Chennai: Standing in all its splendour and manned by the ever-diligent Indian Navy, the recently built combat ship Shivalik glistened brightly in the early morning sun at Chennai harbour on Monday ready to welcome Chennaiites onboard.
The day was one of those rare occasions when not just the Navy but their families as well were allowed to board the Shivalik and seven other ships that had made their way from Vishakapatnam to celebrate both ‘Family Day’ as well as to mark the upcoming Navy Day on Dec. 4.
Welcoming the visitors on board, Rear Admiral S.V. Bhokare said he hoped the experience would help citizens understand the hard work that officers put in everyday to make Indian waters safe.
Apart from the general swaying of the ship, there was another reason the ship kept titling to either side every few minutes, it was because of the combat exercises the Navy had arranged for the day that the crowd kept rushing to watch.
What especially excited the crowd was the viewing of a submarine for the first time in Chennai. The visitors were also lucky to view the ‘Underway Replenishment’, where Navy personnel demonstrated how one ship could transfer oil, materials and sometimes even men from one ship to another while it was still on the move. In true battle field style, the ship had rocket firing and heavy machine gun firing scaring some of the children aboard.
The Navy also conducted ‘a fleet maneuver’ in which ships made different formations in the sea. Young naval officers on board were on their toes the entire time ensuring that no child went too close to the railing and no elderly person had trouble climbing the ladders.
