Visakhapatnam: The annual Navy Day, was observed by Eastern Naval Command (ENC) on Friday. ENC commander-in-chief, Vice-Admiral Satish Soni, paid floral tributes to martyrs at the war memorial at the naval base. The Indian Navy celebrates Navy Day on December 4 every year to commemorate the successful operation conducted by Indian Navy during 1971 war.
The annual operational demonstration that takes place near RK Beach has been cancelled this year as a similar programme on a mega scale has been planned during International Fleet Review (IFR) in February, next year.
Leading up to the Navy Day on December 4, the Navy held a string of events aimed at showcasing the ‘Salient Service’ and for raising awareness among citizens. These activities spread out over two months starting from October, which provided an opportunity to local populace to have a closer interaction with the navy.
The celebrations started with a Blood Donation Camp organised by the Station Health Organisation, in collaboration with INHS Kalyani, KGH, and A.S. Raja Voluntary Blood Bank. Even as the ships of the Eastern Fleet have started visiting ports to conduct ‘Day at Sea’ and ‘Ships Open to Visitors’ along the coast of Tamil Nadu, Odisha and West Bengal in the run up to the Navy Day, a painting competition for children was held at Rajiv Gandhi Indoor Stadium on October 25. Over 1,500 students including those from schools for special children participated.
During November a Vizag-Navy Half Marathon and a second Blood Donation Camp were held. In addition ship visits by schoolchildren and organised groups were held on November 26 and 27 and followed by a ‘Day at Sea’ for schoolchildren on Nov. 28 onboard ships of the Eastern Fleet.
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