Western Fleet Evening 2016 conducted

Western Fleet Evening 2016 conducted

Captain K Swaminathan, Commanding Officer INS Vikramaditya receiving the coveted 'Best Ship of the Western Fleet' trophy

Fleet Evening 2016 was conducted on 09 Apr 16 by Western Fleet, the Sword Arm of the Indian Navy. The event is colloquially famous as Fling and aims to acknowledge the sprit and resolve the men serving onboard Fleet ships. The event was attended by 1500 officers and over 8000 sailors and families.  Vice Admiral Sunil Lanba, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Western Naval Command was the chief guest for the event this year. Rear Admiral Ravneet Singh, Flag Officer Commanding Western Fleet, welcomed officers, sailors and families to the event and thanked everyone for gracing the occasion. The Flag Officer emphasised on the requirement of sustaining operational tempo and preparedness of Fleet ships. Capt Kartik Krishnan, Fleet Operations Officer presented the significant missions and deployments undertaken by the Western Fleet in the year 2015-16.

Captain KM Ramakrishnan, Commanding Officer INS Betwa receiving the 'Most Spirited Ship' trophy

Vice Admiral Sunil Lanba congratulated officers and men, of the fleet, for keeping the flag of the Indian Navy and Western Fleet flying high in various operations over the last one year. He reiterated the stellar role of Western Fleet as the net security provider in the Indian Ocean Region and emphasised need for operational readiness and combat worthiness of Fleet ships given the current dynamics of global scenario.

The event variety entertainment programme and concluded with the much awaited award of trophies to fleet ships in various disciplines. This year the trophy for the ‘Best Ship of the Western Fleet’ was awarded to INS Vikramaditya and trophy for the ‘Most Spirited Ship’ was awarded to INS Betwa.