Visakhapatnam: INS Sandhayak to be decommissioned today

Visakhapatnam: After serving the nation for four decades, INS Sandhayak, the first of its class indigenously designed and built hydrographic survey ship of Indian navy, will be decommissioned on Friday.

The decommissioning ceremony of the ship will be held on a low key at Naval Dockyard Visakhapatnam by in-station officers and sailors with strict observance of Covid protocols.

Sandhayak was conceptualised by then Chief Hydrographer to the Government of India, Rear Admiral FL Fraser who had a strong desire for indigenously designed and built hydrographic survey vessels in India.

The design was finalised by naval headquarters and the construction of the ship began at GRSE Kolkata (then Calcutta) by laying the keel in 1978.

The ship was commissioned to the Indian Navy on February 26, 1981 by Vice Admiral MK Roy, then flag officer commanding-in-chief Eastern Naval Command (ENC).

The ship, during her commissioned service, has undertaken approximately 200 major hydrographic surveys and numerous minor surveys in both East and West coasts of the country, the Andaman seas and the neighbouring countries as well.

Apart from survey missions, the ship has been an active participant in many significant operations such as Operation Pawan – assisting the Indian Peace Keeping Force in Sri Lanka in 1987, Operation Sarong, Operation Rainbow - rendering humanitarian assistance post Tsunami and participation in maiden joint Indo-US Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief exercise 'Tiger-Triumph'.

In its glorious 40 years, the ship saw 22 commanding officers at the helm. On Friday, the naval ensign and the commissioning pennant will be hauled down for the last time onboard INS Sandhayak, in the presence of flag officer commanding-in-chief ENC Vice Admiral Ajendra Bahadur Singh, symbolising the decommissioning.