12 Sep :National Defence Academy located at Khadakwasla, Pune is a premier tri-service training institution of the country. The institution is completing 60 years of glorious service to the nation and to the Armed Forces in Jan 2009. In order to commemorate this grand occasion, a large number of events are being organised. In the series of such events, a sailing expedition by the officers and cadets of NDA to a few Indian Ocean Region countries on board a Sail Training Ship ‘Tarangini’ is scheduled from 21 Sep to 24 Nov 08.
INS Tarangini, the Indian Navy’s Sail Training Barque is custom-built for sail training of officers and cadets. Built at the Goa Shipyard Limited, Vasco da Gama, Tarangini is the only sailing ship to be commissioned into the Indian Navy on 11 Nov 1997, and is based at Kochi under Southern Naval Command. The ship is built for long voyages and can be deployed at sea continuously for a period of over 20 days. She is 54 m long and carries 18 sails with a sail area of almost 1000 sq m.
The sailing expedition will provide the cadets an opportunity to interact with officers and cadets of other countries and also go a long away in projecting the ethos of this great institution. It will also provide them an ideal platform to gain first hand experience of the vagaries at sea and foster character virtues of courage, comradeship and endurance.
INS Tarangini would be flagged off for the sailing expedition by Vice Admiral SK Damle AVSM, NM, VSM the Flag Officer Commanding In Chief Southern Naval Command from Kochi on 21 Sep 08. The ship will visit the ports of Salalah (Oman), Port Victoria (Seychelles), Male (Maldives) and Colombo (Sri Lanka) before culminating at Kochi on 24 Nov 08. She will traverse a distance of 4900 nautical miles in 65 days.
Two officers and 60 cadets in two groups will take part in the expedition. These cadets shall undergo a training capsule for one week duration on board the ship prior to setting sail for the voyage One officer and 30 cadets will undertake first half of the voyage from Kochi till Seychelles, where they will be replaced by the second batch of cadets who will sail rest of the voyage. Maj Gen BS Grewal, Deputy Commandant & CI of the Academy shall be accompanying the cadets in the last leg of the voyage from Colombo to Kochi.