Sunken vessel was in good condition: Navy Chief RK Dhowan

Dismissing reports that the sunken Torpedo Recovery Vessel A-72 was unfit, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral RK Dhowan on Sunday said the ship was in a "good condition" and had been checked before it set sail. Admiral Dhowan, who was here this evening to meet the family members of the sailor James Jacob who died after the vessel sank off the Visakhapatnam coast on Thursday night, told reporters, "before a vessel sails out, all its aspects are checked. The ship concerned was in absolutely good condition."

He said Navy was doing all to search for the missing four Navy personnel. "Navy has already launched a full-scale Search and Rescue (SAR) operation and we will do whatever we can to trace the missing four naval personnel. A board of inquiry headed by a captain is in progress to investigate the circumstances that led to the mishap," Dhowan added.

Replying to a query whether the vessel was carrying crew members beyond its capacity that could have led to the mishap, Dhowan said the vessel was in completely "correct state". The Navy Chief, along with his officials of Eastern Naval Command visited the family of Shishir Kumar Y, a weapon's officer of the Naval Armament Inspection Office of Eastern Naval Command, one of the four missing personnel.