For tourists aboard the Sindbad, the final moments of their planned jaunt below the waves will have been a hellish, adrenaline-fueled lunge for survival.
Six Russian tourists, including two children, died yesterday when the submarine abruptly capsized in seas one kilometre off the coast of the Egyptian city of Hurghada at around 10 a.m.
Sea water is said to have begun pouring in through open hatches as passengers boarded the boat at a floating platform on the edge of a Red Sea coral reef. It then appears that she plunged to the seabed at a depth of around 20m.
Those on board will have had to swim out of the hatches of the stricken submarine. Doing this at this depth would be hugely testing for highly trained sailors, let alone terrified families with small children. It will have been chaotic and disorientating, with the roar of the water amid frantic shouts and screams. Those who escaped will have experienced a seawater pressure that was over double that in the shallows. Their ascent to the sun-splashed surface will have felt like a lifetime.
Of the 39 surviving tourists from Russia, India, Sweden and Norway, four are now in a critical condition in intensive care.
An investigation has been opened, with crew and operators questioned about an incident which has become world news. The submarine possesses a valid operating licence and her captain the required certification from the Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport.
However, the fact remains that there was a ratio of 45 totally untrained passengers, dressed for the beach, to five crew. It also appears that they hadn’t yet reached the stage when the recorded safety briefing was played.
This is merely the latest serious sea accident to occur in the region. Last November, the tourist boat Sea Story sank, leaving 11 dead or missing – including a pair of British divers.
A month later, the UK’s Marine Accident Investigation Branch raised serious concerns with Egyptian authorities about the safety of Red Sea dive boats, citing two additional accidents in 2023.
It’s clear that whatever regulations are in place are neither fit for purpose nor far-reaching enough.
Recreational submarines, of which there are around 14 worldwide, obviously differ from military ones in that their sole purpose is to generate money, which must, inevitably, impact on the mindset of owners.
By contrast, on Royal Navy boats, all operations are underpinned by a plethora of rigid regulations. Unfailingly, before each dive, the executive officer and an NCO both check that every location on board where water might enter is closed off.
The last Royal Navy submarine Britain lost was the diesel-electric boat HMS Affray, which went missing on April 16, 1951.
In the 74 years since, there have been accidents, skirmishes with icebergs and Cold War scrapes with Russian submarines. But our flotilla has remained intact, through relentless training and a downright twitchy obsession with safety which is embraced by the entire ship’s company.
The same unwavering commitment also extends to naval aviators and divers, who operate in equally perilous conditions, where things can unravel in seconds.
For the surface fleet, both fires and floods are extremely dangerous hazards and combating them is rigorously and regularly rehearsed. But if there’s a fire on board a dived submarine, there’s a single minute before the entire crew is unconscious due to the smoke.
Two years ago, the civilian Titan submersible imploded on its descent to view the sunken liner Titanic. Last summer the luxury yacht Bayesian suddenly sank in a violent Mediterranean storm. Now we have yet another tragedy in which those seeking thrill and pleasure at sea have not only perished but suffered horrific deaths.
As with Titan, the cruellest aspect of the Sindbad deaths is that the snuffing out of these lives was utterly avoidable. It has also proven what a savage and unforgiving mistress the sea can be.
Sindbad’s military counterparts will be hugely saddened by this accident. Submariners share a common brotherhood which transcends nationality and military uniform, with even Russian and western sailors feeling a kindred spirit.
But that doesn’t mean that any of those I know would consider taking a trip in a civilian submarine – quite the reverse. None of them would dream of recklessly putting their lives at risk like that.
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