All communication equipment of the Maritime Self-Defense Force submarine Soryu, which collided Monday with a commercial cargo ship, was rendered unusable immediately after the collision. According to the MSDF, damage to the antenna and other equipment on the top of the hull was the cause.
At a press conference on Tuesday, MSDF Chief of Staff Hiroshi Yamamura said the MSDF will consider deploying portable satellite telephones and other measures.
According to sources related to the Defense Ministry, the submarine is equipped with a means of communication using high frequency (HF), very high frequency (VHF) and ultra high frequency (UHF) waves, as well as a marine telephone using satellites. For each of these, communication is enabled by extending an antenna from the bridge on the top of its hull.
However, the antenna and other communication equipment on the bridge were damaged in the accident. The submarine reported the accident by mobile phone after moving to a sea area where mobile communication service was available.
The MSDF received the first report about 3-1/2 hours after the collision, and it took another 30 minutes to report the incident to Defense Minister Noboru Kishi and Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga.
"This was beyond our expectations and should be reflected on. Not being able to communicate in an emergency is a serious problem and should not be allowed to happen, even unexpectedly," Yamamura told a news conference. The Defense Ministry is considering the deployment of portable satellite phones that do not require an antenna to be installed outside the ship.
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