Navy decommissions three minesweepers

Chief of Staff, Eastern Naval Command, Vice Admiral M S Pawar was the chief guest for the ceremony held yesterday at the Naval Dockyard.

The Commanding Officers of the 'retiring' INS Cannanore, INS Cuddalore and INS Konkan - Rear Admiral Ravi Gaikawad, Rear Admiral P K Nair and Commodore Mohandas respectively were the guests of honour.

The minesweepers 'retired' as operational ships after three decades of service in the Indian Navy, a navy release said.

The decommissioning ceremony was attended by 38 erstwhile commanding officers and nearly 500 personnel who served on them, it said.

Vice Admiral Pawar paid tribute to the crew of the ships and highlighted the contributions of the vessels to the country's maritime security and their participation in various operations, ranging over three decades.

As part of the decommissioning ceremony, a ceremonial dinner was held on March 22, followed by a 'Barakhana' for retired and serving sailors and their families.

Each of these minesweepers sailed nearly 30,000 nautical miles during their operational life, which is comparable to circumnavigating the globe four and a half times, the release said.

The three minesweepers, commissioned three decades ago at Riga in erstwhile USSR, were part of the 21 Mine Counter Measure (MCM) Squadron under the Naval Officer-in-Charge, Visakhapatnam, the release added.