Celebrating the Indian Navy
Warships cruising at breakneck speed, guns firing and shells sizzling into the aquamarine water - the scene seemed straight out of a war film as the Indian Navy conducted an exercise in the Bay of Bengal off the port city of Paradip. Seven ships of the Eastern Fleet - Landing Platform Dock INS Jalashwa, guided missile destroyer INS Ranjit and five
missile corvettes - participated in
the exercise recently during the Navy
Week celebrations.
During the operation, the warships
displayed their manoeuvring skills,
including intra-ship coordination,
transfer of men and materials from
one ship to another and rescue operations
during war. There were also
high-speed missile shows, underwater
replenishment (from INS Jalashwa
to two other ships
simultaneously), close-range antiaircraft
firing exercises and flag-past
by naval aircraft and helicopters. The
exercise, which showcased the navy's
prowess, began with a flag past by
combat ships with INS Jalashwa at
the centre and the other ships flanking
her. This was followed by the
landing of Chetak helicopters on the
ships and rescue operations.
Not only the men and the machines,
communication between
warships through the flags waving
atop each ship was also demonstrated.
A crew of flag hoisters are responsible
for getting the message across
apart from the wireless phones that
ring every now and then. "Every flag
has a meaning. There are 69 types of
flags to communicate messages.
Whether it is fuelling or firing or any
type of message we want to communicate
to the other ships, we get it
across through flags," said Amar
Singh, a crewman in the Signal wing
of the INS Jalashwa.
COMPILED BY NIMI KURIAN
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