 

were sternly told that they had 104 submarines 

at sea. Their curt reply was that the submarine 

would leave only at her turn for permission to 

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sail. I was Torpedo Officer designate then, being 

trained at the 'fore-ends', with Ravi Ganesh as 

my No.2, in the 'after-ends'. Once, in the 

beginning, it was a challenge as to who would 

blow the Fore or Aft section more often as the 

submarine was not getting its trim right. Almost 

the whole day, we seem to have been performing 

'see-saws' that memorable day. 

As is known, our initial crew did consist of a large 

number of Royal Navy trained personnel, both the 

officers and the sailors. Therefore, it was an 

exercise in itself for marrying the 'two' inherited 

'operating' systems related to the submarines, 

resulting in the creation of our indigenous system. 

This, however, did take time. Finally, this aspect 

was achieved after a lot of trials and tribulations. 

I know for sure and I vouch for it that the major 

credit on this account goes to Kursura, with Vela 

being the first product thereof, besides already 

having served onboard Kalvari, at the onset of 

our 'Arm’. I had 'lived' under those circumstances, 

while interacting with the Soviets on all the three 

'commissioning' occasions, even more thus! Of 

course we failed to marry the two systems when 

it came to 'Spares and Documentation' as other 

agencies were also involved. These were resolved 

to a great extent only after our technical officers 

started merging with the general duties, over 

period of time. 

A part of history, though, but I do admire 

Commodore KS Subra-manian's, insistence to 

refuse large contingent of the Soviet crew onboard 

Kalvari, during her maiden passage to home port. 

Resultantly, only the Soviet CO and EO, besides a 

sailor (communication) took passage onboard as 

a formality. There was enough to learn on 'logistics' 

front too. INS Talwar was to escort the submarine 

from Riga to Visakhapatnam. As the luck would 

have been, the ship was hardly with Kalvari, 

during the passage. She was required to fuel very 

often, and thus forced to visit over 20 ports enroute. 

Kalvari had to be sailing independently, 

for all practical purposes. A disturbing fact, not 

very well known, is that the Kalvari crew used to 

sleep onboard the submarine-deck or in the cabin 


floors within, during her stay in harbours. Naval 

Headquarters did learn the nuances of escorting 

submarines. Thus, all the submarines acquired 

after Khanderi, came independently to India, and 

the crews thereof enjoying full hotel comforts, 

whilst in foreign ports. Induction of INS Amba 

(mother-ship) into our navy was, thus, most 

welcomed. Incidentally, it would be in order to 

recount most unfortunate and an extreme 

coincidence of the loss of three submarines 

worldwide, during the course of Kalvari's three 

months maiden passage to India. 

Vela was a class apart from the previous 

acquisitions and we had learned our lessons well. 

When I was in Moscow after the deep diving trials 

of Vela, I had the prerogative of fixing the dates 

of the crew's arrival in Riga (18 August 1973), as 

also for commissioning (31 August, 1973). The 

dates were conveyed by the Soviet authorities to 

Naval Headquarters, and agreed to. I had also 

requested the Soviet authority to fly our crew 

directly to Riga, without involving change of the 

airport, from International to Domestic. This was 

also managed though with a small temporary snag. 

There was indeed a change in attitude of the 

Soviets with regard to dealing with us, being very 

cordial, affectionate and extremely friendly, since 

earlier days. 

Our work-up training went off very smoothly. Their 

Base Staff was at pains to tell us that we were a 

fully professional team then, and there was no 

further requirement of their guidance or 

intervention from them. Assurance of their 

support, however, was available till we left, if 

thus required. Our passage from Riga to homeward 

bound included Gothenburg (Sweden), La-Havre 

(France), Las-Palmas ( Canary Is), Thakoradi 

(Ghana) and Port Louis (Mauritius). However, we 

had perforce anchored at Walvis Bay too, to drop 

our Engineer Officer, who was ill and required 

urgent hospitalisation for medical attention. We 

had arrived at Mumbai, our home port, in Jan 

1974. The foundation of the 9th Submarine 

Squadron was laid up then. A warm welcome 

awaited us with all the facilities, including an 


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Accommodation Complex and Transport. Thus, 

began the introduction of the Submarine Arm on 

the Western seaboard. 

It would be in order to mention that a major 

exercise was held along the West Coast after the 

arrival of Vagir and Vagli. All the three new 

submarines were commanded by young Lt 

Commanders. The recently introduced Anti 

submarine Sea King helicopters then, were raring 

to dip their Sonars. In the initial exercise that 

was conducted, only Vela came out unscathed, 

being unlocated. However, later, Vela did have 

her share of incidences such as Outer Harbour 

Buoy drifting on to her, at Visakhapatnam, besides 



INS Rana trying to run over the submarine, 

resultantly getting damaged. 

In the overall analysis, it is a fact that Vela has 

served the Indian Navy extremely well, and 

leaving us after 37 years of glorious service, which 

is in its own a historical feat. It is also a fact that 

the credit for all these definitely go to each of 

the fine officers and sailors who have sailed in 

the submarine, having taken sincere care of her, 

as equally to all the dockyard personnel and other 

supporting staff who had nurtured her so very 

well. Navy thanks one and all of them. 

May God bless her soul! 

R Adm JMS Sodhi (Retd) was the commissiong commanding officer of INS Vela. He has held various 

Staff and Command appoinments such as COMSUB(East), Commanding Officer INS Amba and Flag 

Officer Submarines. R Adm Sodhi was also the Chief guest for the De-Commissioning of INS Vela. 


The Vela Incident - 1979 

Vela means "Watchman" in Spanish. After the 1963 nuclear test ban treaty, USA had started a nuclear 

detonation (NUDET) detection system to monitor worldwide compliance with the treaty - called the "Vela 

satellite program". These satellites were designed to detect nuclear explosions in space and air and one of 

the detections of a nuclear weapons test became famous as the "Vela Incident" (also called the South 

Atlantic Flash). The nuclear test was detected on 22 September 1979 around 00:53 GMT by a United States 

Vela 6911 satellite and the test location was later localised by hydro acoustic data at 47 deg. S, 40 deg. E in 

the Indian Ocean, in the vicinity of South Africa's Prince Edward Island. Studies indicated that it was a low 

kiloton explosion (approximately 3 kt) at a low altitude.The nuclear test, if proved at that time would have 

caused immense trouble and embarrassment for the President of the United States because of the presumed 

involvement of South Africa and Israel. A major controversy erupted over the interpretation of this apparent 

detection and till date none of the countries involved have acknowledged the explosion. 


THE CONSTELLATION 

Those with some interest in astronomy may know this but for others 'Vela' along with three more constellations 

belonged to a gigantic constellation called "ARGO NAVIS" - the name inspired from the ship used in Greek 

mythological story of Jason's voyage to capture the Golden Fleece. 

- Contributed by Cdr Rahul Jagat

COMMISSIONING 

COMMISSIONING 

OF OF INS INS V VVAGLI 

V AGLI 

It would be difficult for you to visualise the age, the scenario of 

the matutinal morning of 18 Dec 1974. However to those of us who 

were there, it was momentous occasion.You do not see the sun in 

winters, just a cascading grey, the wind makes you feel one part of 

your face and nose is in the deep freezer the landscape, desolate 

sheet of ice. 

We had to sail in such seas for our pre-commissioning trials. 

Blocks and chunks of ice floating on the sea and the steel dolphin we 

would proudly call INS VAGLI was underway.I was the Forecastle 

Officer leading the team to berth the submarine alongside the jetty. 

The surface of the submarine was in moulded ice, like sardine in an 

ice box. The team had to carry pickaxe to break the sheet of ice on 

the deck to make us safe to walk. 

However 18 Dec 1974 was a bright day, INS VAGLI was shinning 

like a pretty bride. All of us decked up in resplendent uniform. Lt Cdr 

Lalith Talwar stood majestically, to be the proud recipient of the new 

submarine. The Russians had 'great coat', we Indians had no such 

luxury. The Captain had instructed our Executive Officer to issue two 

pegs of rum to the ships company before coming up. Thus fortified 

and in great spirit, literally and physically, we stood to watch the 

momentous occasion of the Russian Flag being lowered and out 

marched the Russian crew and in marched the Indian crew and hoisted 

the Indian Ensign and the National Flag. The ceremony went of with 

precision and grand style, symbolic of a thirty six year commissioned 

life to follow, a rare record. We were then not aware of the future, our 

awareness were of only the present. Thus exhilarated we marched in 

style straight to the warm wardroom, a large peg of Indian whisky 

neat and bottoms up, and thus the celebration began. 

In the evening we had a reception at the Officers' Club. The 

Russian Command staff with their wives, the Embassy staff and a 

host of local dignitaries were present. As was customary, the official 

toast began to the health of the President of India and the President 

of the Soviet Union, to the Chief of Naval Staff, to the Fleet Commander 

and so it went on. When all the names were exhausted, the Russian 

Admiral proposed a toast to "The health of your beautiful wife, who is 

not here and to mine who is here" and promptly the glasses were 

filled up. Thus, ended a momentous day. 

Contributed by 

Cmde MV Suresh (Retd) 

Commissioning TASO of INS Vagli. 


VAGLI'S AGLI'S OPERA OPERA OPERATIONAL 

OPERA TIONAL 

ACHIEVEMENTS ACHIEVEMENTS IN IN 1990-91 

1990-91 

INS Vagli commenced her ops cycle after SR in September 91 which 

was a very eventful cycle. I would like to highlight some of the 

achievements during this period. During her first outing after Task I, 

we carried out 'Check Dive', which was as perfect as any Commanding 

Officer and crew would desire. Subsequently we started index for 

Task II work-up. First day was brilliant -successful repetition of drills 

and emergencies. Early next morning, as we commenced our trim 

dive, she perfectly held at 9M. Then began the next step of trimming 

her at safe depth. As she touched 18m, she started going down like a 

rock. We blew centre immediately and came up to 9m and re-checked 

the trim calculation. It was perfect. We started diving once again and 

lo and behold, she started going down like a rock a second time, 

necessitating emergency surfacing from 40M. That's when we realised 

that her 'Q Kingston' was not holding. We recalculated the trim with Q 

Tank fully flooded and dived again. The lady beautifully held her trim 

upto 40M. Beyond that she was becoming heavier exponentially, and 

so we did not take undue risk. We successfully continued with the 

work-up, returned harbour and effected repair of Q Kingston in afloat 

condition by pressurising the Control Room. 

In early 1991, Vagli was the first Foxtrot class nominated for live 

underwater mating trials with the diving bell of INS Nireekshak 

(DSV).This necessitated remaining bottomed for about 8 hrs. But the 

RCB recommended that the sub should bottom only for 30 mins at a 

time. However, thanks to the total support and encouragement of the 

then COMSUB(W), Cmde Ravi Nair (who himself commanded Vagli 

earlier), we decided to carry out bottoming for longer duration in steps - 

one hour followed by two hours, then four and lastly eight hours. And 

when we successfully executed the marathon dive, the crew was thrilled. 

Yet another brilliant achievement of Vagli was effecting RAS at sea with 

an EKM. During the SSK serial between the two submarines the EKM 

developed a problem with her main propulsion. She unfortunately 

exhausted her on board spares and that is when both the Captains 

decided to attempt RAS at sea. With no pontoon/fender between the 

two boats, trying to go parallel would have spelt trouble. So I decided to 

approach a stopped EKM at 90 degrees from her midship. It was a 

calculated risk and the first attempt itself was successful, wherein, with 

my bows being less than 10 feet from the EKM's forward casing, the 

spares, were transferred using a heaving line. 

As I 'hang my boots' on 30 Nov 2010, I remember with gratitude the 

wonderful experience I had on board this beautiful lady who helped the 

young captain (I was a Lt Cdr when I took over the command) to learn 

the art of captaining a submarine and subsequently commanded 

Sindhuraj and Sindhughosh. May Vagli be re-commissioned in a different 

'Avtar' in the years to come to continue to keep her flag flying. 

Contributed by 

Cmde SH Subramaniam (Retd) 


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FO FOXTROTS FO XTROTS - - MY MY FIRST FIRST LOVE 

LOVE 

Most of us submariners have learnt our basic submarining onboard the ‘Foxtrots’ and have a special 

affection for these wonderful submarines. The 18 th edition of the ‘Periscope’ is dedicated to the 

legacy of the ‘Foxtrots’. In order to catch the ‘love’ for the Foxtrots in a lighter vein which would 

make interesting reading, the Editorial Team had framed questions and solicited one line humorous 

answers to kindle the hilarity in us. 

Q1 FOXTROTS VS TODAY’S BOATS 

Q2 I LOVE MY TIME ON FOXTROTS BECAUSE..... 

ANS 1 

The comparison is between Aunty and Lolita. Aunty, which symbolises strenght of character, 

sturdiness, reliability and capable of bearing the pranks of its children was the hallmark of the 

foxtrots which was the building blocks and stepping stone for the formidable submarine arm we 

have today. The Lolitas are the modern submarines, sleek, smart, efficient but vulnerable as any 

young Lolita would be and we are proud that after the excellent training with Aunty we are 

enjoying the company of Lolitas. 

R Adm JMS Sodhi AVSM, VSM (Retd) 

ANS 1 

The two cannot really be compared as each belong to a different era. What can be compared is, 

perhaps, the efficacy of each against the adversaries of their times. During their heydays, the 

Foxtrots were considered by the West to be the most successful design in their class, world wide. 

Can the same be said of the new ones today? 

The Foxtrots were a very forgiving submarine, and ideal to learn the art of submarine handling. 

Habitability wise, they were decidedly more comfortable than present day submarines. Their 

endurance was impressive. 

Today’s submarines are decidedly more intricate and more sophisticated, and that is how they 

should be because present day ASW capabilities are also more advanced. 

So long as present day boats hold the advantage over their adversaries through equipment and 

training, that is all that matters. 

ANS 2 


Apart from offering me professional challenges of the type the rest of the navy could not offer, it 

introduced me to a wonderful family of submariners, the likes of which this country has not seen 

in any other field. 

Cmde PR Franklin AVSM, VSM (Retd)

ANS 1 

I Love my Foxtrot for her curves and her shape. The feet of three throbbing deisel beneath your feet 

and submarine moving at 15 knots gives you a hing. 

ANS 2 

Foxtrots - the most forgiving. The most memorable learning experiences can not be compared with 

Dive by wire technology. If foxtrots have served us for 40 years there has to be a good reason 

incomparable two core. If u haven’t learnt your submaring on Foxtrot you haven’t learnt submarining. 

Capt SR Kapoor, COMCOS (East) 

ANS 1 

Foxtrot versus today’s boats is like comparing the yesteryears Madhubala to the present Vidyabalan or 

the graceful Waltz to the present day Bollywood Hungama. 

ANS 2 


I love my time on Foxtrots because they helped one realise the true potential of a submariner and 

master the nuances just as one does it in various walks of life. 

Capt Ayyagari Srinivas, CSO, SMHQ 

ANS 1 

The Foxies laid the foundation of basic submarining.and the newer boats are carrying forward 

the same glorious tradition. The Foxtrots will remain the ‘Pioneer Boats’ in the annals of Indian 

Submarine history. 

ANS 2 

It symbolises the spirit of ‘Professionalism, unflinching devotion to duty and Camaraderie’ 

Cdr M Lingesh (Retd) 


ANS 1 

EKMs- Everything OK as of now, don’t know what will give way this sortie- Lets pray! 

Foxtrots- No matter what problems are encountered at sea- it will be over come- Let’s go! 

ANS 2 

I love my time on Foxtrots because of the famous ‘Foxtrot Culture’- I could never understand that 

term before I joined and could never explain after I left- but it exists and is a wonderful ethos that 

kept these boats going for so long 

Cdr Vinay Khanduri, CO INS Sindhuvir 

67

68 

IN Submarine Vagli (commissioned on 10 August 

1974), the last of the Foxtrots ( Project 641i) will 

be decommissioned on 09 December 2010, after 

36 glorious years of service to the nation and the 

navy. Indeed INS Vagli was the seventh of the eight 

Foxtrots to be commissioned at Riga (formerly in 

the erstwhile USSR and presently in Latvia), and 

her decommissioning will mark the end of an era, 

which started on 08 December 1967, with the 

commissioning of INS Kalvari, India’s first 

submarine, also at Riga. During the next 43 

years, the Foxtrots have trained generations of 

Indian submariners, who then went on to man 

the next generation of conventional submarines 

viz the German Shishumar (Type 1500 or SSK ), 

the Russian Sindhughosh (Kilo) class and our first 

nuclear submarine , the Russian Charlie class 

SSGN, INS Chakra. Indeed, even after the 

induction of the Kilos and SSKs, the Foxtrot 

remained the ‘Basic’ Submarine for training all 

submariners (Basic course, PCO’Q’ and CO’Q’) for 

another decade. 

The great thing about the Foxtrot was its 

simplicity of design, based on the reliable Second 

World War German type 21 submarines (In 1995, I 

saw a Type 21, submarine monument in Germany, 

and it bore an uncanny resemblance to the 

Foxtrots). The Foxtrot was absolutely reliable, 

and all its initial teething problems had been 

resolved in the Soviet Navy, which deployed it in 

large numbers, on long rage missions, before the 

advent of nuclear submarines. While it was not 

basically a ‘training sub’, the Foxtrot, did forgive 

some mistakes, which in other more advanced 

subs could have been disastrous. I would like to 

recount a few anecdotes about these legendary 

boats. 


FO FOXTROT FO XTROT NOST NOSTALGIA NOST NOSTALGIA 

ALGIA 

V Adm AK Singh PVSM, AVSM, NM, ADC (Retd) 

In 1970, IN Submarine Karanj, whilst dived at 

Periscope depth, suffered an unfortunate collision 

with the 1700 ton destroyer, the ‘original’ INS 

Ranjit. The ship had to be towed back to harbour, 

whilst the sub made it back under own power, 

and was ‘as good as new’ in a few months after a 

new fin was constructed, in time for Karanj to 

take part in the Indo-Pak war of 1971. Incidentally, 

I later served on Karanj as a Navigator and EXO, 

and discovered that the reconstructed bridge was 

not exactly aligned fore and aft. A similar incident 

involving INS Vela and the 5000 ton destroyer, the 

‘new’ INS Rana occurred at sea in 1989, with 

somewhat similar results. Once again the robust 

Vela made it back to port under own power. Many 

years later, when commanding the ‘new’ 5000 

ton destroyer, INS Ranjit, I remember mentioning 

these incidents to my OOWs, so that they would 

realise the serious consequences of colliding with 

a Foxtrot. 

There are a few humorous anecdotes too. The 

crew designate of a yet to be commissioned 

Foxtrot, was undergoing work up on INS Kursura 

in 1974, prior to departing for Riga, when the CO 

desig suggested, perhaps in a lighter vein, to the 

CO INS Kursura, that they attempt an urgent dive 

while going astern ! When this proposal was rightly 

turned down, the response was that the first dive 

of the newly commissioned Foxtrot would be with 

sternway on . This particular Foxtrot, did not do 

a ‘stern first’ dive, post commissioning, but many 

still remembered the precommisioning promise . 

When the sub entered Mumbai, after a three 

month passage around the Cape of Good Hope, 

the CO smartly saluted the Captain SM 9 

“Reporting the safe arrival of IN Submarine-Sir !” 

The Captain SM, aware of the earlier anecdote 

said “Thank God !” 


The crew of INS Vela was ready to cast off from 

the Submarine Depot Ship at Riga in 1973, for 

precommissioning trials, when the Soviet CO, 

came with the news that most of his crew had 

not turned up for the brief sea sortie. When we 

returned from harbour a few hours later, it was 

discovered that, the night before the sailing a 

few of the Russian crew had broken into our wine 

store on the depot ship, and apparently had a 

great time, and hence missed the morning sailing. 

The Soviet CO, was directed by his Admiral to 

replace at his cost, each bottle of Indian rum with 

Champagne. And yes, his career was effectively 

over !! 

Though INS Kalvari was the Navy’s first submarine, 

she was not the first to be decommissioned 

(Kalvari was decommissioned on 31 May 1996, and 

her fin, is mounted near the Navy War Memorial 

on RK Beach, Visakhapatnam).The rather 

dubious distinction of being the first to be 

decommissioned, goes to our second sub, INS 

Khanderi (commissioned on 06 December 1968), 

which was the first to be decommissioned on 18 

October 1989, for reasons I never understood. I 

remember as COMSUB (East), organising, with a 

heavy heart, the very elaborate 

decommissioning ceremony in Visakhapatnam for 

a submarine, which was not yet 21 years old, and 

still had a lot of fight left in her. As COMSUB(E) 



and CO INS Virbahu, I organised a small team to 

get the Khanderi fin (with both periscopes and 

navigation lights operational), moved from the 

Naval Dockyard to its present resting place on 

the Virbahu parade ground. The credit for moving 

the Khanderi fin (it took a couple of months) 

goes to then Lt Hari Menon, while the credit for 

making the fin ‘brand new’ goes to a young band 

of submarine Engineers and Electricians, headed 

by then Capt BR Raju. 

Another Foxtrot which will be on display for 

centuries, is INS Kursura (commissioned on 18 

December 1969, and decommissioned on 27 

February 2001), which, while still in commission, 

was successfully beached and hauled up on RK 

Beach, Visakhapatnam, on 24 April 2000, thanks 

to the untiring efforts of the then C-in-C, Eastern 

Naval Command, Vice Admiral Vinod Pasricha, 

who ironically was a naval fighter pilot. I have 

visited many submarine museums across the 

world, but I rate the Kursura museum as one of 

the best. 

What historians will remember about the 

Foxtrots, is that they contributed directly, to the 

enduring submarine traditions of excellence, hard 

work, camaraderie, SOPs and the very high 

standards qualifying EXOs ( PCO‘Q’ Course), and 

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70 

Commanding Officers (CO‘Q’ Course or 

‘Perisher’). In times to come, newer submarines 

will bear the names, pennant numbers and the 

eye catching ‘shark crests’ , painted on the fins 



of these eight magnificent boats. However 

presently, now, that the Foxtrots have passed into 

history, most of us, who learnt our basics on board 

these legendary platforms, can only stand and 

salute the passing of a glorious era. 

V Adm AK Singh was commissioned on 01 Jan 1969 and joined the Submarine Arm in 1971. He has 

held the command of INS Vagli , INS Vagsheer, INS Amba, INS Ranjit and INS Virbahu during his 

career. He was the Director of Tactics and Director of Submarine Operations at NHQ. On promotion 

to Rear Admiral, he held various appointments including FOSM, ACNS (Submarines) and FOCEF. 

As Vice Admiral he was appointmented as Controller of Personnel Services at NHQ and later as 

Director General of Indian Coast Guard.. He was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Unified 

Andaman and Nicobar Command. The Flag Officer was the FOCINC (East) till Apr 07, prior 

retirement. 


A day to be remembered by the author in 

December 1982. That day was the submariners’ 

Families Day, to be enjoyed at sea on board INS 

Amba. Those days such an occasion was a rare 

one indeed. The Families Day was planned to give 

near and dear ones an insight into how their 

husbands operated a Foxtrot submarine, how a 

submarine dived and surfaced and so on. 

The author was the MO on board INS Vela. This 

was to be Vela's last sortie prior departure to 

Vladivostok for her medium refit. Vela cast off at 

two in the morning to make it to the exercise 

area off Bombay some 80 nautical miles ,away. 

INS Amba along with the families cast off at eight 

in the morning. 

Vela arrived at the diving area well in time and 

carried out a trouble free check dive. It was 

approximately 1400 hours when Amba arrived at 

the rendezvous point. The excited voices of 

women and children were clearly audible across 

the flat calm sea. It was a beautiful clear day 

with a few. cumulus clouds here and there. Vela 

rocked gently on the surface, in the mild swell. 

The crew was ready to show off their Submarine. 

" Dive! Dive ! Dive ". 

As per laid down schedule, Vela commenced her 

dive with all the. families watching. The depth 

of water at the area of the dive was 80 meters. 

The submarine disappeared beneath the surface. 

The crew being well worked up, the dive was as 

usual , flawless. As she crossed the 30m. mark, a 

major problem suddenly arose in the forends. Vela 

was an old boat ,albeit ,a very reliable one like 

all the other Foxtrots. She was commissioned at 

Riga in 1973 and since operated extensively on 

both coasts and had participated in large number 


SUBSUNK SUBSUNK ! 

! 

Maj Gen Subroto Kundu, MD (Retd) 

of exercises The then Commanding Officer and 

the entire crew were an excellent team perse , 

however , Vela was an old boat and well overdue 

for her MR. 

The problem that arose was that one of the fuel 

ballast tanks ( empty at the time ) gave way (pure 

material failure) and sea water gushed into this 

empty tank. The submarine, which was at 5 

degrees forward bubble suddenly developed a 39 

degree aft bubble. The submarine went out of 

control and she crashed into the sandy seabed 

and got stuck in the mud, with only the propellers 

sticking out of the sea. 

The sound of a submarine striking the seabed is 

something words cannot describe unless one has 

been actually exposed to such a terrible 

experience. And We had only stuck a sandy 

seabed. Imagine a rocky seabed, struck by a steel 

hull with force. Submariners have still survived 

albeit with ears ringing, painful eardrums and 

seeing imaginary stars. The not so lucky 

submariners, well, many boats have gone down 

and stayed down. 


The CO of Amba raised the alarm and signalled 

"SUBSUNK ". 

The families on board were thunderstruck , 

shocked, Stunned. One of their own submarines 

had actually sunk in front of their very eyes. The 

only fortunate aspect of the entire episode was 

the sandy seabed , depth 80 meters and propellers 

sticking out of the sea. 

Within the Submarine, men and material went 

flying. The crockery was smashed. All 100 

personnel on board had to hang onto a pipe, a 

valve, just about anything to avoid sliding down 

and striking bulkhead. A few cries of pain and 

71

72 

agony were heard from the forends. The 

submarine was in a precarious position stuck in 

the soft mud of the ocean bed. Had the submarine 

struck rocks at that speed and angle, She would 

have split open with tragic consequences. 

Professionals that they were, not one member of 

the crew uttered a word. The Captain and XO 

being trained to cope with any emergency had 

complete control of a bad situation at that point 

in time. 

"Full astern three" 

" Three going full astern" 

Captain was attempting to enable the submarine 

to break loose from the muddy ocean floor. 

In spite of all possible maneuvers the boat 

remained stuck. Possibly an hour later, as the 

process of extraction continued, the soft mud 

commenced to release the bow of the submarine. 

The author and the Captain meanwhile went into 

a huddle to decide exactly as-to when to order 

an escape from a stern tube. 


However, as the decision was being reached and 

a final attempt made to get the sub loose, wonder 

of wonders, the ocean bed let go of the boat. A 

sudden jerk was felt by one and all, a deep growl 

of stretched rivets was heard. The Captain and 

the author scrambled into the control room. 

Vela hit the sea surface at full astern like a 

projectile, breaking the surface with the 

propellers high in the air followed by the conning 

tower and the rest of the vessel. 

The families on board Amba gasped in horror at 

what they visualised. It was like a movie as 

someone described the scene much later that 

evening, when alongside. 

Finally, the submarine stern hit the surface as she 

violently settled down in an effervescence of surf 

in an ocean with a sea state of one, with just a 

gentle swell. 

A major tragedy had been averted. Just. 

(Unfolding of the incident as witnessed by the author has been reproduced. Readers may separate 

fact from fiction.) 


Maj Gen Subroto Kundu(Retd), an alumnus of St Joseph ‘s College Nainital and Maulana Azad 

Medical College, New Delhi joined the Navy in 1970 as an intern at INHS Asvini. A graduate of the 

1980 Staff College, he commanded INHS Kasturi, INHS Kalyani and CH(CC) Lucknow. He retired as 

MG (MEDICAL) Northern Army Command at J & K. He is, in addition an author of a number of 

books one of which is titled, ‘Jehad’. 



The Foxtrot class was the NATO reporting name of a class of diesel-electric patrol submarines that were built 

in the Soviet Union. The Soviet designation of this class was Project 641. The first Foxtrot was laid down in 

1957 and commissioned in 1958 and the last was completed in 1983. A total of 58 were built for the Soviet 

Navy. Foxtrots were also built for the Indian Navy (8 units, from 1967 to 1974), Libyan (6 units, from 1978 to 

1980), and Cuban (6 units, from 1978 to 1983) navies. Some Soviet Foxtrots later saw service in the Polish, and 

Ukrainian navies.

There are defining moments in everyone's life that 

change the way we think and live. In my case 

without doubt was the command of INS Vagir from 

'87 to '89. In over twenty years since my command 

I have experienced other facets of life that have 

greatly enriched me. I sailed around the world 

on a 40 feet yacht and became COMSUB( East) 

before taking premature retirement. Adapting and 

doing well in civilian life and later migrating to 

New Zealand at 50 years of age were great 

challenges. At each stage one has to re-invent 

oneself and get out of the comfort zone to 

succeed. But it was the experience and mental 

toughness gained during the submarine days that 

made everything so easy for me later in life. 

I first set my eyes on INS Vagir when she sailed 

into Mumbai harbour after commissioning in Riga. 

She was like a beautiful virgin, sleek and beautiful. 

Lt Cdr KR Menon(later to become an Admiral) 

stood on top of the bridge with his flowing beard 

bringing her alongside with precision. How we 

envied him. Young virgins may be beautiful but 

have their own unique challenges. We and the 

dockyard knew very little of these young lasses. 

They were difficult to handle because we were 

novices. I remember my bunk was below a main 

vent which leaked and when the tray got filled or 

the submarine changed angle the cold water use 

to pour over in torrents and wake me up from the 

sweet slumber. I solved the problem by using a 

raincoat on top of the blanket. 

By the time I laid my hands on Vagir she was in 

her mid life crisis. There were shortages of spares 

and manpower. I told my crew jokingly that she 

was like a middle aged woman who was still very 

beautiful even if she had a few creaking bones. If 

we handled her with respect and care she would 


MUSINGS MUSINGS OF OF AN AN OLD OLD SUBMARINER 

SUBMARINER 


Capt Praveen Kumar NM (Retd) 

serve us with loving care. In case we fooled around 

or neglect her then her wrath will be on us. 

We had a very young crew. SSK, EKMs and Chakra 

had consumed all the experienced man power. 

Apart from me the only officer with some 

experience was my EXO. Engineering and 

Electrical officers were appointed straight after 

their dived watch keeping tickets. There were no 

specialist officers in the executive branch. I 

awarded dived watch keeping to some of our 

young officers and they got re-appointed. NHQ 

made sure that I could not complain. Even my 

EXO had to go on furlough leave to USA because 

his wife had a medical problem. There was no 

replacement EXO available. 

My theory was if Germans could operate their Uboats 

with crew of less than 20 year olds and fight 

a war in the Atlantic then why couldn't we? After 

all our foxtrot class was a German Type 21 design. 

The Russians had fortunately not messed up with 

the basic design as they did with some later class 

of submarines. By the time I got my command 

we had mastered the technology of the Kalvari 

class of submarines. There was no need to sleep 

with raincoats on. Our big headache was spares. 

When we started our operational cycle the crew 

was so raw that even when dived our planes men 

would make the crew go sea sick. 

One basic thing I had learnt during my days as a 

young submariner was that I could never know 

more about equipment than a sailor or an officer 

who was operating it. A sailor operating the ballast 

pump would know more about that equipment 

than anyone else onboard. Same held true for 

any other piece of equipment whether Sonars, 

electric motors or torpedoes. So my philosophy 

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74 

was to let the man on the spot 

solve the problem rather than 

give unnecessary advice. When 

a problem occurred and there 

were plenty on an old boat, I let 

my young crew come up with 

solutions. The only message I 

gave them was that we were not 

returning to harbour before 

completing our mission. At first 

they struggled but very soon they 

got the message. I would simply 

sit back and let the problem be. 

I was amazed how quickly 

solutions were found. I could see 

the pride in individuals and the 

confidence they got when they 

helped solve a problem. It was a 

joy for me to see them grow as 

professionals and gain in 

confidence with each little step. 

As soon as we entered harbour one of our teams 

would go to NSD to find spares because we did 

not trust the normal channels of placing demands 

for timely supplies. We had a young lieutenant 

who specialised in getting NA certificates for 

spares so that we had funds for buying spares like 

bearings and washers in the local market. 

We were surprised to find so many matching 

spares in the local market to keep some of our 

critical equipments running. 

Our HP air compressors were the biggest 

headaches. They would fail without notice. I 

remember once we were out for fleet exercises 

and INS Viraat was joining the fleet after her 

maiden voyage from UK. The fleet had gone to 

receive her at the mouth of Red sea. Our task 

was to penetrate the screen and attack her as a 

mark of welcoming her to Mumbai. We were all 

excited to be the first to have a go at her. We had 

sailed with only one electrical HP air operational 



and it gave away on the very first day . Arrival of 

INS Viraat was still 7 days away. We decided to 

stay put and last out the week. The crew came 

up with ingenious solutions on how to surface the 

submarine with minimum HP air. Normally it takes 

5% air to surface the submarine. We were using 

only 1.5% to get the boat to surface by giving a 

small puff in the center tanks and then using 

exhaust from the diesels to surface the submarine. 

We also avoided surfacing when not required for 

fleet exercises. In addition everyone on board 

was conserving air for smallest activities like not 

going to toilets that needed air to flush out. I am 

surprised that all of us did not get constipated. 

Once we were on a classified mission and our 

compressor again decided to call it a day. It would 

have been embarrassing to quit our mission. By 

some ingenuity our not so experienced crew 

cannibalised parts from one diesel compressor 

into another and got one of the compressors going 

to allow us to complete the mission. The surprising 

part was that both diesel compressors had been

declared non operational by the dockyard for the 

past 3 years due to non availability of spares. 

I was amazed at the ingenuity of the young officers 

and sailors when given total responsibility. I can 

write a book on the occasions when we pulled 

ourselves out of impossible situations. During the 

deep dive we busted innumerable pipes, we 

repaired and continued the dive. I use to call my 

engineering officer a doctor because he was 

continuously repairing fractured pipes with M-seal 

and bandages. 

In one operational cycle we did over 1700 dived 

hours which was a record for foxtrots at the time. 

We fired nine practice torpedoes and each one 

found its mark. This was achieved by a crew of 

non specialists appointed straight after their dived 

watch keeping tickets. 

It was a miracle of sorts because as a collective 

crew we were greater than our individual selves. 

There was an energy which each one of us felt 

because there was purity in our effort. Our 

achievements went largely unnoticed because 

SSKs had arrived and they were changing the 

ground rules and bench mark for submarine 

operations. They had automated systems and the 

submarines could remain dived for prolonged 

periods. We were fortunate to learn from them 

and raise our standards. 

The only thing I did right was to give my crew 

environment for growth. I gave them total trust 

and responsibility. They were young and 

responded brilliantly. 

To lighten the mood on board the submarine I 

would play albums of Alisha Chinoy on the SRE 

every morning and night. The crew I am sure must 

have felt that the old man had a crush on her. I 

also requested the command to give us an R&R in 

Goa after every long exercise. This worked as a 

tonic for the crew. We also had an outstanding 



cook who had magic in his hands to convert the 

Navy rations into five star foods. Some of these 

simple things brought joys into our lives and built 

a feeling of brotherhood in the submarine. As I 

mentioned earlier we never got acknowledged for 

our performance but we knew in our hearts that 

our submarine would deliver if there was a war 

which I am glad never happened. 

My greatest reward came six years after handing 

over the Command. My crew surprised me by 

organsing a Vagir get together. I had heard of 

school get together and course get together but 

never a crew get together after so many years. It 

was a touching moment because I realised that 

in some ways the crew had felt connected in a 

special way. I am sure that our time together was 

a defining moment for them as it was for me. 

This get together was a greater medal for each 

one of us than any reward that Navy could have 

given us. 

I salute each one of my officers and men. I am 

confident that wherever they may be they are 

doing exceedingly well because what we 

experienced together made each one of us grow 

as individuals. 

I am presently in Auckland, New Zealand and 

whenever any submariner wants to visit that part 

of the world my house will always be open to 

them because there are invisible bonds that only 

submariners can know. I will be putting my contact 

details on the submarine website. It won't be hard 

to get in touch. 

This article is musing of an old submariner about 

Command of a submarine that happened over 

twenty years ago. I think it is as relevant today 

as it was at that point in time. I am sure the same 

story in varying forms is repeated onboard other 

submarines. We must learn to share our stories 

and experiences with generation next who will 

take the front seat in the near future. 

75

76 

I stepped into a Naval base for the first time after 

15 years of retiring and was delighted to meet 

COMCOS (West). I was impressed to see the 

changes that have occurred since I left the Navy. 

I was informed that submarine operation had been 

taken to a new level by the present generation of 



officers and men. This fills my heart with joy and 

pride. I am glad that our generation played a small 

part in the evolution process of where we are 

today and I am confident that generation next 

will take us to new frontiers that we have not 

even imagined. 

Capt Praveen Kumar NM (Retd) took premature retirement from the Indian Navy in April 1996 after 

having commanded INS Vela and INS Vagir in mid eighties. His last major appointments were COMSUB 

(East) and JDSMO. He migrated to New Zealand in early 2003 and presently resides with his family in 

Auckland. 


How many times have you watched spellbound as 

a magician makes an elephant vanish into thin air 

or cuts someone into two only to present him/ her 

smiling whole all over again in a matter of seconds? 

For magic on the military turf, you need to look 

no further than the famed Foxtrots. If clocking 

2000 + dived hours in a nine month cycle when 

you are on the other side of 35 is not magic for any 

submarine, then what is? If being conferred a 

coveted unit citation competing with units a fifth 

of your age is not an achievement, then what is? If 

looking all of four when you are nearing forty 

wouldn't qualify as pure fantasy, then what would? 

As the first type of submarine to have entered 

service with the Indian navy, Foxtrots have been a 

part of naval folklore in more ways than one. The 

allure and mystery surrounding them have refused 

to fade away even after four decades in service. 

What made the Foxtrots deliver such magical 

performances? Surely, they were not manned by 

magicians. For that matter, you ask any magician 

and he will tell you that every act of magic on 

stage is an act of precision borne out of tremendous 

amount of research, planning and practice. 


THE THE FO FOXTROT FO XTROT MAGIC 

MAGIC 

Capt Anshuman Dutt 

Having had the good fortune of serving onboard 

these famed platforms and experiencing the 

magic first hand, I dare say that the key to this 

magic is the famed work culture onboard. A large 

part of the aura that the Foxtrots have held could 

be attributed to the correct practices imbibed 

from the predecessors. Any submariner who has 

served in Foxtrots swears by them and 

undoubtedly terms the years spent onboard as 

the best in his service. Even the entry of other 

Slicing the Ocean -Full Ahead Three All's fine-Safe to Dive Certification post rejuvenation-2002 

modern submarines has not diminished the sway 

Foxtrots held. 

Commanding INS Vela as part of rejuvenation crew 

post a decade long Medium Refit in 2002, there 

were many who doubted as to whether the sub 

would make it and whether at 30 +, her frames 

would still stand the rigour and demands of new 

age submarine warfare. The first dive post 

medium refit was however filled with anxiety. On 

diving, every thing became even more peaceful - 

a change form noisy, turbulent surface world to 

what is referred as "sub - marine peace". The crew 

however turned into a heightened state of 

alertness, with feeling of unexpected sensation 


77

78 

Rejuvenation crew - All set to undock - 2001 

and sense of increased alacrity more than ready 

to tackle any eventuality. The tremendous efforts 

put in by the enthusiastic and professional crew 

as well as what INS Vela has achieved, in her 

second avatar is already part of folklore. 

I wonder whether the men of Vela were braver 

than those in other pursuits. Rationally it would 

be accurate to say that they are not necessarily 

braver, but surely being associated with 

installation and trials of each equipment during 

the refit, they had more insight into their job 

and their capabilities. Fully aware that safe depth 

for a submarine lies at maximum diving depth, 

the crew worked hard to achieve this feat. The 

number of officers being less turned out to be a 

blessing in disguise, as the mantle of running the 

At her best - Full power trials- 2002 


submarine, in effect fell on the shoulders of senior 

sailors. This trickle down of responsibilities 

ensured collective shouldering of errands and 

helped in galvanising the crew into a wonderfully 

coherent fighting unit. 

Some believe that "Risk is an inspiration in 

submarine service". But what do submariners fear 

the most, "The fear of compartments becoming 

part of the ocean or getting caught in their 

combat"? When compared to today's modern 

submarines, the Foxie knows that they come a 

distant second in terms of weapons and sensors 

which are analog based and of WW II vintage. 

Further, with limited automation, time is of 


30th anniversary - Cake cutting by the prior and present 

CO along with ships company- 2003 

essence and when things go wrong, the nearest 

person has to be capable of dealing with it. Thus, 

thrust has always been on training right from the 

basic submarine course at the submarine training 

school. The senior Foxies spent a lot of time 

coaching their juniors ensuring that they are 

capable enough to battle the danger, minimise 

the risk and make certain that safety rather than 

danger is maintained at all times. In an undersea 

vessel, each individual is dependent on the skill 

of others knowing that his very life depends on 

them and thus the crew put into practice ‘blind

mans walk’ - (to be able to operate blindfolded). 

Everyone always remained on the same side and 

wanted things to function the right way. All this 

surely gives a feeling of pride being a member of 

this elite group and the risks become inspiration, 

rather than a deterrent. 

Team Vela at Myanmar (Yangon) Dec 2002 

The invisible bond between every individual 

onboard a Foxtrot is far too obvious even for a 

casual observer. What is not so obvious is the fact 

that the bond is a result of shared objectives, 

single minded belief in the power of unity and 

deep sense of concern for each others well being. 

A true Foxie learnt to concede space and give / 

take slack when the need arises. Trap them in 

the sub for months and despite there being no 

sport or any distraction they continue to remain 

bonded. Even if one does not like a person, the 

respect factor is there knowing that he might be 

the one who is going to save one's life if and when 

the need arises. The men with whom they share 

this steel womb for months on end become their 

family. 

Dig deeper and you will realise that the average 

foxtrot sailor or officer knows much more about 

each others’ strengths and weaknesses; both 

professional and personal. Everyone literally lives 

in everyone else's dirty laundry. Each individual 

on board observes others and is ready and willing 

to slip into the others' shoes if required. This surely 


brings about greater closeness in the crew and 

willingness to share and makes it truly a big 

wonderful family instilling a greater degree of 

commitment and camaraderie. It is the regard 

for comrades, respect for leaders, concern for 

their boats' reputation and an urge to contribute 

to the success of the unit that kept them focused 

and in high spirits. 

Life onboard the Foxtrots is an everlasting saga 

of enduring the most uncomfortable living 

conditions with alleyways transforming into 

bedrooms. Every inch of space is a storehouse or 

provision store. The phrase "aim and shoot" must 

have originated to describe the predicament that 

one goes through while using the WC in a foxtrot. 

The galley's apparent vastness can be fathomed 

from the fact that if the cook is not careful, he 

could find his elbow cooking!! OOW's onboard have 

attributed their bulging biceps to dancing with 

the flat chested woman (rotating the periscope). 

Foxtrots, despite not conforming to the basic 

biological and psychological needs in term of rest, 

clean clothing, washing facility and fresh 

provisions, fulfillment of which play a substantial 

role in soldering morale, foster a lot of esprit de 

corps. Tough conditions like these never affected 

the motivation of men onboard. 

To describe the motivation level - When asked by 

an aspiring submariner about the motivation levels 

on board these platforms, one of the senior Foxie 

sailor replied - "Would you prefer to run a 

department may be small, the way you like or 

assist in doing so? Would you prefer to play a big 

part in operating a small machine (only by 

dimensions not by function / complexities) or play 

a small part in assisting to operate a big machine?" 

Most submarine sailors are specialists in their field 

and in many cases the only person for the job. In 

yet another incident a junior referring to 

submarine allowance as danger money, "Danger" 

growled his department chief. "What do you mean 

by danger? The perks are for the special skill and 


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responsibility which you shoulder in operating 

these boats. In submarines you are independent 

- no radio, no helicopter, you have to figure out 

and solve your own problem". 

Once a Foxie, always a Foxie. Following the 

tradition of re-christening newer platforms after 



illustrious predecessors, we should soon have new 

avatars of INS Vela, Kursura etc. While the names 

would evoke nostalgia for many oldies, these 

platforms would benefit immensely from adopting 

the wonderful work culture which helped conjure 

up scintillating magic. 

Capt Anshuman Dutt was commissioned in the year 1986. The officer is an alumnus of DSSC, 

Wellington and has done the NHCC. Executive Officer onboard INS Karanj was amongst the various 

appointments he held. His first Command was INS Vela, when the submarine came out of Medium 

Refit from Naval Dockyard (Visakhapatnam). He also commanded INS Sindhukirti and INS 

Sindhushastra.The officer was the Commanding Officer (Desig) of INS Arihant at the time of its 

launch.. Presently he is the Officer-in-Charge of SAUW and has been selected to undergo the NDC. 

HONOUR HONOUR B BBOARD 

B BOARD 

OARD 

Shekhar Singh Yadav POR(Tel), 117796-W, has 

made the Nation and the Navy proud by winning 

a Silver Medal in Yachting (Match race in J-80 

class) at the recently concluded XVI Asian Games. 

The sailor is a submariner and has served 

onboard INS Sindhughosh, INS Sindhurakshak and 

Submarine squadron. The sailor in his letter to 

the editor has thanked the Submarine Arm for 

the support given to him, in his quest for 

excellence in Yachting. 


It was in 1995 that I fell in love with a fox. I was 

all of 25, romance was very much in the air and 

the sleek old world charm of Kursura was 

bewitching. Having moved from an EKM, the work 

culture here was truly intoxicating. Unfortunately, 

my tenure on board did not last more than a few 

months as I left for the long course. Much like 

the first loves of our lives, fond memories and 

the desire to get back together lingered. 

The opportunity came years later in 2002 when I 

was appointed to INS Vela. She was in the final 

stages of a decade long Medium Refit while I was 

in the initial stages of Executive Officer tenure. 

We took to each other like old lovers would. She 

was a tad shy in the beginning but played along 

wonderfully later. She was probably trifle worried 

about what time had done to her gorgeous looks 

and how good the decade long makeover would 

be. 

Many thought she was too old to perform, though 

we in the crew were convinced that it was the 

passion and not the age that told on the 

performance. We spent days and nights tending 

to our beloved with the quiet confidence that 

our great lady was destined to rule the seas and 

make heads turn in admiration again. 

It was on 05 August 2002 that we first took her 

out to sea. We in the crew had been looking 

forward to the day, as a bridegroom would to his 

first night - excited but careful. She was a bit 

nervous to start, much like a 30 year old walking 

the ramp for the first time. The sun shone bright 

and the sky had a deep blue hue. As she became 

more confident and picked up speed her sleek 

chiselled figure looked at ease among the other 

ships. She broke into a mesmerising dance as we 

crossed the breakwater and an impatient wind 


ROMANCING ROMANCING A A FO FOX FO 


Cdr ME Jayagopal 

welcomed her back home. Vela had truly made it 

from 'chokes' to 'chocolates'. The grand old lady 

was at it again - Gracing the oceans like none 

other can. 

It was on the 11 Feb 2003 that we took her down 

for a deep dive. Incidentally, the date coincided 

with my wedding anniversary and the day could 

not have gone better, though I am not very sure 

that my better half would agree. Not only did 

she make it look so easy, I must say she was almost 

downright cocky. As the depth gauge ticked over 

to the maximum diving depth, I could hear the 

thirty year old whisper "I belong here and thank 

you for getting me back." In no time she was the 

darling of the Eastern Command, the cynosure of 

the Navy. Records were tumbling and the Unit 

Citation was well deserved. The separation came 

in 2004 but both of us knew that it would be 

temporary - Destiny was bound to bring us 

together again. 

Appointment on board in Command followed in 

2006. Once again, my lady love was in Normal 

Refit but I knew the 'chemistry' would be 

wonderful. It truly helped that I was well versed 

in her 'History' and 'Geography'. The crew had not 

changed much. We were a bunch who knew each 

other well and had immense confidence that she 

would not spurn our affection. 

When we took her out for a date at sea, we were 

aware that at 35 years, she was the oldest 

operational submarine in the world. But, once 

again, there were no wrinkles. One would be 

forgiven if one mistook the results of the speed 

trials, the deep dive or the diesel trials for that 

of a newly commissioned boat. It takes two to 

tango and the grand old lady was definitely game. 

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Our very last outing together was a 30 day one. 

We covered more than 2000 nautical miles during 

that sortie and participated in very important 

exercises with significant success. The Lady had 

clocked 2378 dived hours during the cycle, making 

it the highest ever by a Foxtrot in India. Not once 

during the cycle had the grand old lady of the 

submarine world let us down. She was willing and 

capable - It was for us to keep pace. 



I have always believed that submarines are 

not mere machines and have a soul of their 

own. In Vela, I had a soul mate for all 

times. I have often heard her whisper 

sweet nothings in my ears cheering me up 

when I have felt a little under the weather. 

I have sensed her boyish mischievous 

expression when we overtook a huffing 

puffing EKM on surface. At times, she has 

rendered valuable advice on how to 

overcome a problem, while on others, she 

has made it clear to me when she is not in 

a mood for fun and games. I have always 

listened and we have got along well. The 

bond has endured. 

I was one of the invitees to the decommissioning 

ceremony of the grand old 

lady at Visakhapatnam. A function so 

wonderfully well organised and befitting 

her stature. For me, it was a very solemn 

occasion. A personal loss. I spent some time 

on board alone during that visit. As I sat in 

a pensive mood in the wardroom, 

recounting my wonderful association, I could feel 

her caressing me. I heard her whisper naughtily 

in my ears "It is not good bye….Its' only Au Revoir… 

We are destined to be together again…. Today, I 

am game for a date. Are you?" As I walked out 

sprightly, I said to myself "This is not a moment 

to mourn. This is a moment to celebrate and 

cherish all that my lovely lady taught me and 

stood for." 


Cdr ME Jayagopal is an alumnus of the 77 th course of the National Defence Academy. The officer was 

commissioned on 01 Jan 91 and has specialised in ASW. He was the Executive Officer of INS Vela from 

2002-2004 when she came out of Medium Refit (MR). Between 2006 and 2008 he commanded INS 

Vela and this time saw her out of the Normal Refit (NR). He also commanded INS Sindhurakshak 

before his present appointment at IHQ MoD (Navy) / Project 75.

Being totally obsessed with all things navigational 

and especially those that involve the 

trigonometry, I recently acquired (by paying an 

undisclosed amount on eBay) a World War II, US 

Navy sextant. After three weeks of nervous 

waiting, hoping and praying that the postal 

department would treat my package with proper 

care and respect, it finally arrived picture 

perfect, without a scratch on it. Actually, there 

was really no need for me to worry - this was no 

ordinary sextant - there were no mirrors to smash, 

no filters that could be bent or broken, and best 

of all no need to worry about any alignment 

problems, but most important of all, the thing is 

built like a tank! I'm fairly certain I could bang 

nails with it all day long, and still obtain a fairly 

accurate fix later at night. 

The sextant, I now own is a Mergenthaler Ball 

Recording Sextant Mark 1 Mod 0. It's case proudly 

displays a collimation certificate from the US 

Naval Observatory dated 24 Jan 1945 and it was 

designed specifically to be used by US Naval 

submarines in WWII. The question that now arises 

is this - what makes a submarine sextant so 

special? Why should a submarine sextant be 

different at all? 

To find the answer to these questions, we must 

examine a submarine's main weapon while on 

patrol. Surely a submarine that surfaces to take 

is fix at twilight is vulnerable, is she not? Whereas 

a conventional sextant depends on a horizon to 

be able to provide the navigator with the altitude 

of a heavenly body, this very dependency 


WHERE WHERE IS IS MY MY FIX FIX ? 

? 

Cdr Aswan Korula 

squanders the submarine's most basic 

characteristic, it's stealth. The quandry that arises 

here - the dependency on the visible horizon and 

the need to maintain stealth have given birth to 

sextants such as the Mergenthaler shown here. 

Unfortunately, the Russian CHO-T sextants just 

don't fit the bill. I can just picture the navigator 

of INSM Stealthless today, his GPS signal scrambled 

or jammed by the enemy, surfacing in a patrol 

area to take a fix at twilight with the CHO-T, to 

be sighted and attacked just moments later by a 

passing aircraft. 

This year, as we bid farewell to the last of the 

Foxtrots, we need to rethink where we are headed 

when it comes to navigation. Those privileged 

enough to have served on these magnificent boats 

will remember the Foxtrots had sextants built into 

their periscopes. These sextants, apart from a 

host of other capabilities not seen on an EKM 

periscope, had a vertical gyro that could provide 

an artificial horizon at night, they even had an 

averager mechanism (just like the handheld 

Mergenthaler sextant of WWII) that could reduce 

RMS errors by averaging readings over a number 

of seconds, and best of all, these periscopes did 

not depend on a constellation of satellites 

(administered by some other country) to obtain 

a fix. Having served as the navigator of Vela and 

Vagli, I can remember finding a handheld Russian 

bubble sextant kept in the jetty store. Despite 

our best efforts, and that of a few dedicated oldtimers 

at ND(V), it could not be restored to 

working condition since the skills needed to repair 

it had just vanished over time. The bubble sextant 


83

84 

also had a recording mechanism, just like it's 

periscopic big brother to reduce errors in a rolling 

and pitching submarine, and it too had no need 

of a visual horizon - using a bubble clinometer to 

provide a reference. Clearly the Foxtrots had 

much more dependable means of fixing than IN 

submarines of today. 

My point is this - while moving forward into newer 

technologies is the order of the day, are we not 

being reckless by rushing headlong into 

technologies that make us dependent on external 

support, while at the same time, tossing aside 

the robust, proven technology of the past? Show 




me one submarine today, just one, who's stealth 

would not be compromised if her GPS failed. 

Inertial Navigation Systems, non-penetrating 

masts, IR cameras with remote displays, mounted 

ESM and GPS aerials, all amount to nothing if they 

cannot provide a fix by the stars, at night, when 

there is no visual reference, when all else has 

failed. 

I stress this because we must remember that wars 

are not fought when everything is hunky-dory. 

While one can hope for the best, one must, in 

keeping with the basic tenets of military 

operations, plan for the worst. 

Cdr Aswan Korula was commissioned in Indian Navy in 1995. He is an alumnus of Naval Academy. A 

specialist in Navigation and Direction, the officer has carried out tenures of Navigating Officer onboard 

INS Vagli, INS Vela and INS Sindhuvir. Presently he is Executive Officer onboard INS Sindhudhvaj .


MEMOIRS MEMOIRS OF OF A A FO FOXTROT FO XTROT OPERA OPERATOR OPERA TOR (FO (FOXY) (FO (FOXY) 

XY) 

Like all pilots want to fly the fighters, I as a young 

officer who joined the submarine arm dreamt of 

getting posted on the latest EKM or an operational 

SSK. Getting posted on a Foxtrot never crossed 

my mind since Foxtrots, for the uninitiated one's 

like me were either ‘already decommissioned’ or 

‘tied alongside some secluded berth on the East 

Coast. Getting my first appointment as DLO, Vagli 

was not exactly a dream come true. And the first 

question which came to my mind was …."Why 

me?” In this time of grief I tried to find solace 

and peace among my course mates and immediate 

seniors who themselves have never ventured 

inside a Foxtrot, let alone served on one. I was 

told stories of why all written off officers are sent 

to Foxtrots, tales of those who never went for PG 

or how these boats have never sailed. To add to 

my misery, leaving my karmabhoomi Mumbai for 

Vizag was not at all justified to a person who did 

not go on leave just to get his dive ticket at the 

earliest. 

With a heavy heart and with my newly wed bride, 

I reported to Visakhapatnam with no place to stay 

and only one non reliable course mate to rely on. 

The only course mate betrayed me by sending a 

World War II auto rickshaw to pick me up from 

the railway station and the other hope of getting 

a walk-in accommodation were shattered the next 

day. Entering the gangway on the first day was a 

memorable one as on the first day itself during 

the turning of armament and equipment, a minor 

fire took place on the Main Switchboard No1. 

World, after that day was never the same. It was 

a completely different, but actually beautiful 

experience over the next two years. That day 

onwards I discovered many things about Foxtrots 

which are not known to many of the naval officers 

I have talked to. 


Lt Cdr Sujeet Kumar Yadav 

As Vela is already decommissioned and Vagli on 

the verge of it, I would like to share some 

beautiful and rare experiences of Foxtrots with 

everyone who is unaware about the life of a 

‘Foxy’. To tell the truth, I took a lot of pain to 

learn trim and stability of a submarine. The 

content of the entire bunch of BRs was at the 

back of my hand when I got my dive ticket. But 

all those mathematical calculations goes for a 

six in this boat. All those who have operated these 

boats would agree that these submarines, at times 

have mood swings when it comes to trimming. If 

your watch falls anywhere near any of the meal 

timings, then be extra cautious when the meal is 

announced. It takes a lot of water to compensate 

for the weight of the crew shifted from aft ends 

to compartment 4. But the beauty of these boats 

is, once it sits at a depth, come what may, it will 

not shift even by half a meter. 

Officers from EKM submarines know the 

importance of AMK-10 or split AC in F/E. But for 

this submarine there are no facilities like that. 

There is only one AC, therefore if Aft End is feeling 

the heat, everyone onboard would be feeling the 

same. But by god's and the designer’s grace, the 

last thing which you worry about is the ambient 

temperature. Its comfortably maintained 

between 24-28 degrees. The tradition of sleeping 

with blankets on, holds good here. It was only 

here, I have seen sailors reporting sick for sore 

throat and cold during long sailings. 

The submarine is fitted with three diesels and all 

three diesels can run in propulsion regime. The 

day was somewhere in May when due to some 

exercise requirements we were ordered to return 

to harbour at the earliest. The submarine did 12 

knots continuously for half a day and the journey 

85

86 

was completed in only one night. It felt like a 

Ferrari running on water surface. But as luck would 

have it, we were denied entry in the channel and 

we posed the entire day for photographers at 

Ramakrishna Beach. 

The biggest strength which I felt onboard was the 

camaraderie of men and traditions that bind them 

together. These traditions along with the josh and 

enthusiasm of men, makes what is called the 

‘Foxtrot Spirit’. It is this spirit which enabled 

these sharks of steel to come out stronger than 

ever in the twilight years of their service. 



I was promoted from the designation of DLO to 

LO at the seniority of Lieutenant. It was the faith 

of the crew members and the Commanding Officer 

that at a junior rank I was handed over the 

responsibilities of an entire department. Also, it 

was due to the pride of being part of last of the 

crew running the old lady, I did not hesitate for 

once to grab this opportunity. I learnt a lot during 

my 2 years of tenure, but the thing which I learnt 

and apply till today in my life is "It is not the 

question of how old you are, it is the question of 

how young you feel". 

Lt Cdr Sujeet Kumar Yadav was commissioned in 2004. He belongs to the 68 th Basic Submarine 

Course and qualified for dived watchkeeping onboard INS Sindhughosh. The Officer has carried out 

tenures of DLO and LO onboard INS Vagli. Before his present appointment in SBC the Officer was 

SLO of the Submarine Squadron at INS Virbahu. 

AN AN ODE ODE TO TO MY MY COMMAND 

COMMAND 

OF OF INS INS INS V VVAGLI 

V AGLI 

Cdr RK Dhingra, Cdr SM, COMCOS (W) 

She is a grand old lady every one told 

My first command, as I stepped onboard 

Stress and challenges I thought would be my plight 

Operating her I found was a sheer delight 

Putting her to sea was always joy attained 

1800 Dived Hours and many a milestones gained 

Those dedicated men of the great Foxtrot Culture 

With them any harm’s way I would venture 

Oh Vagli! You are my dear one 

Commanding you was truly so much fun 

As you fade into history on 9th Dec this year 

I bid you adieu wih heavy heart and my tear 

KB C 

KALATHIL BROTHERS 


Email: kalathilbrothers_6@yahoo.co.in 

KALATHIL BROTHERS 

CONSTN. CO. PVT.LTD. 

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DOLPHINS ON 

WELFARE MISSION 

INDEPENDENCE DAY 

CELEBRATION AT SANKALP 

(School for Special Children 

administered by INS Virbahu)� 

Blood Donation Camp 

� 


� 

Cake cutting by 

C-in-C (East) 

with Special Children

Walk with Families 

� 


DOLPHINS ON 

WELFARE MISSION 

� 

� 

Medical Camp 

An Outing with Families 

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