THE DEEP OPERATIONS

August 1914, the German naval base at Helgoland (a small German archipelago in the North Sea) was abuzz with activity. A flotilla of 10 U-Boats 9Submarines) were being made ready for the first ever War Patrol to challenge the Royal Navy warships in the North Sea. The strategic concepts discussed and debated in rooms ashore had to be now put to practice at sea. The communication channels were limited and operational experience was only in sketches and papers. The only advantage of U-Boats was their capability to submerge and then wait for their prey. The torpedo was developed as a potent weapon and its connect could wreak havoc for a loaded warship. Speed was in favor of the ships and they could zig-zag in vast open oceans to save themselves from the prowling U-Boats. The concepts of engaging opponents from underwater had never been tested at sea and so was the case for the ships, which also had to find operational solutions to save themselves from the enemy’s torpedo.

The grand strategists spent countless hours as intelligence reports kept on pushing in sketchy details of the new dimensions that were to emerge in the war at sea. The enemy concepts were not known and also the potential fire power could not be imagined. The Cat and Mouse game had set in brilliantly as frenzied activities tried to catch up with the timelines at Helgoland harbour. Setting 10 U-Boats into operational mode and sending them to ocean’s distances to wage the war cry was a herculean effort. Finally, the moment arrived when the first of the U-Boats powered up its diesels and manoeuvred into the open ocean. The U-Boats tactics took their birth as one after another, the rest 09 U-Boats also sailed out towards the North Sea. The sentinels of the deep had taken their posts.

“Captain on the Jetty”, came out the voice on the Submarine’s loudspeaker. The boat was all set for a war game operation and the 03 HODs (Heads of Departments of Executive, Engineering and Electrical Section) rushed up the Control Room’s well to meet the Captain on the Submarine’s casing. A warm handshake from the Captain greeted each HOD as they reported their readiness for the patrol. The sea was calm and quiet and the weather was absolutely perfect to kiss the sea depths. The Submarine crew had worked hard over the months gone by to make the Submarine fully operational after her scheduled long overhaul and repairs. The dismantling, repairs/replacements/refurbishments and the final buttoning up and firing of the integrated equipments onboard a Submarine is a niche gamut of operational excellence. The events are always in a hurry to overtake the timelines and the crew is always hard pressed to meet the myriad challenges. Each soul, right from the Captain to the junior most Sailor, chip in their might to put the mammoth machine into motion. The Submarine’s crew had toiled hard to reach this day and the Old Lady’s machines were singing like canary. The battery juices and high pressure air was topped up and the Submarine was carrying its full load including war ammunitions. After all, it was a Patrol and she was supposed to sustain at sea for around 06 weeks. The operational tacticians had given her a pivotal position in the war game and she would have to deploy her own tactics to meet the challenges of enemy’s flotilla. The Submarine’s siren was sounded 03 times. On a crisp order from the Bridge, the massive Main Motor turned her screws (propeller blades) and the giant steel body started moving in astern direction. The Captain exchanged a salute with the Submarine base crew and gave orders to take the Submarine out to sea.

The last of the German Submarines left Helgoland and soon the Wolfe Pack was inside North Sea. Their aim was to sink capital ships of the British Grand Fleet, and so reduce the Grand Fleet's numerical superiority over the German High Seas Fleet. The first sortie was not a success. Only one attack was carried out, when SM U-15 fired a torpedo (which missed) at HMS Monarch. Two of the ten U-boats were lost.

The crew of the Submarine was closed up at Action Stations till the Submarine reached the diving area. The pre-diving checks were carried out and soon the ballast tanks were flooded with water from the Bay of Bengal. Within no time, the massive steel had dived to its Periscope Depth. The final sweep was taken on the Periscope and the Captain ordered the deep dive procedure. Effortlessly, the well oiled Submarine gained depth and settled down to its deepest depth. The machines ticked well and systems had bonded well. The crew settled down as the boat silently cut across the deep sea waters to its designated area. The challenge to meet the operational tasks had begun well. The phases of the war game and patrol commenced in the next couple of days and the crew and machine responded well.

The days at sea are utilised well to bond the crew and to meet the operational aims. Life onboard a dived Submarine depends on the efficiency and response of each and every man onboard. One small step of mistake can lead to a fatal end. The sweat and toil of the crew has to be perfectly matched at each stage. The well performing Submarine was now cruising along on her patrol phase and waiting for further orders. She was on her farthest point from mother harbour when Murphy (Murphy's law is an adage or epigram that is typically stated as: Anything that can go wrong will go wrong) decided to pay a visit onboard.

The Submarine had come up to put up a snort to charge her batteries and to provide well deserved fresh air to the crew. The 02 big diesels engines were running smoothly. Suddenly, the warning lights for the Starboard diesel engine came on and the engine tripped. The checks revealed a broken crankshaft and the starboard diesel was now gone for good as the repairs were time consuming and could only be attempted in the harbour. The Officers huddled down together and a detailed appreciation was prepared. The patrol and the games were not yet over. The Submarine had to sustain for at least 03 more weeks at sea and she was almost 400 miles away from her mother base. The appreciation clearly revealed the grit, resolve and the technical capability of the crew. The Captain decided to continue with the mission on a single engine and meet the challenges head on. This entailed a week of patrol and then a 02 week trudge back to the mother base. The vital parameters of all other machines were re-checked and calculations were re-hashed. The analytics were clear. The crew had to conserve each bit of power to meet the challenges with a single good engine. The battery charging capability had been reduced to 50% and this meant more time at snorting stations. This in turn meant that the single diesel engine had to be now flogged for double the time of operation and its engine running hours were being gobbled up at double the rate too.

Murphy was looking at the patient and competent crew. Their resolve had not satiated Murphy’s hunger. Murphy wanted more and it struck again the next day. The good engine’s sea water cooler is a massive piece of machinery. This ensures chilled water supply to the engine to keep its temperatures in operational limits. Murphy quietly pierced the cooler’s pipeline and soon the sea water had meshed itself with the oil inside the cooler. The warning signals came on and the engine had to be shut down. The boat dived to a safe depth and the engineers began their investigations. The situation’s appreciation revealed that the replacement could be carried out with a spare cooler. This replacement warranted 24+ hours of uninterrupted work. The battery was not fully charged when the mishap occurred. The electrical calculations were not very encouraging as the discharging battery could enter into a deep discharge mode and render the battery set useless.

The crew set into motion as Engineers began the process of dismantling the damaged cooler. The electrical load of the Submarine was reduced to a bare minimum as all the unwanted equipment was shut down. Ventilation was limited and an occasional pump was used to pump out water and maintain the depth. The war gaming ships were closing in and the Submarine’s position could not have been compromised. The Captain and his Officers took a brilliant decision of not to surface and attempted the critical repairs whilst submerged underwater. The Submarine would not give up its position and neither compromises the operational commitment. The task had to be met - was the resolve of the Submarine’s crew.

Time started ticking, temperatures inside the Submarine were rising, the battery was slowly getting drained and the air was becoming thicker with the carbon dioxide component as both Officers and Men went about their job of replacing the damaged cooler. The sweat and effort continued unabated for 28 hours. The battery was barely a few minutes away from its deepest discharge point when the engine was fired and the well generated current moved to charge the drained battery. The snorting station brought in whiff of fresh air for the crew and a loud round of applause went around for the gutsy engineers. Each man in the crew had played his role to the perfection to meet the challenges of the deep operation.

The Submarine moved on to its new location and met its tactical challenge with aplomb. Soon, the game was declared as over and the Submarine Crew had played its role well. The boat was brought back safely to its Mother Base and guts of the crew brought well deserved glory. The Commander-in-Chief sent his heartfelt congratulations to the spirit of the crew. The damaged crankshaft needed a long layoff. Such was the gusto of the crew that the boat operated on a single engine for the rest of the operational cycle and the flag of the Indian Navy and the spirit of the Submarine Arm flew high on its mast. The deep operations need men of steely resolve, courage and conviction. They do not give up and continue to innovate. If something is important and Murphy is also smirking against you, go and do it. The challenge would be surely met.