EASTERN NAVAL COMMAND
Visakhapatnam
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EASTERN NAVAL COMMAND Visakhapatnam |
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The Eastern Naval Command, with its Headquarters in Visakhapatnam, is presently commanded by Vice Admiral Sureesh Mehta PVSM, AVSM, the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief. The ENC is a full-fledged operational command, whose primary role is to safeguard against aggression on the eastern front and provide security to Indian territory, ports, harbours, oil platforms and other maritime assets and resources in India’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). Hundreds of ships carrying vital cargo including crude oil, transit through the Malacca Straits every day. These vessels depend on the Indian Navy for their safe passage. The ENC also assists the Coast Guard in anti-poaching and search and rescue operations in these waters. Displaying a sustained presence of naval forces in the area of responsibility is thus another vital functional requirement of the ENC. The Command came into existence in June 1971 with the basing of a small naval force at Visakhapatnam and initially comprised the aircraft carrier INS Vikrant, a few escort ships and some amphibious ships. The ENC is also home to the Indian Navy’s submarine arm, which includes a submarine base and a submarine training school. Shipbuilding facilities in the area include the Garden Reach Builders & Engineers (GRSE) in Calcutta and Hindustan Shipyard Limited (HSL) in Visakhapatnam. History of ENC. In 1953, the Boat Repair Shop expanded into a Base Repair Organisation (BRO) and shifted to the location at the mouth of the northwest channel. In 1958, the progress of Bombay Dockyard’s expansion scheme was behind schedule. With the arrival between 1958 and 1961 of the eight new frigates and the aircraft carrier, Bombay Dockyard would not be able to berth these ships alongside. Naval Headquarters therefore proposed that a major naval base be established at Visakhapatnam, starting with a new 1120 foot jetty and a repair workshop. In 1962, sanction was accorded for the construction of the new jetty and the workshop building. Sanction was also accorded for the acquisition of 550 acres of land from the Port Trust. In 1963, survey ships were temporarily based in Visakhapatnam. The decision was taken to set up a Naval Base and a Dockyard. Machinery and equipment was procured for setting up repair facilities. For the first time, the annual refit of a survey ship was undertaken by the BRO Visakhapatnam making use of the dry docks of Hindustan Shipyard and the Port Trust. In 1964, plans were in hand for establishing a modern dockyard at Visakhapatnam, capable of undertaking the normal refit and dry docking of one modern frigate and four small craft. In 1965, two survey ships Jumuna and Investigator were permanently rebased at Visakhapatnam. In 1965, Agreement on the Russian acquisitions included the preparation of a Project Report for the Visakhapatnam Project comprising facilities for a naval base and ship support facilities, a submarine base and submarine support facilities, torpedo preparation and repair facilities, a training school for the Russian acquisitions and a modern Naval Dockyard to repair and refit ships and submarines. The Project report was approved in 1968 which marked the beginning of a new command, Eastern Naval Command. The Command is presently a force to reckon with and has become the nodal point for naval operations on the Eastern Sea Front. In the recent past the Command played a vital role in carrying out relief and rescue operations when several nations in the region were severely affected by the killer Tsunami. The efforts put in by the Command brought laurels not only to the Navy but also to the Country as a whole and secured a place of pride for the Country in the region as well as on the International arena. In taking further the efforts of the Country in developing International relations, the Command recently concluded 'Indra-2005', a bilateral exercise between the armed forces of Russia and India in Oct 05. The Naval part of the exercise was conducted on the Eastern Seaboard, off the coast of Visakhapatnam, from 14 to 20 Oct 05. The exercise was primarily aimed at enhancing mutually beneficial cooperative engagement between the navies of the two countries. Such exercises not only provide a new dimension to the relationship between the armed forces of the two countries towards building mutual trust and better understanding of each other, but also forge a stronger foundation on which the friendship between the two nations would continue to flourish.
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