INS Sindhudhvaj was decommissioned at a sunset ceremony at the naval dockyard in Visakhapatnam

The Indian Navy decommissioned the INS Sindhudhvaj on Saturday, Jul 16, after 35 years. The decommissioning ceremony was held at the naval dockyard in Visakhapatnam. Vice Admiral Biswajit Dasgupta, who is the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Eastern Naval Command, was the Chief Guest at the ceremony, which was attended by 15 former Commanding Officers, including Commodore SP Singh (Retd.) and 26 Commissioning crew veterans, among others.

Sindhudhvaj, as the name suggests, was the flag bearer of indigenization and the Indian Navy’s efforts towards achieving Aatmanirbharta in the Russian-built Sindhughosh class submarines. The submarine crest depicts a gray coloured nurse shark. She has several firsts to her credit, including operationalization of the indigenised sonar (USHUS), the indigenised satellite communication systems Rukmani and MSS, the Inertial Navigation System and the Indigenised Torpedo Fire Control System.

She also successfully undertook mating and personnel transfer with Deep Submergence Rescue Vessel. It is the only submarine that was awarded the CNS Rolling trophy for Innovation by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The traditional ceremony was conducted at sunset, with an overcast sky adding to the solemnity of the occasion when the Decommissioning Pennant was lowered after 35 long years.