INS Adyar likely to relocate

Chennai:

The Indian Navy is strengthening its Eastern Naval Command with additional force multipliers and has proposal to relocate its naval base INS Adyar, according to Naval officer-in-charge Commodore Amar K Mahadevan.

Addressing reporters after delivering the Navy Day message here on Monday, Commodore Mahadevan refused to give any further details on where the naval base, which came into being during the Raj era and was re-commissioned on February 19, 1954 as the Base Support Ship to support units under naval officer in charge at Chennai, will be relocated.

Commodore Mahadevan also said that the Eastern Naval Command will be home to additional force multipliers such as P8I Long Range Maritime Reconnaissance Aircraft, MIG 29K Fighter aircraft, advanced jet trainer and ASW Corvettes in consonance with India’s ‘Look East Policy’.

The naval officer said that P8I aircraft as well as other aircraft would be stationed at INS Rajali, a naval base at Arakonnam, near Chennai. He said the stationing of the aircraft is part of Indian Navy’s expansion in Eastern command.

He said the induction of the aircraft at INS Rajali will start by next year and would go on till 2014.

On the arrest of 37 fishermen by the Sri Lankan Navy, he said they would have probably strayed into Lankan waters. “There has been no FIR that they were harassed. We are conducting regular meeting with Lankan Navy on this issue,” he added.

He also highlighted the Indian Navy’s role to contain piracy in the area and highlighted how Indian Navy came to the rescue of a Chinese ship. “In 2010, piracy had spread to Arabian sea and Indian Navy took stringent action against them and arrested 100 pirates. After that there has been no incidents of piracy in Indian coast,” said Commodore Mahadevan.

INS Adyar factfile:

The Navy Office at Chennai came into existence in early 1940s with Capt RA Malhuish Royal Indian Navy as its first Naval Officer-in-Charge (NOIC).

The Local Defence Flotilla was formed in the same year followed by Local Naval Defence Reserve

In 1942, a separate naval barracks were built. INS Adyar was subsequently commissioned after the river Adyar which runs through the southern part of the city

On April, 1, 1946, the strength was reduced to bare minimum and Naval officer in Charge was re-designated as Resident Naval Officer

INS Adyar was re-commissioned on 19 Feb 1954

On Jun 6, 1968, the resident naval officer was re-designated as NOIC (Madras) under the control of Flag Officer commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Naval Command.

The unit shifted to its present location on October 30, 1981

On July 1, 1997, NOIC (Madras) was re-designated as NOIC (Tamilnadu and Puducherry).

On July 3, 1997 the charter of NOIC (Tuticorin), which were earlier delegated to INS Kattabomman, were also placed under the jurisdiction of Naval Officer-in-Charge (Tamilnadu and Puducherry).