INS Tarangini, a sail training ship of the Indian Navy, today departed from Kochi on a seven-month long voyage to Europe.
The ship was ceremonially flagged-off by Vice Admiral AR Karve,Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Southern Naval Command from the Naval Base here, a defence release said.
'Sailing through different Oceans and Uniting Nations' is the voyage's theme.
The ship, commanded by Cdr Rahul Mehta, will visit 15 ports in 13 countries, covering a distance of more than 15,000 nautical miles.
Nine officers, 40 sailors and 150 cadets will be taking part in the voyage, the release said.
"Up to 30 foreign trainees are expected to embark the ship during various legs," it said.
The ship will be participating in the culmination ceremony of the Biscay Tall Ship race at Bordeaux, France and also take part in a 'Tall Ship race' starting from Sunderland, United Kingdom, the release said.
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INS Tarangini, Indian navy's first sail training ship (STS), was built in the Goa Shipyard and commissioned on November 11 1997.
It is the only commissioned ship of the Indian Navy to have circumnavigated the globe, the feat achieved in 2003-04, the release said.