INS Sandhayak decommissioned

INS Sandhayak, the first of its class indigenously designed and built Hydrographic Survey Ship of Indian Navy, was decommissioned on 4 June 2021 after serving the nation for 40 years. The decommissioning ceremony of INS Sandhayak was held at Naval Dockyard Visakhapatnam.

The ship, during her commissioned service, has undertaken approximately 200 major Hydrographic Surveys and numerous minor surveys in both East and West coasts of the country, the Andaman seas and the neighbouring countries too. Apart from Survey Missions, the ship has been an active participant in many significant operations such as Op Pawan – assisting the Indian Peace Keeping Force in Sri Lanka in 1987, Op Sarong, Op Rainbow - rendering humanitarian assistance post Tsunami of 2004 and participation in maiden joint INDO-US HADR Exercise ‘TigerTriumph’.