President for Vizag on Dec 7

Visakhapatnam: President Ram Nath Kovind will visit the city on December 7 and participate in the Golden Jubilee celebrations of Eastern Naval Command and submarine arm of Indian Navy.

Highlights:

• Golden jubilee of submarine arm
• Naval operational display at RK Beach

A naval operational display will be held at the RK Beach in the evening in which the President, who is also supreme commander of armed forces, will be the chief on the occasion, said flag officer, commanding-in-chief , Eastern Naval Command Vice- Admiral HCS Bisht. The submarine arm came long way from INS Kalvari to INS Arihant, the first indigenous nuclear submarine, which was built in Ship Building Centre of Visakhapanam.

The Indian Navy’s submarine arm formally came into existence on December 8, 1967 with the commissioning of INS Kalveri under the command of Commander K Subramanian. Simultaneously, sanctions were also accorded to acquire a submarine depot ship and a submarine rescue ship as also to set up shore support facilities of a submarine base INS Virbahu.

During the next few years, the rest three boats- INS Khanderi, INS Karanj and INS Kursura under the command of commanders MN Vasudeva, MN Sawant and A Auditto were also inducted. The INS Amba was commissioned in December 1968 and the INS Nistar in 1971. The submarine base INS Virbahu was commissioned on May 19, 1971.