Remembering Nanggala together

When the news broke that KRI Nanggala was forever lost with 53 souls on board, a heavy silence settled across the RAN ships sent to find her.

Five years later, that same silence returned as Australian and Indonesian sailors stood shoulder to shoulder on HMAS Stalwart to honour the crew lost beneath the Bali Sea.

Nanggala sank on April 21, 2021, during a torpedo firing exercise.

During Exercise Keris Woomera 26, HMAS Stalwart held a memorial service as the ship passed over the site where the submarine came to rest.

When contact with Nanggala was lost, the Indonesian Navy launched a major search and rescue effort.

The RAN answered the call, deploying HMA Ships Ballarat and Sirius to support the operation.

CMDR Australian Amphibious Task Force CAPT Chris Doherty, who commanded Sirius during the search, recalled the atmosphere on the ship.

“The mood on board was sombre,” CAPT Doherty said.

“When the Nanggala was located, confirming all hands had been lost, that silence deepened. It was a silence of respect, grief and solidarity. A silence between mariners.”

For CO KRI Sultan Iskandar Muda LTCOL Rakhmad Widiyanto, commemorating fallen sailors together reaffirmed the enduring partnership between the two navies.

“Your solidarity and remembrance means a great deal to us,” LTCOL Widiyanto said.

“Please know of our heartfelt appreciation for your cooperation, especially through exercises like Keris Woomera which strengthens the bond and operational readiness between our navies.”

Among those attending was underwater warfare officer Ensign Alfi Safwan, who has served in the Indonesian Navy for just four months.

The 22-year-old said the memorial highlighted the strength of the relationship between the two nations.

“Australia came to help, which shows our good friendship,” Ensign Safwan said.

“Of course Indonesia would do the same because we are neighbours and we help as we can.

“I am happy to be part of Keris Woomera to increase our capability and skills with Australia and build friendship.”

CO Stalwart CMDR Ashleigh Payne reflected on the risks shared by all who go to sea.

“For the crew of Nanggala, there was no safe return,” CMDR Payne said.

“Their families were left to bear a loss that words can never adequately describe.

“They shall never be forgotten.”

CAPT Doherty said the legacy of the Nanggala crew lives on through the cooperation and friendships forged on exercises like Keris Woomera.

“The loss of Nanggala reminds us that the oceans do not divide Australia and Indonesia – they bind us,” he said.

“In tragedy, we stood together. In sorrow, we supported one another. And in the years since, we have strengthened the ties that define our cooperation.

“May we continue to stand together in training, in crisis and in purpose.”

See more images from Exercise Keris Woomera.