Show of might at president’s naval fleet review Dec 20
December 15th, 2011 - 12:26 am ICT by IANS
New Delhi, Dec 14 (IANS) In a show of grandeur and might, India will hold a naval fleet review for the supreme commander of its armed forces, President Pratibha Patil, Dec 20 off Mumbai when she will sail past an 80-ship flotilla, an officer said Wednesday.
She will be the ninth president to be accorded the honour. The fleet reviews began in 1953 during the tenure of India’s first president, Rajendra Prasad.
The ceremony will also be attended by Defence Minister A.K. Antony, navy chief Admiral Nirmal Verma, army chief General V.K. Singh and air force chief Air Chief Marshal Norman Anil Kumar Browne, a naval officer told reporters here.
The two-and-half-hour ceremony will witness participation of 66 navy warships, including four submarines and the lone aircraft carrier INS Viraat, 10 coast guard vessels, two merchant vessels, a sea cadet vessel and the yacht INS Mhadei, the offer said.
That apart, 44 Indian Navy and Indian Coast Guard aircraft will stage a fly past as part of the fleet review. Patil, who will be on the Presidential Yacht INS Subhadra, which will act as the
flagship for the event, will also get a 21-gun salute on the occasion.
The previous presidential fleet review of the Indian Navy was held in February 2006 in Visakhapatnam when A.P.J. Abdul Kalam was in Rashtrapati Bhavan.
Only three Indian presidents - Zakir Husain, Neelam Sanjiva Reddy and Shankar Dayal Sharma - did not get to review the Indian Navy’s fleet during their tenures.
The warships taking part in the event will include frontline destroyers, stealth frigates, amphibious assault vessels, tankers and missile boats, an officer said.
The main attraction in the fly past by naval and coast guard aircraft will be the newly inducted Russian-origin MiG-29K maritime fighters, which will operate on board the soon-to-be-inducted aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya (formerly Russian Navy’s Admiral Gorshkov) that is slated to be inducted in December 2012.
Patil will also release a commemorative stamp and a coffee table book to mark the occasion and inaugurate a maritime heritage exhibition.
- President reviews naval fleet (Lead) - Dec 20, 2011
- President to review Indian Navy fleet next month - Nov 22, 2011
- President Patil reviews naval fleet - Dec 20, 2011
- President to review Indian Navy fleet December 20 - Jun 07, 2011
- Admiral Joshi is new Indian Navy chief (Lead) - Aug 31, 2012
- Indian Navy to focus on manpower, operational assets - Oct 14, 2011
- Ahead of naval war game, Antony reviews national security - Feb 06, 2012
- Facing manpower shortage, Indian Navy on recruitment drive - Feb 26, 2012
- China, Russia hold joint naval exercise - Apr 22, 2012
- India's carrier, n-sub programme delayed - Aug 08, 2012
- Brand new Indian Navy with long legs by 2027: Admiral Verma - Dec 02, 2011
- Indo-French naval exercise to help anti-piracy operations - Jan 08, 2011
- Vice Admiral Sinha named IDS chief - Jun 27, 2011
- Top naval commanders review coastal security, anti-piracy operations - May 24, 2011
- Indian Navy plans base in Lakshadweep - Jan 23, 2011
Tags: abdul kalam, admiral gorshkov, air chief marshal, amphibious assault vessels, anil kumar, coast guard aircraft, coast guard vessels, gun salute, ins subhadra, missile boats, naval fleet, navy warships, ninth president, president pratibha patil, presidential fleet, presidential yacht, rajendra prasad, russian origin, shankar dayal sharma, vikramaditya