Indian Navy rescues crew from listing vessel off Vasai

Navy helicopters rescued 20 persons on board a listing merchant ship off Vasai coast in neighbouring Palghar district today.“While 19 were airlifted and brought to INS Shikra in Mumbai, one more on board the vessel was airlifted by a second Navy chopper,” a Defence spokesperson told PTI.

The Navy got a request at 7 AM for immediate evacuation of those on board the ship which was listing precariously, he said.According to the Defence spokesperson, the information was received around midnight by the Indian Navy that a vessel in distress ‘Jindal Kamakshi’ which was 40 nautical miles from Mumbai harbour and 25 nautical miles off Vasai coast has listed heavily.The distress message said the vessel listed heavily, with 20 persons on board and requested assistance, the official said, adding the cause of the listing was not confirmed.

The Indian Navy had launched one Seaking helicopter to provide immediate assistance and a ship was also deployed for rendering assistance, he said.He further said the vessel had counter ballasted (flood opposite tank) to improve stability.

14 YOUNG NURSING OFFICERS COMMISSIONED INTO THE MNS

In a glittering ceremony held at Ayurvigyan Auditorium of Army Hospital (Research & Referral), Delhi Cantonment, 14 young nursing students of the 56^th batch of probationary nurses of College of Nursing, Army Hospital were formally commissioned as Lieutenant into the Military Nursing Service (MNS), today.  Lt Gen MK Unni, Commandant Army Hospital (R&R) graced the function as Chief Guest and addressed the newly commissioned nursing officers. In his address, Lt Gen Unni congratulated the lady officers and their proud parents. He emphasized to face the challenges ahead, work hard with dedication and try to be an asset to the organisation. He urged the newly commissioned nursing officers to nurture the ethics of MNS and work sincerely to maintain the glorious tradition of the service as well as to keep abreast with the latest developments in the field of medicine and nursing.  

            Major General Sunita Kapoor, Addl Director General, MNS in her speech exhorted the new commissioned officers to perform their duties with utmost dedication by keeping the ethos of the Service in mind. At the outset, Major General Sushila Shahi, Principal Matron, Army Hospital (R&R) welcome the dignitaries.

           

Indian Armed Forces Gears Up for YOGA too.

 Be it at the base camp at the world’s highest battlefield, Siachen to the southernmost part of the country at Kanyakumari or on sea. And its not just the Army, the Air Force and Indian navy has already started its Yog Lessons by experts onboard INS Kamotra and it is planned onboard INS Viraat on 18 Jun 15. It aims to do “Yoga across the oceans”. 

The Indian defence forces are putting up a consolidated effort to ensure that the International Yoga Day is a complete success. To achieve that, they have been putting up regular practice sessions no matter where they be. India will lead 191 nations to mark the IYD on June 21, highlighted by a mega event here on Rajpath where armed forces, NCC cadets and government officials are scheduled to perform ‘asanas’.

 Around 35,000 persons are expected to take part in the event.Even the NCC cadets can be seen practicing yoga at various places in the country.

French Naval Ship Dixmude arrives in Estern Naval Command at Vishakhapatnam

French Naval Ships Dixmude (Landing Platform Dock) and Aconit (Frigate) are on a visit to Visakhapatnam from 16 to 22 Jun 15. Rear Admiral Antoine Beaussant, ALINDIEN (Admiral-in-charge of the Maritime Zone of the Indian Ocean), Captain Pierre de Briancon Commanding Officer FNS Dixmude and Captain Jean-Pierre Helluy, Commanding Officer FNS Aconit called on Vice Admiral Bimal Verma, Chief of Staff, Eastern Naval Command on 16 Jun 15.

During the visit, various operational and social interactions with Eastern Naval Command have been planned. These include amphibious demonstration, sharing of expertise on Humanitarian Aid and Disaster Relief (HADR), exchange of Non-Combatant Evacuation procedures, mutual ship visits, industry exhibition and sports fixtures.

                           
                               

                              
  
                                    

Navy knows its job, but do offshore officials?

Navy knows its job, but do offshore officials?

Admiral Sushil Kumar (retd)

It is one thing to administer a PSU such as the DRDO and quite another to handle the armed forces.

Defence Minister AK Antony recently rebuked the Indian Navy for the loss of the submarine, INS Sindhurakshak. I wonder if he even realised his faux pas. The Navy top brass had every reason to be riled when Antony proclaimed at the annual Commanders’ Conference that the Navy had frittered away national resources.

Still recovering from the tragic loss of Sindhurakshak, the unjust remark of the Defence Minister has not gone down well with the Navy and the rank and file of the armed forces.

With all on board killed in a flash and the submarine destroyed and sunk, it will be a long time before the technical Board of Inquiry is able to establish what happened to INS Sindhurakshak. When nothing is known, is it not strange that the Ministry of Defence has jumped to its own conclusions?

To ‘clear the yardarm’ is an old Navy expression that is synonymous with washing one’s hands of a responsibility. It came into being in the days of sail when Britannia ruled the waves and Lordships of the Admiralty perched ashore found it expedient to pass the buck.

It has a lot to do with the long standing need to integrate the armed forces into the Ministry of Defence. Obviously little has happened. And since the old order has not changed, it is still the old mindset of ‘we and they’.

Calling itself the Integrated Headquarters of the MoD may sound impressive, but inducing systemic changes requires much more than a cosmetic change of nomenclature. What is really needed is a change of attitude, along with a deep understanding of military ethos.

The fighting spirit of the armed forces rides on morale. And to weld together a professionally trained and highly motivated fighting force capable of defending the nation requires astute statesmanship. It is one thing to administer a civilian public sector undertaking such as the DRDO and quite another to handle the armed forces of the nation.

The political leadership would do well to take a leaf out of the Kargil report. It carries a doctrinal message on how the armed forces should be motivated and galvanised into action when the chips are down.

The need to induct the military into the national security loop was an important lesson from the Kargil conflict. It prompted the weekly meeting of the Prime Minister with the Chiefs of the Army, Navy and Air Force. The Prime Minister’s aim was simply to understand his armed forces since they are the primary instrument of state power. But it was too good to last and when the National Security Council came of age, the Prime Minister’s initiative fell by the wayside.

It has never been easy to understand the operational environment of the Navy and the risks that go with it. And many are the accounts of the life and hazards aboard a submarine. But it was the late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi who placed it in perspective. Recording his experience under water, while embarked on the nuclear submarine INS Chakra in 1988, this is what he stated: “Thank God I was a pilot, not a submariner”.

Submariners are required to operate in the domain of danger where fire and flooding remain their greatest and constant threat. Since the year 2000, there have been 27 major submarine incidents — 10 American, six Russian, five British, two Canadian, one Australian, one Chinese, one French and one Indian (Sindhurakshak).

Moreover, being the most potent weapon of war, submarines are among the most complex war fighting machines ever developed. The experience of the Indian Navy goes back to the 1960s and having operated submarines in diverse combat conditions for more than half a century, the Navy is well geared to face the challenge that it offers.

The Russian navy went through a traumatic period after its nuclear submarine Kursk was destroyed in an underwater explosion. But the Russians came through the crisis. And so will the Indian Navy come to grips with the loss of INS Sindhurakshak. Professional navies know how to ride the storm. It is the officials ashore who need to brace themselves for the challenge.

The writer was the Navy Chief during the Kargil conflict