Navy might thrills Chennaiites

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For 22-year-old software engineer M. Sindhu, it was an opportunity to see land from sea. “I always admired the sea from the land. But today, I am amazed to travel onboard a ship and look at the buildings on land,” she told Deccan Chronicle.

Like Sindhu, hundreds of people who travelled on board Jalashwa, India’s only acquired ship from the US, were dazed by the power and capacity of the landing patrol dock category ship commissioned in 2007 by the Indian Navy.

The ship, based in Visakhapatnam, is on a three-day visit to Chennai. On Saturday, all the battle-ready ships having facilities to carry helicopters travelled 30 km into the Bay of Bengal.
Conducted every year as part of Navy week to sensitise the public about the various career options available in the Navy, the entire Eastern Fleet, currently in the city, will be open to school and college children on Sunday.

“The six ships will be anchored at the city port and anyone can come and have a look at them. They will also be informed about various career opportunities available in the Navy,” said Flag Officer Commanding Eastern Fleet, Rear Admiral P. Ajit Kumar. Apart from INS Jalashwa, Rana, Ranvijay, Kirpan, Kulish and Kirch vessels were also present in the Bay of Bengal.

Sailing through the bright blue waters of the Bay of Bengal on Saturday, the sailors demonstrated search and rescue operations and mail transfer before forming a straight line of all the ships. “I witnessed our Navy’s potential today... The Navy is a country’s requirement and so we need to give special attention to strengthen its powers,” said Tamil Nadu governor K. Rosaiah, who spent about four hours on board the ship. Jalashwa, named after seahorse, can house up to four landing crafts, six helicopters and 1,000 troops. It also has four operation theatres, a 12-bed ward, laboratory and dental centre.

“Navy has become stronger now. The deterrence value is more important today. So, the Eastern Fleets calls on different ports regularly to display our strength and also sensitise people about the Indian Navy,” said Commodore Amar K. Mahadevan.
He said the Navy played a multi-faceted role and cited an example of how the last part of evacuation at Libya in 2011 was done using Jalashwa.

On the rampant human trafficking in the eastern seas and patrolling in Sri Lankan waters, Rear Admiral Ajit Kumar said, “We have standard operating procedures as to how to react to situations.”