Vice-Admiral A R Karve today took charge as the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Southern Naval Command (SNC) from Vice Admiral Girish Luthra.
An impressive ceremonial parade was held at the Naval base on the occasion which was followed by the traditional 'Pulling Out' ceremony in which the outgoing Commander-in-Chief, Luthra was ceremonially pulled out in a jeep by Flag Officers and Commanding Officers of ships and naval establishments of Kochi, amidst emotional 'Jai'- 'Jai' by the men of SNC.
Earlier in the day, Vice Admiral Karve laid wreath at the War Memorial, prior to assuming command, as a tribute to the thousands of martyrs who had fought for the country, Navy said in a statement.
The Flag Officer, a native of Maharashtra, had arrived in Kochi yesterday.
In his farewell address Vice Admiral Luthra appreciated the synergy that exists in the Southern Naval Command and said without it operations and training cannot be successful.
He thanked the men and women of the SNC for the unstinted support he received during his tenure.
The Parade was witnessed by many senior officers, men and families of SNC.
Vice Admiral Girish Luthra has been appointed Flag Officer Commanding in Chief, Western Naval Command.
(REOPENS MDS3)
The Navy chief said the outgoing TU142M "has alwyas
inspired respect and admiration."
Tracing its journey, he recalled it was inducted in the Indian Navy in the late 80s and had empowered the force with "unprecedented long range maritime reconnaissance, anti- submarine warfare capability."
"At the time of their induction, their speed and endurance were among the best in the world. These qualities gave them considerable tactical advantage in the air. Till date they have served with distinction," Admiral Lanba said.
Besides the IPKF operations, it also played a "crucial role" in Operation Cactus in Maldives in 1988 where fleeing mercenaries were detected and tracked by the aircraft before they were apprehended by Navy ships, he recalled.
Even in this month's TROPEX 2017 exercise, the ageing squadron had "performed admirably" where they had put in 53 hours of flight, Lanba said.
On the new fleet of P8-I Boeing, the Navy chief said eight of the total 12 "state-of-the-art" aircraft have already been inducted while the rest will join the force in coming years.
"P8-I Boeing is a long range anti submarine warfare aircraft. It is a modern aircraft, but more importantly it has modern sensors and systems in it in the form of radars, electronics and weapons. There is quantum change in the technology" (compared to TU142M), he said.
"It is best in the world at the moment. We are the (one of the) first two navies to induct it simultaneously with the US. We have been operating it for three years. It is a force multiplier and a great capability enhancement in the navy," Lanba added.
The aircraft has been "fully integrated into Navy's operations and was the "most potent anti submarine platforms that the Indian Navy possesses today," he added.
INS Rajali also celebrated its silver jubilee today.
A special Postal Cover was released to mark the occasion while a plaque, containing the names of all the Commanding Officers of the station, and the various aircraft here, was unveiled by Lanba.
