As many as 311 Midshipmen and cadets of the Indian Navy, Indian Coast Guard, and four international cadets from the Maldives, Myanmar, and Vietnam passed out of the Indian Naval Academy (INA) at Ezhimala here at a passing-out parade on Saturday.
The parade was reviewed by Vice Admiral A.R. Karve, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Southern Naval Command. He awarded medals to nine meritorious Midshipmen and cadets after the ceremonial review. In his address, he called on the Midshipmen and cadets to imbibe the core values of Indian Navy, namely duty, honour, and courage. National Board of Accreditation chairman Surendra Prasad, INA Commandant Vice Admiral R.B. Pandit, and senior officers of the station and others were present at the function.
Four couses
The Midshipmen and cadets belonged to four different courses of Spring Term 2018, including INA Course (B.Tech.), INA Course (M.Sc.), and Naval Orientation Course (NOC, Extended and Regular).
The passed-out cadets also include 10 female cadets. Passing-out cadets were bid farewell by cadets of junior terms who manned the mast and a batch of three Naval Dornier Aircraft carried out a low flypast over the quarterdeck, welcoming the new officers to the Navy.
Parents and guardians of the passing-out cadets shipped the Naval and Coast Guard epaulettes, known as ‘Stripes’, on the shoulders of their wards marking their transformation from cadets to officers. These officers will proceed to various Naval and Coast Guard ships and establishments, INA officers said. Addressing a press conference after the parade, Vice Admiral Karve said the INA would continue to grow as per the requirement of the Navy. Being one of the best defence academies in the country, the INA has future expansion plans. The infrastructure would be further developed to accommodate more cadets, he added.
