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INS Sudarshini

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Image
INS Sudarshini arriving in Norfolk during the Sail250 Virginia
History
ImageIndia
NameINS Sudarshini
NamesakeSundari Nanda
OwnerIndian Navy
BuilderGoa Shipyard Limited
Launched25 January 2011
Commissioned27 January 2012
Home portKochi, Southern Naval Command
Identification
StatusActive
General characteristics
Class & typeThree-masted barque
Displacement513 tons
Length54 m (177 ft)
Beam8.53 m (28.0 ft)
Height34.5 m (113 ft) (mainmast above waterline)
Draught4.5 m (15 ft)
Installed power320 hp (240 kW) per engine
Propulsion2 Kirloskar Cummins diesel engines
Sail planBarque rig (1035 m2 sail area)
Complement61[2]

INS Sudarshini is a sail training ship built by Goa Shipyard for the Indian Navy. The ship is a sister ship of INS Tarangini which was commissioned in 1997.[3] "Sudarshini" means "beautiful lady" Sundari after the younger half-sister of Buddha.[4] The ship was designed by Colin Mudie, a naval architect and yacht designer from the United Kingdom.[5]

Design and construction

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Image
INS Sudarshini (A77) en-route to Sri Lanka

Sudarshini is a three-masted sailing ship with a barque rig. It is 54 metres long and has 20 sails, 7.5 km of rope and 1.5 km of steel wire rope. Its sails have a total area of approximately 1,035 square metres (11,140 sq ft). Capable of operations under sail or power, and with complement of five officers, 31 sailors and 30 cadets embarked for training, it can remain at sea for at least 20 days at a time.

Sudarshini's steel hull was launched on 25 January 2011 at the port town of Vasco da Gama, Goa on the west coast of India, and by then the major portion of work had been completed. It was commissioned in Indian Navy on 27 January 2012 by Vice Admiral K.N. Sushil, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Southern Naval Command. Built for worldwide operations, it will be used as a basic seamanship and character building platform.[6]

Service history

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Sudarshini started its first nine nation voyage of the ASEAN countries on 15 September 2012 to trace the ancient route taken by Indian mariners to South East Asia. During the course of the 12,000 mile voyage, she visited 13 ports in 9 ASEAN countries. The ship visited the ports of Padang, Bali, Manado in Indonesia, Port Muara in Brunei, Cebu, Manila, Da Nang, Sihanoukville in Cambodia, Bangkok, Phuket in Thailand, Singapore, Port Klang in Malaysia and Sittwe in Myanmar. While on the voyage, the ship's embarked Indian Naval and Coast Guard cadets, as well as cadets from other ASEAN countries.[7] During the ASEAN deployment, the commanding officer of Sudarshini, Commander N Shyam Sundar, wrote live blogs from sea. This was the first time the Indian Navy had used social media to promote a diplomatic naval voyage.[8] The ship returned to its home port, Kochi, on 25 March 2013 and was greeted by the then Defence Minister of India, A. K. Antony, the then Chief of Southern Naval Command, Vice Admiral Satish Soni, ambassadors and heads of missions of ASEAN nations.[9]

Sudarshini, the second sail training ship of the Indian Navy, has already covered 140,000 nmi (260,000 km; 160,000 mi) until 2025.[10]

Lokayan 26

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On 20 January 2026, INS Sudarshini set sail from Kochi, Southern Naval Command for Lokayan 26, a 10-month long transoceanic sail expedition. The deployment will span across 18 ports and 13 countries and a voyage distance of 22,000 nmi (41,000 km; 25,000 mi). The ship will also participate in two tallship events including the Escale à Sète 2026 in France and the Sail 250 in New York Harbor. The Sail 250 event is a special edition to commemorate the United States' 250th Independence anniversary to be held between 4 July and 8 July. The voyage includes the sail training of over 200 Indian Navy and Coast Guard cadets.[10][11]

She made port calls at Salalah (Oman) and Safaga (Egypt) on 2 February and 21 February 2026, respectively. The ship travelled a distance of 1,832 nmi (3,393 km) through the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea in 16 days.[12][13] After sailing through the Suez canal, she arrived at Valletta (Malta) on 12 March 2026. She is to sail to France later for participation in the Escale à Sète maritime festival.[14] She reached Sète (France) on 26 March[15] and departed on 7 April following participation in the Escale à Sète, an Indian Navy marching contingent participating in the Heritage City Parade, commemorating 400th anniversary of the French Navy and the ship's rowing team clinching a bronze medal at the Jeux Maritimes.[16] The ship arrived at the Port of Casablanca, Morocco on 15 April for a three day visit.[17] She reached Las Palmas of the Canary Islands, Spain on 23 April for a three-day visit. This is the maiden visit of an Indian naval ship to the archipelago. The final African destination before the trans-Atlantic voyage would be Mindelo, Cape Verde.[18][19] The ship reached Mindelo as part of its eighth port call on 4 May and departed on 8 May.[20][21] The ship reached Antigua as the first destination after the 19-day trans-Atlantic voyage on 27 May. This was the longest leg of the mission and marked the maiden trans-Atlantic voyage of the ship while the last such crossing by an Indian Navy ship was conducted by INS Tarangini.[22] The port call concluded at Antigua on 31 May.[23]

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INS Sudarshini sails up the Hudson River during Sail250.

In 2026, Sudarshini participated in Sail250, a parade of tall and military ships celebrating the United States' 250th anniversary, beginning in Norfolk, Virginia, including the Parade of Sail and the City Crew Parade.[24] Later, she arrived at the Port of Baltimore, Maryland to participate in Sail250 Maryland.[25] She called at Port of New York and New Jersey from 4 to 8 July. There she participated in the United States International Naval Review 250 and Parade of Sail along the Hudson River. The ship hosted over 1,000 visitors while at port call as she was open.[26][27] On 12 July 2026, INS Sudarshini arrived at Boston and participated in the Grand Parade of Sails which marked the beginning of Sail Boston 2026.[28][29] She passed through landmarks including Castle Island and the Seaport District before her berthing. The ship departed Boston on 25 July.[30][31] She was docked at the Boston Fishing Pier during the Boston leg of the visit. Throughout the port calls in the United States for Sail250 events in Norfolk, Baltimore, New York and Boston, Sudarshini served as the floating ambassador of India.[32]

Sudarshini reached Ponta Delgada, Azores, Portugal on 13 August following the transoceanic passage across the Atlantic Ocean which spanned 19 days.[33] She departed Ponta Delgada on 16 August with the next destination being Lisbon where a joint passage exercise with NRP Sagres is planned on 21 August.[34] The ship called at Port of Lisbon, Portugal from 22 to 25 August. This marked the 15th port call of the ship in seven months. Indian cadets visited the Portuguese Naval Academy.[35][36] Later, she visited the Port of Barcelona, Spain from 1 to 6 September where gates were opened to visitors on 4 September.[37][38] Sudarshini undertook a Passage Exercise with ITS Palinuro (A5311) of the Italian Navy before reaching Port of Livorno, Italy on 9 September. By then, the ship had sailed 17,400 nmi (32,200 km; 20,000 mi) during the voyage while visiting 10 countries.[39] During the visit, Admiral Giuseppe Berutti Bergotto, the Chief of Staff of the Italian Navy, boarded the ship and interacted with the ship crew and trainees. The trainees also visited ITS Virginio Fasan (F 591) and the Italian Naval Academy. She departed the country on 12 September.[40]

Sudarshini returned to Egypt while making a port call to the Alexandria Port on 23 September.[41]

See also

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References

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  1. ↑ "Indian Navy Surface Ships - Training vessels". Indian Navy. Retrieved 14 February 2014.
  2. ↑ "Goa Shipyards Products - Sail Training Ship".
  3. ↑ "INS Tarangini gets a sister sailship: the INS Sudarshini".
  4. ↑ "The name Sudarshini at IndiaParenting.com". Archived from the original on 23 July 2011. Retrieved 28 January 2011.
  5. ↑ "Indian Navy sailing ship INS Sudarshini hits water". Frontier India. Archived from the original on 11 July 2011. Retrieved 26 January 2011.
  6. ↑ "Navy commissions INS Sudarshini in its fleet". Sify News. Archived from the original on 12 February 2011. Retrieved 26 January 2011.
  7. ↑ Anandan, S. (9 September 2012). "India ready to see off Sudarshini on voyage". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 6 January 2014. Retrieved 6 July 2019.
  8. ↑ INS Sudarshini returns from odyssey on 25 March Archived 2014-01-06 at the Wayback Machine(subscription required)The Hindu 23 March 2013
  9. ↑ INS Sudarshini Arrives to Kochi After 6 Months Voyage Archived 6 January 2014 at the Wayback Machine, Outlook India, 25 March 2013
  10. 1 2 "INS Sudarshini to embark on Transoceanic Sail Expedition - Lokyan 26" (Press release). Press Information Bureau. 19 January 2026. Retrieved 26 January 2026.
  11. ↑ "Indian Navy's Sail Training Ship Sudarshini sets sail for Lokyan 26" (Press release). Press Information Bureau. 20 January 2026. Retrieved 26 January 2026.
  12. ↑ "Indian Naval Sail Training Ship INS Sudarshini makes first port call of Lokayan 26 at Salalah, Oman" (Press release). Press Information Bureau. 4 February 2026. Retrieved 6 February 2026.
  13. ↑ "INS Sudarshini marks historic port call at Safaga, Egypt during Lokayan-26" (Press release). Press Information Bureau. 23 February 2026. Retrieved 23 February 2026.
  14. ↑ "Indian Naval Sail Training Ship INS Sudarshini arrives at Valletta, Malta, bolstering Mediterranean maritime ties" (Press release). Press Information Bureau. 14 March 2026. Retrieved 27 March 2026.
  15. ↑ "INS Sudarshini arrives at Sète, France" (Press release). Press Information Bureau. 27 March 2026. Retrieved 27 March 2026.
  16. ↑ "INS Sudarshini depart Sète, France after participating in Escale à Sète" (Press release). Press Information Bureau. 8 April 2026. Retrieved 17 April 2026.
  17. ↑ "INS Sudarshini arrives at Casablanca, Morocco" (Press release). Press Information Bureau. 16 April 2026. Retrieved 17 April 2026.
  18. ↑ "In a historic first, INS Sudarshini arrives at Las Palmas, Spain" (Press release). Press Information Bureau. 24 April 2026. Retrieved 29 April 2026.
  19. ↑ "INS Sudarshini concludes port call at Las Palmas, Canary Islands" (Press release). Press Information Bureau. 27 April 2026. Retrieved 29 April 2026.
  20. ↑ "INS Sudarshini arrives at Mindelo, Cape Verde" (Press release). Press Information Bureau. 6 May 2026. Retrieved 7 May 2026.
  21. ↑ "INS Sudarshini concludes port call at Mindelo, Cape Verde" (Press release). Press Information Bureau. 10 May 2026. Retrieved 11 May 2026.
  22. ↑ "INS Sudarshini arrives at Antigua after successfully historic trans-Atlantic crossing" (Press release). Press Information Bureau. 28 May 2026. Retrieved 31 May 2026.
  23. ↑ "INS Sudarshini concludes port call at Antigua" (Press release). Press Information Bureau. 2 June 2026. Retrieved 2 July 2026.
  24. ↑ "Ships". Sail 250 Virginia. Retrieved 27 July 2026. SUDARSHINI will be in Norfolk as part of Sail250® Virginia June 19-23, 2026.
  25. ↑ "Indian Navy's Tall Ship INS Sudarshini arrives in Baltimore, USA" (Press release). Press Information Bureau. 27 June 2026. Retrieved 2 July 2026.
  26. ↑ "Lokayan 2026 – INS Sudarshini arrives in New York for Sail4th 250 celebrations" (Press release). Press Information Bureau. 5 July 2026. Retrieved 24 September 2026.
  27. ↑ "Lokayan 2026 – INS Sudarshini concludes port call at New York, USA" (Press release). Press Information Bureau. 9 July 2026. Retrieved 24 September 2026.
  28. ↑ "Lokayan 2026 – Indian Naval Ship Sudarshini participates in Grand Parade of Sails at Boston, USA" (Press release). Press Information Bureau. 13 July 2026. Retrieved 24 September 2026.
  29. ↑ "INS Sudarshini participates in Grand Parade of Sails at Boston". ANI News. Retrieved 27 July 2026.
  30. ↑ "Lokayan 2026 – Indian Naval Ship Sudarshini departs Boston, USA" (Press release). Press Information Bureau. 26 July 2026. Retrieved 24 September 2026.
  31. ↑ "INS Sudarshini departs Boston for Portugal after participating in SAIL 250 celebrations". The Tribune. 27 July 2026. Retrieved 27 July 2026.
  32. ↑ "INS Sudarshini". Sail Boston® 2026. Retrieved 27 July 2026.
  33. ↑ "Lokayan 2026 – Indian Naval Ship Sudarshini enters Ponta Delgada, Portugal" (Press release). Press Information Bureau. 14 August 2026. Retrieved 24 September 2026.
  34. ↑ "Lokayan 2026 – Indian Naval Ship Sudarshini concludes port call at Ponta Delgada" (Press release). Press Information Bureau. 17 August 2026. Retrieved 17 August 2026.
  35. ↑ "Lokayan 2026 – Indian Naval Ship Sudarshini arrives at Lisbon, Portugal" (Press release). Press Information Bureau. 23 August 2026. Retrieved 24 September 2026.
  36. ↑ "Lokayan 2026 – Indian Naval Ship Sudarshini departs Lisbon after three-day port call" (Press release). Press Information Bureau. 26 August 2026. Retrieved 24 September 2026.
  37. ↑ "Lokayan 2026 – Indian Naval Ship Sudarshini arrives in Barcelona" (Press release). Press Information Bureau. 2 September 2026. Retrieved 24 September 2026.
  38. ↑ "Lokayan 2026 – Indian Naval Ship Sudarshini concluded port call at Barcelona" (Press release). Press Information Bureau. 7 September 2026. Retrieved 24 September 2026.
  39. ↑ "Lokayan 2026 – Building bridges of friendship, Indian Naval Ship Sudarshini sails into Livorno, Italy" (Press release). Press Information Bureau. 10 September 2026. Retrieved 24 September 2026.
  40. ↑ "Lokayan 2026 – Building bridges of friendship, Indian Naval Ship Sudarshini sets sail from Livorno, Italy" (Press release). Press Information Bureau. 13 September 2026. Retrieved 24 September 2026.
  41. ↑ "INS Sudarshini arrives at Alexandria, Egypt during Lokayan 2026" (Press release). Press Information Bureau. 24 September 2026. Retrieved 26 September 2026.
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