Did a Torpedo Implosion Sink Indonesian Submarine?

Did a torpedo implode in Indonesian submarine, KRI Nanggala 402 splitting up the 44 year old vessel into three parts and killing all of its 53 officers and crew instantly?

Indonesian Navy Commander Yudo Margono said at a press conference Sunday that was broadcast on Indonesian television that SONARS had located an object that looked like a submarine at a depth of 850 m, way out of its 500 meter ‘safe’ diving range suggesting that a catastrophic event had taken place abroad the submarine.

A video released during the press conference revealed large parts of the sunken submarine. According to the Indonesian Navy commander, the boat split into three fragments, most likely unable to withstand the water pressure at 850 meters depth.

Earlier, rescuers found fragments of a torpedo and other ‘items’ that could have come only from 'inside' the submarine indicating that the vessel broke up. According to some reports, rescuers found parts of a torpedo tube, a container for lubricating a periscope and prayer rugs. However, none of the bodies of its sailors have been found.

"There is irrefutable evidence, according to which we can confirm that the submarine Nanggala-402 sank, 53 sailors on board were killed in the line of duty," according to the Commander-in-Chief of the Indonesian Armed Forces Hadi Jajanto.

KRI Nanggala 402 went missing on April 21 after it participated in a torpedo shooting exercise in the Bali sea. The exercise, which was planned to be attended by the Indonesian Armed Forces Commander was to be held on April 22. According to officially released information, the submarine was given permission to dive early Wednesday and lost contact soon after.

As to the technical reasons why the KRI Nanggala 402 sank, the Indonesian Navy has said the submarine suffered a ‘black out,’ without explaining what that meant. Earlier speculation was that its batteries malfunctioned.

However, that does not explain fragments of its torpedoes found outside the vessel unless one of the torpedoes blew up causing the vessel to break up and sink instantly.