Kochi, Nov 2: The Indian Navy's sail training ship INS Sudarshini returned to Kochi on Monday, successfully concluding Lokayan-26, a ten-month transoceanic expedition of over 22,000 nautical miles. She was greeted with a water cannon salute as the Naval Band played, and family members gathered to receive the crew, Daily Kiran reported.
Source: Daily Kiran
Vice Admiral Sameer Saxena, the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Southern Naval Command, presided over the flag-in ceremony and commended the officers and sailors for their perseverance, professionalism and devotion to duty, India Defence Wire reported, citing the Indian Navy. Saxena had also flagged the ship off from Kochi on January 20, 286 days earlier.
Source: India Defence Wire
During the deployment, Sudarshini made 17 port calls in 11 countries across Asia, Europe, Africa and North America, according to the Ministry of Defence figures cited in the reports, and crossed the Atlantic Ocean twice. Her stops included Casablanca in Morocco, Boston in the United States, Lisbon in Portugal, Barcelona in Spain and Livorno in Italy, while Salalah in Oman was both her first port call of the voyage, in February, and a call again in October.
Source: India Defence Wire
A key highlight was one transatlantic passage in which the ship covered 2,200 nautical miles solely under sail in 18 days — the longest distance sailed using only sails during the voyage — in challenging weather and sea conditions, the Navy said.
Source: Daily Kiran
The voyage's headline events were the Escale a Sete maritime heritage festival in France and, in the United States, SAIL 250 and the International Naval Review, including the Parade of Sail on the Hudson in New York in July. The crew held training and professional exchanges with the navies of Morocco, Portugal, Italy, Egypt and Spain, and the ship showcased India's maritime heritage at ports along the route.
Source: India Defence Wire
Sail training remained the core objective: young officer trainees gained hands-on experience in ocean navigation, watchkeeping, sail handling, rigging and weather assessment. INS Sudarshini, built by Goa Shipyard Limited and commissioned in 2012, is a 54-metre ship carrying 20 sails with a sail area of more than 1,000 square metres.
Source: India Defence Wire