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.
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If the harbor is shallow perhaps they can re-float it and repair? I heard they did that with some of the ships at Perl Harbor.
I'm sorry, how can you miss seeing a massive ship in front of you? The merchant ship's captain must have been drunk or high.
Only in India!!!! If it isn't a bus load of people going over a cliff, its a friging frigate sinking!!!!
Maybe a seat on the UNSC isn't for them....
Hay Mangoosed, not putting a blame for this on Pakistan???
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What a bunch of stupid morons.
Were there any casualties? Why is no mention made of this? It is clear that almost everyone commenting on this thread has an extremely high IQ!
No ... Nobody hurt fortunately.
It was a lucky call really. Who puts a battleship on A1?
All this is Obama's fault
WELL, maybe there will be less phone calls from telemarketers and Indian representatives of US companies now- I can never understand them
Friends, although this incident is funny, the comments I see in response are disheartening. It clearly underscores a lack of sensitivity often associated with Americans, in general, towards people of other race. It is to be noted that an Indian, who comes to work in US, does so because he wants to share the American dream that so many migrants before you have done. That's what makes US so special. But, the way some of you have commented about Indians, some of whom may be your very close friends, your co-worker, the RN who may have nursed you back to health, is clearly disturbing. Most Indians, in general, are gentle by nature and may choose to ignore the racist, vulgar comments here.
Agreed indeed! While the situation is strangely almost comical, I noticed it took 24 hours for the vessel to actually sink in its own harbor, I did not see any indication in the article as if anyone had been injured or killed. I hope all hands are ok.
What is the ship thinking about? Did you delete your cookies?
Funny !
I hope no one was hurt, but honestly this is funny as hell