Visakhapatnam: It was a day of rejuvenation and unwinding for about 1,300 children, homemakers and civil dignitaries, who witnessed the mighty and prowess of the Coast Guard District Headquarters No. 6, Visakhapatnam, on Saturday during the onboard (Day at Sea). It was a part of the 39th Coast Guard week celebration. Led by the Commander of Coast Guard, Andhra Pradesh, Anil Kumar Harbola, the majestic Samudra Paheredar, Vigraha, Sarojini Naidu, Rani Avartibai and Charlie 430 ships, Chetak helicopter and Dornier joined the mighty operational display.
The Day-at-Sea saw some exciting Coast Guard exercises. As the ships sailed into the deep waters, the action was on, turning the place into a war zone. The high speed inshore patrol vessels and the Chetak helicopters zoomed past demonstrating Search and Rescue (SAR) operations in the blue waters, which is part and parcel of their daily duty. “It was a great experience for me as the Coast Guard personnel provided me a great opportunity to observe various roles played by them including combating piracy, search and rescue, mail dispatch and urgent evacuation among others. It was an outstanding day for me,” said V. Latika, a Class IX student of Gajuwaka.
As ships rolled on from the jetty, the ceaseless enthusiasm of the youngsters took on centrestage with them being indulged in taking selfies and capturing every moment of the operational display. A fly-past demonstration and manoeuvres performed by the Chetak sent the pulse of the guests racing, which stood out as a highlight of the event. Firing of the cartridges, aerial photography taken by the pilots of the Chetak, flypast demonstration by the Dornier, ships moving in a formation, firing from the ships forming specific patterns on the water surface were some of the other attractions. “The operational demonstrations would have surely inspired many of the young minds to think of challenging careers in the Coast Guard,” said Mr Harbola, Tatrakshak Medal, who oversaw the special exercise.
