INS SANDHAYAK DECOMMISSIONED

Subject : Defence

Context : Recently, the Ministry of Defence has announced the decommissioning of INS Sandhayak.

Concept :

About INS Sandhayak

It is the first of its class indigenously designed and built Hydrographic Survey Ship of Indian Navy.
It was conceptualised by then Chief Hydrographer to the Govt. of India, Rear Admiral FL Fraser.
The design was finalised by Naval Headquarters and the construction of the ship began at GRSE Kolkata by laying the keel in 1978.
It was commissioned in the Indian Navy in 1981.
It has undertaken approximately 200 major Hydrographic Surveys and numerous minor surveys in both East and West coasts of the country, the Andaman seas and the neighbouring countries too.
It has been an active participant in many significant operations such as:

Operation Pawan: Assisting the Indian Peace Keeping Force in Sri Lanka in 1987;

Operations Sarong and Rainbow: Rendering humanitarian assistance post Tsunami of 2004; and

Participation in maiden joint INDO-US HADR Exercise ‘Tiger-Triumph’