GETTING INTO A SUBMARINE IN SURABAYA

   25th JULY 2025    ~ This should be my first time getting into a submarine and it happened in Surabaya city. After Monumen Pahlawan and Muzium 11 Nopember, we went to the next spot: Muzium Kapal Selam a.k.a Monkasel [TRANSLATE: Submarine Museum] in the heart of the city.

The vessel, which was named Pasopati, was built in Vladivostok, Russia in 1952. It was then used by the Indonesian Army from January 1962 until 1994. When the ship was no longer in service, it was disassembled and moved to a spot in the city which was later reassembled and converted into a museum.

the friendly museum guide, Ms. Siska

Mr. Yoga, the tour guide

It was in fact an interesting and educational visit. I just could not imagine living inside such a small space underwater for a long period of time - definitely not a spot for a claustrophobic person. One thing worth mentioning, a big size person might find it difficult to get from one end to the other as he/she needs to pass through the small, round door that connects the few parts of the submarine. Even I who had issues with my knees found it challenging to move inside the vessel.

 

We had to make our move to the airport as the other tour members would be arriving. However, before that, I was taken to the monument which was the icon of Surabaya. A statue of a fish and a crocodile, the two sea creatures from which the name Surabaya derived from. The Shark [Suro] represented bravery while the crocodile [Boyo] was the symbol of strength, or it could be the other way around. The two marine animals fought but there was no winner eventually.

Guess I had already learned a lot of things right after I set foot here. There would be more things to observe, experience and enjoy for the upcoming three days.

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