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Indonesian submarine crew sing ‘Goodbye’ before disappearance in deeply poignant video
27 April 2021, 10:54 | Updated: 29 April 2021, 17:23
Video shows crew of sunken Indonesia submarine singing farewell song
In a video filmed weeks before their disappearance, Indonesian submariners sing in unison to farewell their outgoing commander.
A video filmed weeks before an Indonesian submarine went missing shows the 53-strong crew singing a poignant farewell song, which means:
Even though I’m not ready to be missing you
I’m not ready to live without you.
I wish all the best for you.
‘Sampai Jumpa’, an Indonesian melody meaning ‘Goodbye’, was sung by the crew members to honour the outgoing commander of the navy’s submarine corps, Indonesian military spokesperson Djawara Whimbo told AFP.
All 53 crew members, who sing along in unison as one seaman provides accompaniment on acoustic guitar, are now presumed dead after the submarine sank off the coast of Bali.
On Sunday, the Indonesian military announced rescue teams had found the vessel in pieces on the ocean floor, about 800 metres below the surface.
Indonesian armed forces chief Hadi Tjahjanto confirmed, “all 53 personnel onboard have passed”.
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The submarine disappeared early last Wednesday, while it had been scheduled on a routine training exercise.
Commander Heri Oktavian, 42, is among those singing in the video, which was filmed a few weeks before the KRI Nanggala 402 sank.
Indonesia’s President, Joko Widodo, described the crew as the country’s “best patriot” and pledged government funding for the education of their children.
“The country will award them [the crew] by promoting them one rank higher and awarding them with a star medal for the services and contribution of these warriors,” he said.
“The government will also sponsor the education of the... crew members’ children until their bachelor’s degrees.”
On Monday, grieving relatives met on the shore in Bali to pay their respects to the crew.
