This is a guest article, written by the DH on his personal experience on board the now decommissioned Foxtrot sub INS Vela
There isn’t one of us who hasn’t had to listen to a submarine ‘old timer’ going on and on about the beauty, sleek lines and power of the Foxtrot Submarine. How many of us haven’t been accosted by an old sea dog at the Submarine Day Ball, staggering slightly, and happily tipsy, eager to find a youngster to regale, with stories of his Glory Days on a Foxtrot. The list will be short I am sure. And while these graceful boats may finally have found eternal berthing in the great dockyard beyond the skies, their memories live on in us, inspired by the stories we pass on, and tales that bring alive a bygone era that fewer and fewer of us can claim to have been a part of. Here is a story however, that is unique to the crew of INS Vela that as far as I know, has not been written of until now. I have no doubt that what Vela and her crew experienced on that day was like nothing any other Indian submarine has ever experienced – the force of a tsunami. Continue reading
