ENC Visakahapatnam Support Infrastructure
Eastern Naval Command, Visakhapatnam
Historical Background
HMIS Circars, which was purely an assembly point for convoys, was commissioned at Visakhapatnam on 12 Dec 1939, during the British colonial era. During the Second World War, the Japanese realising the strategic importance of Circars, bombarded Visakhapatnam in 1942. An year after the Japanese bombardment, the British established an Ordnance Transit Depot and a repair yard at Visakhapatnam.
Post Independence, the Government of Independent India and Naval planners, seeing the strategic location, natural harbour and immense growth potential of the young port city of Visakhapatnam, decided to establish the Headquarters of the Eastern Naval Command at Visakhapatnam, and the same was established on 01 Mar 1968 with Rear Admiral KR Nair, PVSM at the helm of affairs as the first Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief . From a very humble beginning, the Eastern Naval Command has seen many additions and has grown to become a command with the largest area of responsibility.
In 1970, a Base Maintenance Unit (BMU) and now Fleet Maintenance Unit (FMU) was established. Soon thereafter, on 19 May 1971, INS Virbahu was commissioned as the shore support base for the submarines based at Visakhapatnam. With the commissioning of Virbahu, the 8th Submarine Squadron and then the 11th Submarine Squadron were also based at Visakhapatnam. The Base Repair Yard, established earlier, was upgraded to Naval Dockyard in 1972. At around the same time, a 321 flight was set up at INS Circars on 23 Dec 72. INS Hoogli, commissioned by the British in 1943, was rechristened as INS Netaji Subhash on 05 Jul 1974. The air arm of the Indian Navy which boasts of the largest MRASW and the fastest turboprop aircraft in the world was commissioned at INS Rajali at Arakkonam on 17 Nov 76.
21 Mine Counter Measures Vessel Squadron was formed at Vizag on 07 Jul 1987 and have celebrated their silver jubilee in 2012. INS Kalinga with units of MARCOS (E) NAD (V) and NAI (V) was commissioned on 21 Nov 1985. At around the same time the idea of creating indigenous marine gas turbine facility was conceived, the facility was inaugurated on 25 Aug 1988. INS Eksila was commissioned on 22 Oct 1991 the Naval Air Station Dega also came into being at around the same time on 21 Oct 1991.
The warship Workup organisation was reconstituted as Local Workup team (East) on 21 Dec 92, consequent to setting up of the FOST organisation. To evaluate and validate the tactics at sea, an Action Speed Tactical Trainer was set up at Vizag on 10 Sep 93.
The Eastern Naval Command has seen continuous addition of surface ships, aircraft, submarines at Visakhapatnam. In the future the IAC II and various other ships and aircraft are going to be based here.
HQENC Building, Vizag
Fortress East Visakhapatnam had the right requisites for an operational Command on the Eastern seaboard in the form of a natural harbour, a strategic location and a young port city with immense growth potential. The Indian Government and the naval planners rightfully decided to establish the Headquarters of the Eastern Naval Command (ENC) at Visakhapatnam to oversee the maritime interests in the Bay of Bengal. ENC came into being on 01 March 1968 with Rear Admiral KR Nair, PVSM, as its first Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief.
A Force to Reckon With
From a humble beginning, the Command has grown into an important arm of the Indian Navy which has proved its mettle time and again in various operations. Today, the combined might of the powerful Eastern Fleet, a formidable Flotilla, a potent submarine arm, an omnipresent air arm, a versatile Naval Dockyard, and a number of units spread along the East Coast operate in synchronisation to further India’s maritime policy
