Poignant Footage From Ill-Fated Indonesian Submarine Goes Viral on Social Media

After the wreckage of a missing Indonesian Navy submarine was discovered at the bottom of the sea, footage has emerged of sailors singing from inside the ill-fated submarine.

The KRI Nanggala, a decades-old German-made submarine, went missing last Wednesday while participating in live torpedo drills off the north coast of Bali.

It is unclear if the sailors seen singing on the video were those who perished, or when the video was taken.

The video went viral on social media after it was shared by Erix Soekamti, frontman of the band which sang the original tune that the sailors are seen and heard singing to. The song, ironically titled “Sampai Jumpa," which means goodbye, was sang by popular Indonesian pop punk band Endank Soekamti. The video has received over a million views as of time of publication.

The submarine ceased communications and dropped off the radar not long after it was granted permission on Wednesday. In the early hours of Sunday morning, Indonesian navy officials said they received a signal indicating that it was located at a depth of some 2,600 feet. The vessel was only designed to withstand a depth of up to 1,640 feet.

It was found on Monday with its hull, stern and main body separated into three pieces on the seafloor. All 53 crew have been confirmed dead.

Shortly after the discovery, the video of a crew from inside the submarine made the rounds on Indonesian social media. In the video, sailors are seen gathered around an acoustic guitar allegedly to sing a rousing farewell song to their outgoing Commander, Heri Oktavian, according to reports. VICE World News has not confirmed this.

Oktavian was aboard the vessel when it sank last week.

“Even though I'm not ready to be missing you, I'm not ready to live without you,” the crew members are heard in the video singing. “I wish all the best for you.”

Rescuers have yet to retrieve any bodies from the sunken submarine, which is thought to have cracked as it descended. It is still unclear what caused it to sink, though the navy has previously said it believes the submarine may have experienced power failures that rendered it unable to resurface. 

President Joko Widodo described the crew as Indonesia's “best patriots”, saying "all Indonesians convey their deep sadness over this incident, especially to the families of the submarine crew." Widodo further added that the government would pay for the education of the victims’ children.

Grieving relatives gathered on the Bali seashore on Monday to pay their respects—carrying incense, flowers, and photographs of the victims—and urged the authorities to bring up their bodies from the wreck site. 

Experts say they will need specialised salvage equipment to recover the submarine from the depths. A retrieval operation is being discussed with other experts and international bodies.

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