Live updates: Naval Chief Admiral D K Joshi resigns after mishap of submarine INS Sindhuratna near Mumbai

New Delhi/Mumbai: Taking moral responsibility for the mishaps that have taken place in Indian Navy warships during the past six months, the Chief of Naval Staff Admiral D K Joshi today resigned from the post of Chief of Naval Staff. .The Government has accepted the resignation of Admiral Joshi with immediate effect.Vice Chief of Naval Staff Vice Admiral RK Dhowan will be discharging the duties of officiating CNS, pending appointment of regular CNS. Two Indian naval commanders were missing, and five unconscious sailors had to be airlifted after thick smoke emanated on board this Kilo class submarine INS Sindhuratna this morning off Mumbai coast. The five sailors fell unconscious due to smoke. They were rushed to a Mumbai hospital for treatment.INS Sindhuratna (S59) is a Sindhughosh-class diesel-electric submarine of the Indian Navy. It was made in Russia.Sindhuratna was still in testing mode here , it had not been placed under operational command yet.This is the twelfth mishap in Indian navy since the unfortunate INS Sindhurakshak tragedy.The fire on INS Sindhurakshak took place when an explosion took place inside a battery box. In 2008, INS Sindhughosh had collided with a marine ship, while in 2011, INS Vindhyagiri caught fire after it hit a marine ship. Nobody was injured, but the warship was completely damaged. What is Kilo Class submarine?The Kilo Class is the NATO designation for a naval diesel-electric submarine made in Russia. The original version of the vessels were designated Project 877 Paltus (Halibut) in Russia. The Kilo Class submarines are mainly intended for anti-shipping and anti-submarine operations in relatively shallow waters. Original Project 877 vessels are equipped with Rubikon MGK-400 sonar system, which includes a mine detection and avoidance sonar MG-519 Arfa. The first Kilo Class submarine entered service in the Soviet Navy in 1980, and the vessel continues to be in service in Russain Navy. A total of 14 such vessels are believed to be in Russian Navy's fleet, with 17 in active service and seven in reserve. • Till today, 33 such vessels have been exported to India, Algeria, China, Poland, Iran and Vietnam. Also, Venezuela and Indonesia have showed interest in acquiring Kilo Class submarines.• These submarines are 70-74 metres long. The submarine can travel at the maximum speed of 10-12 knots when surfaced and 17-25 knots when under water.• The submarines are propelled by a diesel-electric engine which generates 4,400 kw of power. These submarines can travel upto 700 km at 6 km/h when submerged. It can snorkel upto 11,000 km at 13 km/h. The vessels can stay in the sea for 45 days at a stretch, after which they need to return to docks/nearest port. These vessels can carry up to eight surface-to-air missiles and can carry 18 torpedoes or 14 underwater mines. These can carry 52 personnel on board. The price of one Kilo-Class vessel ranges between $200-250 million.The Kilo-class submarine is thought to be one of the most silent submarine classes in the world. It has been specifically designed for anti-shipping and anti-submarine operations in relatively shallow waters.Displacement (tons) 2,300Length (m) 72.6Beam (m) 9.9Max Dive Depth (m/ft) 350/1,200Range (miles) 6,000Crew 57Armament 6x533mm Torpedo tubesMax Surface Speed (kts) 10Max Submerged Speed (kts) 19Endurance (days) 45Max Depth (m) 300 Range: Snorting:6,000 mi (9,700 km) at 7 kn (13 km/h)Submerged:400 miles (640 km) at 3 knots (5.6 km/h) Endurance: Up to 45 days with a crew of 52 Test depth: Operational Depth;240 m (790 ft)Maximum Depth;300 m (980 ft)Here are the live updates of the rescue operation for INS Sindhuratna:7:07 pm: Naval chief Admiral D K Joshi resigns owning moral responsibility. Defence Ministry immediately accepts his resignation. Vice Chief of Naval Staff Vice Admiral R K Dhowan to be officiating Naval Chief.5:40 pm: Search operation is still on as dusk is descending to locate the two missing Naval officers in the submarine. Indian Navy orders inquiry into mishap on INS Sindhuratna.1:30 pm: Reports say, a Commander and a Lt Commander are missing.1 pm: Reports said, Commodore Commanding submarine west S R Kapoor was also inside the submarine. A total of 70 personnel were inside the submarine. The submarine is now returning to Mumbai coast.