The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Naval vessel decommissioned

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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Naval vessel decommissioned

Special Correspondent

— Photo: M. Vedhan

CEREMONIAL FAREWELL: IN SDB T-56 being decommissioned at the Chennai port trust on Thursday.

CHENNAI: IN SDB T-56, the sixth vessel of the Seaward Defence Boat class and the first of the Mark III version, was decommissioned at a ceremony held at the Chennai port trust on Thursday.

The vessel served the nation for 23 years. Commodore PE VanHaltren, VSM, Naval Officer-in-Charge, Tamil Nadu, was the chief guest.

At sunset, the naval ensign and the national flag was lowered. The ensign was then folded by two signal men, put in a special box and handed over to the Commanding Officer, CDR. Sumeet Sinha. The Last Post was played, and the guard presented arms. Later, the paying off pennant was lowered.

The vessel was launched at Garden Reach Ship Builders and Engineers, Kolkata, on December 20, 1983. Commissioned on October 31, 1984 at the Netaji Subhash Dock, Kolkata, by Rear Admiral Arun Auditto NM, the then Chief of Staff, Headquarters, Eastern Naval Command, the ship was conceived as an Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) Platform. However, because of the absence of any ASW sensors and weapons, its role was changed to that of a gunboat. It was primarily deployed for patrolling and surveillance in the Palk Bay as part of “Operation Tasha.”

Measuring 37.6 metre in length and 7.5 metre in breadth with 220 tonnes, the ship had undertaken over 70 “Operation Tasha” deployments and taken part in various naval and joint exercises by remaining underway for over 80,000 Nm. It had participated in the peacekeeping operation in Sri Lanka and the tsunami relief operations. She rescued MV Aahat from the capture of LTTE in 1993.

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