⇒ INS Sandhayak, the first of its class indigenously designed and built Hydrographic Survey Ship of Indian Navy, was decommissioned on 04 June 2021 at Naval Dockyard in Visakhapatnam.
The Indian Navy’s oldest Hydrographic Survey Vessel was decommissioned after serving the nation for 40 glorious years. The ship was commissioned to the Indian Navy on 26 February 1981.
The ship, during her commissioned service, has undertaken approximately 200 major Hydrographic Surveys and numerous minor surveys in both East and West coasts of the country, the Andaman seas and the neighbouring countries too.
Apart from Survey Missions, the ship took part in important operations such as Op Pawan– assisting the Indian Peace Keeping Force in Sri Lanka in 1987, Op Sarong, Op Rainbow – rendering humanitarian assistance post Tsunami of 2004.
It also participated in maiden joint INDO-US HADR Exercise “Tiger-Triumph” in 2019.