•    Headquarters Southern Naval Command(HQSNC) is the Training Command located at Kochi. The postal address is: - Headquarters Southern Naval Command, Naval Base, Willingdon Island, Kochi - 682 004.

•     The Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Southern Naval Command (FOC-in-C South) exercises command over ships, establishments, training schools and units in the Command.

•      Training schools/establishments/ships under HQSNC are :-

•     Indian Naval Academy Ezhimala

•     Kochi 

•    ND School

•    Signal School

•    ASW School

•    Diving School

•    Seamanship School

•    Centre for Leadership and Behavioural Studies

•    Naval Institute of Education and Training Technology
 

•    INS Garuda

•    INS Dronacharya

•    First Training Squadron (IN Ships Tir, Krishna, and Tarangini)

•     Mumbai 

•    INS Hamla

•    INS Kunjali

•    Institute of Naval Medicine

•     Visakhapatnam 

•    Navy Shipwright School

•     Goa 

•    INS Mandovi 

•    National Hydrographic School

•     Lonavala 

•    INS Shivaji

•     Jamnagar 

•    INS Valsura

•     Chilka

•    INS Chilka

•     Coimbatore

•    INS Agrani
 

•     Location    HQSNC is located within the Naval Base at Willingdon Island, Kochi, which is also a major port city of Kerala. Kochi is known as `Queen of Arabian Sea' and is one of the most developed cities of Kerala. The main township is Ernakulam. A road cum rail bridge connects the Willingdon Island to Ernakulam. All basic amenities are available in the city.

•     Climate    Kochi has a tropical climate. The minimum temperature does not fall below 21° C and the maximum temperature rarely reaches 35° C. Rainy season is from Jun to Sep/Oct, during which an average 2100 mm of rainfall is recorded every year. Being on the coastal belt, the humidity at Kochi is generally high.

•     Connectivity

•    Road     Well connected to Thiruananthpuram and Chennai.

•    Rail       Well connected to Thiruananthpuram and Chennai.

•    Air        Has an international airport. It is well connected to New Delhi, Chennai and Mumbai.

•     Banks     The following major banks have their branches at Kochi: -

•    ANZ Grindlays Bank Ltd
•    State Bank of India
•    Bank of India
•    Bank of Baroda
•    United Commercial Bank
•    Dena Bank
•    Standard Chartered Bank
•    Vijaya Bank
•    Federal Bank
•    ICICI Bank
•    Centurion Bank
•    Citibank
•    IDBI Bank

•     Postal Information     The Central Post Office is located in Ernakulam.

 

•     Banks     State Bank of India (extension counter) and Dena Bank are situated within the Naval Base. ATMs of Centurion and ICICI bank are also located within the base.

•     Communication     Telephone booths are situated at the Naval hospital INHS Sanjivani, SNC Mess (below Arjun block), NSRY(K) gate and at the Officers Institute in Katari Bagh. There are a number of telephone booths in the vicinity of the Naval Base within a distance of 1 km. Local, national and international calls can be made from any of these locations. Telephone booths at INHS Sanjivani and SNC Mess (below Arjun block) remain open round the clock.
 

•    Mail    Naval Base has its own Post and Telegraph office. Mail can be addressed to individuals as: - Name of the individual, name of the course, name of training unit, Willingdon Island, Naval Base, Kochi 682 004, Kerala (India); For those undergoing training onboard a ship, the address would be as follows : - Name of individual, name of ship, c/o Fleet Mail Office, Kochi 682 004, Kerala (India). Out mail is cleared every day.

•     While the training programme takes care of academics, there are other facilities provided in the Naval base which aim at overall development of the personality of trainees and to meet the day-to-day requirements. The important ones are as follows:-

•    Sports, Games and Extra Curricular Activities    The Naval Base offers excellent opportunities for sports and recreational activities. It has football, hockey, volleyball and basketball grounds, a swimming pool, tennis and indoor squash and badminton courts. The Naval Sailing Club and Golf course are also situated on the Willingdon Island.

•    Officers' Institute    All foreign officers are accorded membership of the Officers' Institute (club) located in Katari Bagh adjoining the Naval Base. At the Officers' Institute, in addition to bar and restaurant facilities there is also a library and a cyber café. The Institute remains open six days a week, with a weekly off on Mondays.

•    Cinema Hall    `Sagarika' is a fully air-conditioned Cinema Hall with a seating capacity of about 500. Regular Hindi films, English and regional language films are screened. The cinema programme is published through Daily Orders.

•    Canteen    There is an Indian Naval Canteen Service(INCS) counter inside the Naval Base adjacent to the shopping complex. For officers and their families, there is also a self-service counter located in Katari Bagh.

•    Shopping Complex    This complex consists of shops catering to immediate requirements of stationery, grocery, vegetables, bakery, uniform accessories and other general-purpose items.

•    Facilities in the Wardroom of SNC Mess    The Wardroom has a reading room with a library stocked with a fine collection of books. In addition it also has a TV and billiards room.

•    Transport    For all training requirements, the Navy provides transport. Trainees are to make their own transport arrangements for purposes other than those directly connected with training.

•    Medical Facility    INHS Sanjivani, a full-fledged Naval hospital is located inside the Naval Base. During working hours trainees reporting sick are referred to the Medical Officer at the MI Room, Venduruthy and on holidays to the Duty Medical Officer at INHS Sanjivani.

•    Schools    The Base has a Kindergarten school with Lower and Upper KG classes and a Naval Public School with classes from I to XII standards, following the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) syllabus.

•    Samudra Sundari    The Navy Wives Welfare Association runs a beauty parlour Samudra Sundari and a shop which stocks a variety of items like garments, toys etc.

•    At Kochi, various social functions, formal and informal such as the Navy Ball, receptions for visiting dignitaries, celebrations of National festivals etc are held at the Southern Naval Command Mess, Officers' Institute and the Sailing Club. In addition, a number of cultural programmes are organised at the Naval auditorium `Sagarika'. Trainees are welcome to participate in all such social and cultural activities. The Naval wives run a Navy Wives Welfare Association (NWWA) which looks after a host of welfare activities that form part and parcel of Naval community life. Ladies accompanying their husbands during their training period are most welcome to participate in all activities of NWWA.

Postal Address

Parent Training Unit/Ship
Naval Base/ C/o FMO
Kochi - 682 004
Kerala, India

Telegraphic Address
 

Parent Training Unit/Ship
Care Navy Wireless
Kochi - 682 004
Kerala, India

 

•      Places of tourist interest in and around Kochi are mentioned below.

•     Bolgatty Island    This long narrow palm-fringed island, easily accessible from the mainland, is where the Bolgatty Palace is situated amidst 15 acres of lush green lawns. Built by the Dutch in 1744, it became the seat of the British residents later. In 1976 the palace was converted into a hotel under the Kerala Tourism Development Corporation. The palace has a Golf course on its grounds.

•     Chinese Fishing Nets    Chinese traders introduced these nets at the entrance of the harbour and along the backwaters at Fort Kochi. A popular destination among tourists.

•     Dutch Palace    The palace, originally built by the Portuguese and presented to the Kochi Raja in 1555, acquired its present name after 1663 when the Dutch carried out extensive repairs. The Kochi Rajas held their coronation ceremonies in the Central Hall of the palace. Rooms adjacent to the Central Hall contain 17th century murals depicting scenes from the Purans and great epics - the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. The palace located at Mattancherry, is open daily from 10 AM to 5 PM and is closed on Fridays and national holidays.

•     Hill Palace Museum    Set on top of a hillock, this prodigious palace-turned-museum displays 13 categories of exhibits, including paintings, carvings and other royal antiquities donated by the Kochi and Travancore royal families and the Paliam Devaswom. Located on the Ernakulam - Chottanikara route at Tripunithura, its open from 9 AM to 5 PM daily except on Mondays .

•     Jewish Synagogue Mattancherry     Built in 1568, the Great Scrolls of the Old Testament, copper plates on which the grants of privilege made by the Kochi rulers were recorded, gold and silver crowns gifted by various patrons to the synagogue and exquisite Chinese hand-painted tiles are of interest. The Synagogue is open daily from 10 AM to 12 noon and 3 PM to 5 PM and remains closed on Saturdays and Jewish holidays.

•     Kerala Lalitha Kala Academy Gallery of Contemporary Art Ernakulam    It is situated at the Durbar Hall ground on D.H. Road and had been the Durbar of the Raja of Kochi. Remains open daily from 10 AM to 5 PM.

•     Light House    The lighthouse at Ochanthuruth in Vypin is open from 3 PM to 5 PM daily.

•     Museum of Kerala History    It is located at Edappally, 10 km away from Ernakulam on the Alwaye route. It is a venture of M/s Madhavan Nayar Foundation to sculpturise important scenes of the vibrant Kerala history right since neolithic age. The `Sound and Light' spectacle is particularly interesting. The museum is open from 10 AM to 12 noon and 2 PM to 4 PM while the gallery of paintings and sculptures is open from 10 AM to 5 PM. Both are closed on Mondays and national holidays.

•     Mangrove Forest    It is a bird sanctuary and is located on Dr. Salim Ali road just behind the High Court of Kerala. Best time to visit is from mid - January to early March.

•     Pallipuram Fort    It is situated at the far end of Vypin Island. Small and hexagonal, it was built in 1503, claiming to be the oldest European fort in India. It is open on Thursdays.

•     Parikshith Thamburan Museum     A vast collection from the Kochi royal family 19 century oil paintings, old coins, and sculpture in stone and plaster of Paris, copies of mural paintings etc can be seen here. It is open from 9.30 AM to 12 noon and from 3 PM to 5.30 PM. Closed on Mondays and national holidays.

•     Santa Cruz Basilica    There are some beautiful paintings in this Roman Catholic Church situated close to the St. Francis Church at Fort Kochi.

•     St. Francis Church    Located at Fort Kochi, the Church was built by the Portuguese in 1510. This Protestant Church is believed to be the first Church built by the Europeans in India. Vasco-da-Gama was originally buried here in 1524 before his remains were sent to Lisbon, 14 years later. It is closed on Sundays.

•     Gundu Island    A tiny island reachable by boat from Ernakulam or Mattancherry. The main attraction here is a coir factory. Doormats with beautiful designs are available here.

•     Places out side Ernakulam

•     Munnar    A hill resort and an ideal holiday spot, it is 138 km from Kochi on national highway 49. A large number of tea gardens dot the surroundings.

•     Thekkadi    190 km from Kochi, it is a world famous wildlife sanctuary. Elephants, wild bear and deer are the major species that can be seen in their natural habitat.

•     Kovalam Beach    It is about 13 km away from Thiruananthapuram, and is an internationally renown beach resort.

•     India is a land of varied culture and rich heritage. Considering the vastness of the country one would appreciate its diversity. From the icy heights of the Himalayas in the north to the tip of Kanyakumari, perpetually washed by the waters of the Indian Ocean in the south, it covers a distance of 3,500 km. It extends the same distance from Rann of Kutch in the West to the forests of Assam in the East. The country has 7,000 km of coastline and an area of 3,287,263 sq km.

•     It is almost impossible to name all the places of tourist interest in these joining instructions. Some of the important cities in India of tourist interest are Srinagar, Shimla, Amritsar, Delhi, Jaipur, Agra, Nainital, Mumbai, Goa, Bangalore, Thiruvananthapuram, Chennai (Madras), Ootacamund, Hyderabad, Calcutta, Shillong, Darjeeling, Lakshadweep and Port Blair.