JP/19/SUB1

JP/19/SUB1

Submarine surfaces as tourist attraction in Surabaya

On Dec. 5 the Indonesian Navy celebrated its 60th birthday in
Surabaya.

There was a parade and other events to mark this important
day, though most were for VIPs at the docks.

The closest ordinary people get to a warship is alongside a
McDonald's restaurant. The Jakarta Post contributor Duncan Graham
reports:

What do you do with a weapon of mass destruction when it has
passed its use-by date?

Fighter aircraft and artillery are often turned into
memorials. Warships are cut up for scrap unless the vessel is in
a high-cost labor country where the expense of demolition is more
than the worth of the metal.

Australia is such a nation. The Down Under answer is to sink
decommissioned craft near popular beaches where they become
recreational diving spots and a fish refuge.

The Surabaya solution has been to turn a killing machine into
a tourist attraction.

In the heart of Indonesia's second-largest city and alongside
a major shopping mall squats Pasopati 410. Once a pride of the
Indonesian Navy, this massive submarine is now a quietly rusting
hull looking like a sad beached whale far from its aquatic home.

Certainly incongruous, absolutely grotesque, bizarrely
fascinating.

Ten years ago it began its slow journey from undersea to
parking lot. Cut into 16 slices, the 1,050 tonne steel sausage
was trucked inland piece by piece, reassembled and renamed
Monkasel.

This is an acronym constructed from Monument Kapal Selam, or
submarine monument.

The idea, floated by the then regional governor, was to
encourage tourism, preserve the nation's maritime history, stress
nationality, honor heroes and the "motivate the society to love
the sea."

Built in Vladivostok in 1952, it entered the Indonesian Navy's
Eastern Fleet 10 years later when then president Sukarno
preferred communist arms suppliers. It saw service in the
campaign to force the Dutch out of Papua, but to the great good
fortune of all mariners enjoyed a passive life.

It seems that Pasopati 410 (named after a traditional Javanese
arrow) was employed as an intimidator rather than destroyer, for
there is no record of the monster firing any of its 12 torpedoes
in anger.

Visitors who pay Rp 5,000 (US 50 cents) may get a guided tour
of the interior if they wake the dozing pseudo sailor girls in
their saucy uniforms.

Sadly their mumbling presentation is unlikely to honor heroes
or inspire a love of the distant sea. They certainly don't
welcome visitors and their ability to answer nonstandard
questions is zero.

There are no brochures or signs in English so anyone without a
good knowledge of Indonesian will find themselves adrift.

Despite these annoyances, a visit repays the effort. The 63
crew who drove this 76 meter metal fish were certainly brave men
and the tour worthwhile just to see what they had to endure. The
experience is not recommended for the claustrophobic.

Negotiating the engine room, bridge, crew quarters and other
chambers is hazardous as the interior bristles with head-high
valves and hip-level levers, all designed to crack skulls and
tangle bag straps.

Imagine what it was like in action on a swelling sea, the
thumping, stinking diesel engines sharing the same cramped space
with men working, eating and sleeping.

Then there was the ever-present fear of a leak or equipment
malfunction while deep underwater. Russian subs have a poor
reputation for safety, even now.

The official histories don't tell the full story. After the
fall of Sukarno in 1965 all things Soviet were off-limits, and
that included spare parts for the former Russian ships (see
sidebar).

Pasopati was one of 14 Whiskey-class submarines bought from
the Russians. This underwater fleet rapidly surfaced and
diminished as vessels were cannibalized to keep their sister
craft operational.

Surabaya is a major naval port and exhibiting an old submarine
helps keep the past alive. Where else can you find such an
attraction outside your hotel window? Other major cities have
subways; Surabaya has a sub.

Kiosks and cafes have been built around Monkasel and alongside
the murky waters of the misnamed Kali Mas (Gold River). The area
has become Surabaya's substitute for lovers' lane, a popular
weekend spot for young couples who need time to themselves away
from prying eyes and puritanical parents: "We're just going to
the mall, Mum, have a bite at McD then do a history assignment.
We won't go outside the area. No need to worry."

Maybe it's better this way. The submarine was preserved to
help stimulate nationalism, but most visitors to Monkasel now
prefer to make love, not war.

(Monkasel is open from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays and to 10
p.m. on weekends.)