The Indonesian navy has released poignant footage of the crew of a sunken submarine singing farewell, just weeks before their vessel perished off the coast of Bali.
Military officials yesterday confirmed they had found the KRI Nanggala, which lost contact on Wednesday as it prepared to conduct a torpedo drill.
The ship's hull, stern and main body were separated, with the latter found cracked, and authorities are now drawing up plans to retrieve the wreck and the bodies of its 53 crew from the sea floor.
The video, which was recorded as a farewell for the outgoing Commander of the navy's submarine corps, shows the sailors inside the vessel, gathered around a crew member playing an acoustic guitar.
The men, including the vessel's Commander, Heri Oktavian, then break into a rendition of Sampai Jumpa, an Indonesian hit meaning "see you later".
"Even though I'm not ready to be missing you, I'm not ready to live without you," they sing.
"I wish all the best for you."
'We have already given our son to the government'
Grieving relatives gathered on the seashore in Bali on Monday to pay their respects to those who perished, and urged the authorities to bring up their bodies from the depths.
Some carried incense and flowers as they clutched framed photographs. Others rowed out to sea to ceremoniously scatter petals in the water.
"We have already given our son to the government," said Wayan Darmanta, whose nephew I Gede Kartika was among those to have died.
"Now that he has fallen in this operation, we hope the government will return his remains to us after all the official ceremonies."
Experts say it will be a daunting task to lift the submarine to the surface from the deep water, requiring specialised salvage equipment.
A spokesman for Indonesia's navy said a retrieval operation was still being discussed with experts and international bodies.
"We will analyse the underwater pictures and video, the current, etcetera, to decide the technology that will be used," First Admiral Julius Widjojono said.
President Joko Widodo offered his condolences to the relatives and pledged the state would fund the education of the dead sailors' children.
ABC/wires
