Might of Indian Navy on display

Demonstration of close range anti-aircraft firing highlight of programme

January 17, 2011 02:07 am | Updated 02:40 am IST - CHENNAI:

INS Rana, a missile destroyer, participating in a programme organised as part of Indian Navy Day, in Chennai on Sunday. Photo: R. Ragu

INS Rana, a missile destroyer, participating in a programme organised as part of Indian Navy Day, in Chennai on Sunday. Photo: R. Ragu

It was a glorious melange of colours entwining different shades of blue and green, engulfed in much sunshine, with cold breeze wafting, when amid the waters, some 35 km away from Chennai harbour, frantic screams of help could be heard as a hand waved seeking assistance. A rapid exchange of messages happen between the ship and the control rooms as the men in blue take charge displaying signal flags and initiate the rescue operations. In no time, a navy helicopter hovers around, detects the ‘target', lowers the ‘air-crew diver' to rescue him, successfully demonstrating a 'search and rescue operation'.

As many as 1,200 persons, a majority of them family members of Indian defence officers besides mediapersons, in two naval ships – INS Rana and INS Kulish – witnessed the splendour and the might of several Indian Navy operations in a programme organised to commemorate Indian Navy Day here on Sunday.

Aided by tug boats that help steer the ships into the water without colliding into other vessels, the warships, with defence equipment, including surface-to-surface missiles, guns of different range and torpedoes moved swiftly. Both INS Kulish, a ten-year-old corvette, one of the eight owned by the country, and the INS Rana are based in Visakapatnam, and belong to the Eastern Command.

While missile-destroyer ship INS Rana is designed for multi-dimensional combat operations, killer ships such as INS Kulish are the first ones to go for the combat when submarines bring in messages of attack, explained the naval officers onboard. “The killer ships have a sharper frontal position that allows them to rip apart the opponent's vessel when required,” said Sub-Lieutenant Raghunandan Raju.

As the elegant fleet ships manoeuvred in different patterns to synchronise with each other and execute instructions, Lt.Commander Rajneesh Dalal, Executive officer of INS Kulish, spoke about flotilla ships that help in coastal security operations and fleet ships, all of which have automotive control systems. The radars in each ship sense enemies over a huge distance range, helping men and machinery to engage with them better, he said.

The highlight of the programme was the demonstration of the close range anti-aircraft firing when illumination bombs were fired to identify targets. Lt.Commander Dalal explained various plans undertaken in warships to facilitate a quick transfer of men and material in mid-sea. Various signal transfer mechanisms used to guard the safety of the ship, and communicate with allies, were demonstrated.

The scale of technology used in the Indian Navy is huge, which also brings in the need for naval officers to be updated regularly, said Lt.Swapnil Srivastava, gunnery officer, INS Kulish. Most naval officers, he said, when not at war, were involved in training programmes or maintenance of these high-tech ships.

While the experience was thrilling for the visitors, it was an emotional experience for the 65-year-old Bhavana Singh, whose husband and two sons were in the defence services. “Makes me wonder how bad it would be during a war,” she said.

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