Mr Kesavaraju Ksheera Sagar, a civilian employee of the Submarine Maintenance Unit of Naval Dockyard, Visakhapatnam was recently awarded Shram Shri award by the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee at Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi. He was the only civilian employee from the three wings of the Indian Armed Forces and other units under the Ministry of Defence to receive this coveted award.

Mr Sagar indigenously developed a portable skimming machine and accomplished successful repairs of generators and vital systems onboard submarines. He thereby saved the exchequer over 73 million US Dollars in foreign exchange.

In 1999, the Commanding Officer of INS Amba requested Mr Sagar to revive the ship’s non-operational engineering workshop onboard. Mr Sagar successfully identified the defects in the machines and repaired the relevant components by manufacturing them in-house during his leisure hours. With his selfless efforts well beyond the call of duty, he revived the engineering workshop of INS Amba.

Mr Sagar joined the Naval Dockyard in 1979 as a Grade I Technician and was subsequently attached to the Submarine Maintenance Unit in 1990.

As part of reviewing the steps being taken to safeguard the offshore assets on the Eastern Seaboard, the Regional Contingency Committee meeting was held at the Headquarters Eastern Naval Command. Delegates from Indian Air Force, Coast Guard, ONGC, Port Trusts, representatives of the Central Government, State Governments of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, and the host Eastern Naval Command reviewed various contingency plans to mobilise resources and manpower for effective crisis management, in case needed. The meeting was chaired by Rear Admiral PS Byce, Chief of Staff, Headquarters, Eastern Naval Command.

The Eastern Naval Command is the co-ordinating organisation for handling the crisis management and disaster situations in association with various authorities. Among the issues discussed during the meeting included the steps to enhance security and vigilance of the offshore oil rigs and platforms off the east coast.

Andaman and Nicobar based Indian Naval Air Squadron (INAS)-318 was awarded "Best Frontline Squadron Trophy" for flight safety by Vice Admiral Arun Prakash, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Naval Command in an impressive ceremony held at Naval Air Station Kunjali.

INAS-556 was declared winner in "Best Training Squadron" category whereas Ranvir Flight won the ‘Best Flight Trophy’, INAS-310 bagged the ‘Best Overall Naval Air Squadron Trophy’ and INAS-550 was adjudged the runners-up in this category. These rolling trophies for flight safety are awarded every year on behalf of Chief of the Naval Staff.

Earlier, a command ceremonial parade comprising over 800 sailors and officers was reviewed by Vice Admiral Arun Prakash.

The annual Eastern Fleet evening celebrations, titled Fling-2003 highlighting the operational performance and standards achieved by the naval ships of the Eastern Fleet last year, were held at Visakhapatnam. Vice Admiral Raman Puri, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Naval Command, was the chief guest on the occasion and gave away proficiency trophies to the fleet ships. Rear Admiral Raman P Suthan, Flag Officer Commanding Eastern Fleet, senior officers of Navy, civilian dignitaries, a large number of officers, sailors and their family members witnessed the event.

Altogether, twenty trophies were awarded to the Eastern Fleet ships which excelled in various professional disciplines and tasks assigned for safeguarding the national interests on the eastern seaboard. INS Kirch commanded by Cdr BS Ahluwalia won the "Best Ship of the Eastern Fleet Trophy" for its overall excellent performance. The Destroyer class INS Rana, commanded by Capt S Govind was awarded the "Most Spirited Ship Trophy". Later, a cultural programme was held which enthralled the audience.

INS Rana lifted the prestigious Eastern Fleet Pulling Regatta Trophy 2002-03 at the Fleet Jetty in Visakhapatnam. Vice Admiral Raman Puri, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Naval Command, was the chief guest on the occasion. He gave away the coveted "Eastern Fleet Cock" to INS Rana, one of the formidable frontline warships commanded by Capt S Govind for emerging as the overall champion in the seamanship activity. Rear Admiral RP Suthan, Flag Officer Commanding, Eastern Fleet and Rear Admiral PS Byce, Chief of Staff, Headquarters, Eastern Naval Command were among the senior naval officers who witnessed the event. A large number of Naval personnel and their families were present on the occasion. Pulling Regattas are conducted every year in the Eastern Naval Command with an aim to promoting esprit de corps and for honing the skills of synchronished pulling of whaler boats by the Naval personnel.

Regatta, one of the seamanship events among the Eastern Fleet ships including destroyers, missile corvettes and off-shore patrol vessels, was conducted in an extremely competitive environment with each ship cheering its team. Earlier, Heats – the preliminaries of the regatta, was conducted in which six teams in each of the four categories – junior sailors, senior sailors, officers and combined team qualified for participation in finals. The races covering a distance of about 1.5 kms were conducted in the channel in front of the Eastern Fleet Jetty.

INS Rana lifted this year’s trophy by logging 28 points by virtue of standing first in two races and second in the other two. INS Rajput which stood first in one race, secured 24 points and was adjudged the runners-up. INS Ranjit with 23 points stood in the third position. INS Ranjit had the distinction of winning the best whaler race and recording the best timing of 7 minutes and 44.38 seconds ever achieved so far. The FOC-in-C also presented trophies to other categories.

Sub Lt G Mehta stood first in the overall order of merit in the officers course.

The ships of Local Flotilla in Visakhapatnam were awarded proficiency trophies by Vice Admiral Raman Puri, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Naval Command. The awards were given away at an impressive function titled Flotilla Evening which was held at the Naval Auditorium, Samudrika, Visakhapatnam.

The ships of Local Flotilla, comprising missile boats, mine sweeping squadron, seaward defence boats, torpedo recovery vessels and ocean-going tug, all functioning presently under the command of the Naval Officer-in-Charge (Andhra Pradesh), Capt MR Ajay Kumar were assessed for their operational efficiency in safeguarding the Andhra Pradesh coast and the national assets in the adjoining sea waters during the preceding year. The ships were also assessed for fulfilling multifaceted responsibilities including aid to civil authorities in exigencies like disaster management and industrial strikes.

Among the 15 awards presented for excellent performance in various disciplines such as navigation, gunnery, seamanship, communication, electrical and engineering, INS Konkan, commanded by Lt Cdr Sudhir Singh was given the best ship of the Flotilla trophy for the year 2002.

Vice Admiral Raman Puri, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, ENC complimented the officers and sailors of Flotilla ships for accomplishing various tasks with alacrity. A cultural programme showcasing the patriotic fervour and cultural heritage was held on the occasion. The function was attended by a large number of Naval officers, sailors and their families.

The awards were instituted in 2001 to inspire the personnel onboard the Flotilla ships for excellence in their duties. INS Cuddalore and INS Astravahini were jointly awarded the "most spirited ship" trophy for the year 2002.

A batch of 34 shipwright sailors of Direct Entry Diploma Holders (DEDH) scheme passed out from the Navy Shipwright School, Visakhapatnam on successful completion of one-and-half years training in the field of naval architecture and ship building. A ceremonial passing-out parade was held at the naval training establishment, marking the culmination of intense training and qualifying the sailors to take up afloat appointments onboard the naval ships.

Rear Admiral AM Telang, Admiral Superintendent, Naval Dockyard, the chief guest on the occasion, reviewed the parade and presented awards to the trainees who excelled in various disciplines. TC Sumesh, Shipwright Artificer, Class-IV was awarded "the best apprentice trophy" for standing first in the overall merit. The parade was witnessed by a large number of naval personnel, instructional staff and families.

The Shipwright School, the alma mater for the shipwright sailors and constructor officers of the Indian Navy, conducts four-year course for the Matric Entry sailors and 26-week professional course for the officers. In addition, the school conducts one-and-half year training for the DEDH scheme as and when the need arises. The present batch which passed out belonged to fifth course in the category of DEDH after the Navy Shipwright School was established in Visakhapatnam in 1981.