INS Sandhayak decommissioned

Visakhapatnam: INS Sandhayak, the Indian Navy's oldest Hydrographic Survey Vessel, was decommissioned at Naval Dockyard in Visakhapatnam on Friday.

After serving the nation for 40 glorious years, the ship was decommissioned at an event held on a low-key due to the prevailing pandemic situation.

The national flag, naval ensign and the decommissioning pennant were lowered at sunset time in the presence of Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Eastern Naval Command Vice Admiral Ajendra Bahadur Singh, who was the chief guest of the ceremony. The decommissioning ceremony was also attended by Chief Hydrographer to Government of India Vice Adm Vinay Badhwar.

During her 40 years of illustrious service in the Indian Navy, INS Sandhayak undertook over 200 major hydrographic surveys in Western and Eastern coasts of the Indian peninsula, the Andaman Sea, and surveys in neighbouring countries including Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Bangladesh. Pic caption: INS Sandhayak decommissioned at Naval Dockyard in Visakhapatnam on Friday.