Ms. Berda, an early childhood educator at a university in Surabaya, said the Nanggala sailors’ wives were close to each other and shared WhatsApp groups and meals when their husbands were away. The camaraderie was something she understood growing up as the daughter of a naval officer, she said.
An hour’s drive away, in the town of Sidoarjo, the family of Colonel Harry, commander of the Indonesian submarine fleet, held their own vigil on Saturday. His 18-year-old son, Sheeva Naufal Zidane, said he wanted to go submarine too.
“I’ve wanted to be on a sub since I was a kid because my dad is cool,” he said.
When the television exploded on Saturday afternoon with the news that the submarine debris had been found, Colonel Harry’s family huddled together. When his mother cried, Mr. Sheeva rubbed eucalyptus oil on her feet. The air echoed with prayers.
Mrs. Winny, Colonel Harry’s wife, said her husband has never lost his professional cool and is calm even during the hottest traffic jams. The debris in the Bali Sea haunted her, she said, but it wouldn’t kill her faith.
“There is still hope, I will not stop hoping,” she said. “The men will survive. It is not over yet. “
Hannah Beech and Muktita Suhartono reported from Bangkok and Dera Menra Sijabat from Surabaya, Indonesia. John Ismay and James Glanz contributed to the coverage.