Indian naval ship Kozhikode was decommissioned in an elegant ceremony held at Naval Jetty, Visakhapatnam, here on Saturday. Vice Admiral S.N. Ghormade, Chief of Staff, Eastern Naval Command, was the chief guest on the occasion.
As the sunset on the horizon, INS Kozhikode gracefully retired as an operational ship after three decades of glorious service in the Indian Navy.
Commodore Samir Advani (Retd.), Commissioning Commanding Officer, was the Guest of Honour for the decommissioning ceremony which was attended by 16 erstwhile Commanding Officers, Officers and Sailors who served on board the ship.
Capt. P. Sasidharan (Retd.), Commissioning Executive Officer, Cdr. Afzal Khan, Commissioning Navigating Officer, Cdr. V.K. Sharma (Retd.) Commissioning Engineering Officer and Ms. Madhavi Sani, wife of late Cdr. Nadeem Sani, Commissioning Gunnery Officer of the ship, also graced the occasion.
Poignant moment
Vice Admiral Ghormade highlighted its contributions to the country’s maritime security and her participation in various operations ranging over three decades. It was a poignant moment for those witnessing the ensign of the warship being lowered for the last time, as the ceremonial guard gave the vessel a final salute as a tribute to its three decades of service.
As part of the decommissioning ceremony, a ‘Barakhana’ for retired and serving sailors and their families was held in the afternoon followed by a reception on Friday.
INS Kozhikode was commissioned on December 19, 1988, at Riga (erstwhile USSR) and was the sixth and the last of the modified ‘Natya’ class of minesweepers. Named after the historic port of Calicut, the ship was an integral part of the 21 Mine Counter Measures Squadron, based in ENC at Visakhapatnam.
