On board ICGS SAMUDRA  PRAHARI :

There was no high speed chase on the open sea against ‘terror boat’, and certainly no emergency to tackle vis-a-vis an oil spill. Yet, Indian Coast Guard put its best foot forward, giving select audience a peek into their multifarious capabilities as a force multiplier when four of the organization’s ships, an air cushion vessel, a Dornier and a Chetak made the day for all those who attended a ‘Family Day Out at Sea’.

With ICGS Samudra Prahari, India’s first pollution response vessel commanded by deputy inspector general Kailash Negi leading the way, Indian Coast Guard offshore patrol vessels ICGS Kasturba Gandhi, Savitribai Phule and Rajdoot and aircushion vessel H-196 displayed what the force can do to defend India’s national maritime interests. Dornier aircraft from Daman and Chetak helicopter from Goa thrilled the audience with their well-planned manoeuvres.

What set the tone for the four-hour long exercise was series of moves carried out by Coast Guard’s latest acquisition hovercraft H-196 commanded by Commandant Gulwinder Singh. Chetak that piggybacked on board Samudra Prahari from Goa then came in flying low to ‘distribute’ mail and other essential items to personnel on board the ship and other ships participating in the exercise. The other vessels soon lined up on port side of Samudra Prahari in Station keeping exercise.

Sight of the Dornier flying past Samudra Prahari emerging almost without any hint drew the ‘oohs’ and the ‘aahs’ from those on board. Very soon Chetak again came back on scene to perform a search and rescue mission of a diver having gone ‘overboard’.

The only disappointing moment for the gathering was when a live fire demonstration involving a heavy machine gun failed to blow up the target that H-196 had dropped a kilometer away on the starboard side of the ship. Almost as if to compensate for this, the personnel gave a sharp demonstration of light weapon firing with an Insas rifle Soon, the people were treated to a cross boarding operations with boarding party’s on board small boats launched from both Samudra Prahari and Savitri Bai Phule ‘boarding’ each other, inspecting them, and making a seizure of ‘contraband’. This operation gave people an exact idea about how the Coast Guard conducts similar missions on the High Seas. If the offshore vessels left New Mangalore Port first while sailing out, it was the turn of Samudra Prahari to lead them in on the return leg. The senior most ship in any such exercise is always given the honour, explained deputy inspector-general Rajmani Sharma, commander, Coast Guard, Karnataka.

The Coast Guard strives to hold such exercise every year to familiarize the constituents and stakeholders about its role, but is unable to do so for various reasons, he added.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Mangaluru / by Jaideep Shenoy, TNN / February 23rd, 2015