The heavily armed Indian navy frigate was equipped to do battle with enemy battleships and submarines, but it went up in flames as soon as it was hit … not by a torpedo or enemy vessel, mind you, but by a merchant ship.
The sinking of the INS Vindhyagiri, a 3,000-ton warship, marked the worst-ever peacetime loss for the Indian navy, Indian Express reported, adding that it’s also pretty embarrassing.
The warship was returning from a “day at sea” for families of sailors and officers and was entering the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust off the coast of Mumbai on Sunday afternoon, the website said.
Video taken by a passenger aboard the INS Vindhyagiri caught the collision as it unfolded. Those aboard the navy ship can be seen scurrying nervously as the merchant vessel approaches the frigate.
The Cyprus-flagged MV Nordlake, which was leaving the harbor, narrowly missed another container vessel, the MV Sea Eagle, and as it turned to avoid the Sea Eagle, it slammed into the frigate.
The collision cracked the warship's hull near the waterline. Water rushed in, and a fire broke out in the engine room, the Indian Express reported.
The Mumbai Mirror reported that the Navy attempted to put out the blaze, but the added water served only to sink the ship faster.
The ship was towed into the harbor, but it sank Monday afternoon. Police said they planned to arrest the Nordlake’s captain, according to the Indian Express.
© 2012 Cable News Network. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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Epic fail.
All these posts... . Where is the one that says its a stupid way for alot of people to have been put in harms way and there is no report yet if anyone died. It was after all a ship filled with families for gods sake. If there is ever any doubt as to why so many outside of the US think badly of us... idiot slurpee comments is a good start.
Made in China?
No, Chinese $–t would be damaged but still float. This seems to be a "made in Bombay shipyard" brick.
Looks like they didn't learn a damn thing from the British Imperial Navy, you should beg them to come back and "Re-Civilize" your nation. Good Luck in a Naval battle ALALALALALALA!
did the captain of the Indian Boat yell " THANK YOU, COME AGAIN" as they were just about to hit????????
Maybe before they try to defeat Pakistani rowboat terrorists, they should try and defeat their own commercial navy....learn to walk then run. HAHA
This is what happens when 3rd world countries attempt to act like 1st world countries. Take care of your people first and quit worrying about being nuked by another country. Shame on dos injuns fo sur.
FYI: India ia not a third world country!! Which third world country has a successful space program? I will define India as a promising developing country with lots of people and corruption.
India is a "developing country" only in Bangalore! And that is because of 24/7 IT support centers.
Who are you kidding?
To AZ: You think Bangalore is the only developed city in India with strong industry? Your extreme ignorance is showing.
Webgamer, what sucessful space program? Isn't there a pesky little habit of missles exploding?
One can only pray THAT THE SQUISHEE MACHINE WAS UNDAMAGED!!!
I'm assuming no one was hurt, but it would have been nice to read it.
I bet it is somehow blamed on Pakistan... It is scary to think that a hundred million dollar warship can be sent to the bottom by a fender bender with a barge. So much for needing Trillions of dollars for anti ship weapons.
I think we are getting off subject here. Yea yea, Americans are dumb......so dumb, they have have managed to enslave an entire subcontinent to do all the grunt work that we find beneath us.
Loos of life, didn't see any. One good thing. Someone (some crew) made a very bad mistake. My the guilty get what they ahve coming to them. Ships are flagged with different countries for a lot of reasons, saftey rules, pay issues, others come to mind, others know more. The language of the seas is English, (usually British sounding) so that is not an issue. Let us wish the victims and survivorrs well.
Why does the new Indian Navy ships have glass bottoms? So they can see the old Indian Navy!
"Capt'n, I've give 'er all she's got. And she canna take no more!" – Scott
dam should have kept thier boat in the bath tub, OMG that's right they don't bath