Panaji: Two women officers of the Indian Navy on Wednesday embarked from Goa on a challenging expedition to circumnavigate the globe covering 21,600 nautical miles spread over eight months. The two officers - Lt Commander Dilna K and Lt Commander Roopa A - are expected to return to Goa in May 2025. The historic voyage was flagged off from the Naval Ocean Sailing Node, INS Mandovi near Panaji, as both the officers sailed on the Indian Naval Sailing Vessel (INSV) Tarini.
Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Dinesh Kumar Tripathi flagged off the historical journey in the presence of Chief of the Southern Naval Command Vice Admiral V Srinivas and others. Talking to reporters after the ceremony, Admiral Tripathi said, "It is a proud moment for all of us in the Indian navy that two sailors will be demonstrating the skills, sense of adventure, fearlessness and focus and ability to fight the tough situations."
"Indian Navy would be monitoring their adventure. We wish them all the best as they commence their journey today," he said. The adventurous journey will take the two women officers through some of the most treacherous waters, including the perilous passage around the three great capes -- Cape Leeuwin, Cape Horn and Cape of Good Hope, he said. There are only two crew members but the mission is to fly high the Indian flag, Admiral Tripathi said.
They have sailed for 38,000 nautical miles and also undergone a three-year-long training, he said. Over the period of eight months, the duo will navigate more than 21,600 nautical miles without any external assistance, relying solely on wind power, a Naval spokesperson said. The two officers, as part of a six-member crew, participated in a trans-oceanic expedition from Goa to Rio de Janeiro via Cape Town and back last year.
Thereafter, they undertook a sailing expedition from Goa to Port Blair and back in double-handed mode. Further, the duo successfully undertook a sortie from Goa to Port Louis, Mauritius again in dual-handed mode early this year. The expedition was conceived by the Indian Navy with the inaugural Navika Sagar Parikrama, the first-ever Indian circumnavigation of the globe by an all-women crew of six officers in 2017.
Addressing a gathering, Admiral Tripathi said the 'Navika Sagar Parikrama' will contribute towards progressing national scientific research in collaboration with the National Institute of Oceanography (CSIR-NIO) in Goa for a study on marine microplastics and ferrous content across the seas.
It will also contribute to the Wildlife Institute of India for exploration on megafauna or large sea mammals, Sagar Defence (start-up) for their drones that promise spectacular visuals of the voyage, and Defence Food Research Laboratory towards providing customised precooked Indian meals so that "our valiant warriors always feel at home," he added.
The second edition of the expedition will be an exceptional one as the sailors will become the first from India to accomplish such a feat in double-handed mode, the Navy said. The expedition is being conducted under the aegis of the Indian Naval Sailing Association based at Naval headquarters, New Delhi, and Ocean Sailing Node, Goa, under the Southern Naval Command. Both the nodal centres will be coordinating the voyage in liaison with international maritime agencies and authorities.
Lt Commander Dilna K, who hails from Calicut, was commissioned into the Indian Navy in June 2014. Her father, the late Devadasan, served in the Indian Army. Lt Commander Roopa A, a native of Puducherry, joined the Navy in June 2017. Her father, Alagirisamy GP, was part of the Indian Air Force. "Sometimes we are happy, sometimes worried," said Alagirisamy, who was in Goa to witness the flag-off ceremony. "When she broke the news about the voyage, I was happy as an ex-serviceman. But as a father, I was a little worried," he said.
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