'On eternal patrol': Indonesia ends salvage operation for sunken submarine

Fifty-three sailors died when the 'KRI Nanggala-402' sank off Bali

A military officer puts up on the wall the pictures of the crew members of the missing Indonesian Navy submarine KRI Nanggala. EPA

A naval officer shows parts of the torpedo system found in the search operation for the Navy's KRI Nanggala (402) submarine that went missing on April 21, at a press conference in Denpasar. AFP

Indonesian Military chief Hadi Tjahjanto, center, talks to media as they show debris found in the waters during a search operation for the Indonesian Navy submarine KRI Nanggala at Ngurah Rai Military Air Base in Bali, Indonesia. AP Photo

Debris believed to be from a missing Indonesian Navy submarine KRI Nanggala are displayed during a press conference at a command in Ngurah Rai Airport in Bali. EPA

Members of Indonesian Navy's maritime patrol aircraft of 800 Air Squadron of the 2nd Air Wing of Naval Aviation Center (PUSPENERBAL) use binoculars during a search mission for KRI Nanggala. EPA

Indonesian Navy personnel are seen on the submarine KRI Nanggala-402 as they arrive in Surabaya, East Java province, Indonesia on February 6, 2012. M Risyal Hidayat/Antara Foto via Reuters

A military officer looks at the pictures of crew members of the missing Indonesian Navy submarine KRI Nanggala. EPA

Military officers stand in front of a map of the search area for the missing Indonesian Navy submarine KRI Nanggala. EPA

Berda Asmara shows a wedding photo with her sailor husband Mes Guntur Ari Prasetyo at their home in Surabaya. AFP

Berda Asmara (L) and family members gather to wait for news of her sailor husband Mes Guntur Ari Prasetyo at their home in Surabaya. AFP

A military officer puts up on the wall the pictures of the crew members of the missing Indonesian Navy submarine KRI Nanggala. EPA

Members of the Royal Malaysian Navy and crew prepare to board a ship to join the search mission of the missing Indonesia's submarine KRI Nanggala. EPA

Officers prepare a helicopter before taking part in the search operation for the missing Indonesian Navy submarine KRI Nanggala. EPA

Indonesian Navy ship KRI Singa sails to take part in the search for submarine KRI Nanggala that went missing while participating in a training exercise on Wednesday. AP Photo

An aerial photo shows Indonesian Navy submarine KRI Alugoro sailing on a search mission for KRI Nanggala. EPA

AN Indonesian Navy hospital ship during a search for submarine KRI Nanggala. AP Photo

A National Search and Rescue Agency rescue ship sails to join the search for submarine KRI Nanggala. AP Photo

The MV Mega Bakti submarine rescue ship departs from Sepanggar navy base to join the search mission of the missing Indonesia's submarine KRI Nanggala in Malaysia. . EPA

Indonesia's navy has officially ended its efforts to salvage the KRI Nanggala-402 submarine, which sank in April off Bali with the  loss of all 53 crew, a navy spokesman said on Wednesday.

The 44-year-old vessel was discovered broken into three parts at a depth of 840 metres.

Authorities had acknowledged the difficulties of retrieving the vessel, despite assistance from countries in the region – including China, Australia and Malaysia.

"The salvage effort is over," Indonesian Navy spokesman Julius Widjojono said. Parts of the KRI Nanggala-402 remain on the sea floor.

The navy lost contact with the submarine in the early hours of April 21 while it was preparing to conduct a torpedo drill in the Bali Sea.

This sparked a desperate international search and rescue effort to locate the submarine before its oxygen supplies ran out.

On eternal patrol

After confirmation that the submarine's crew was lost, Indonesian President Joko Widodo addressed the public, praising the submariners as "the best sons of the nation, the patriots who guard the sovereignty of the country".

The tragedy attracted further global attention when a video emerged of the sunken vessel's crew singing a song called Sampai Jumpa, which means "see you later".

Submariners have long referred to sunken submarines as being on "eternal patrol".

It is thought the phrase was first used during the Second World War, when the status of submarines on combat duty was marked as "on patrol".

When the submarines were out of radio contact – and potentially missing – the status remained, leading to the "eternal patrol" status given to sunken submarines.