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Cairns to Darwin
Passage. The ship sailed from Cairns at 1100 h on 23 Feb 04. The ship navigated through 498 NM of the Great Barrier Reef inner route from 23 Mar to 26 Mar 04. This entire passage from Cairns to Great Barrier Reef was completed under power due to restricted waters, unfavourable winds and currents. Thereafter the ship transited through Gulf of Carpentaria, Arafura Sea, Dundas Strait, Gulf of Van Diemen and Clarence Strait. The ship entered Darwin Harbour on 05 Mar 04.
Embarkation. One SLT from RAN and one Midshipman from Royal Malaysian Navy embarked the ship at Cairns.
Visits. The following dignitaries visited the ship at Darwin:-
(a) Shri Ranjit Issar, Additional Secretary, MoD.
(b) Cmde F H Dubash, PDLS/NHQ.
(c) Shri K Subbaiah Mohan, Consulate at the Sydney mission.
(d) Shri MC Singhania, The First Secretary, HCI Canberra.
Calls. . The Additional Secretary along with PDLS and the
Commanding Officer called on the following:-
(a) The Administrator of Northern Territory.
(b) The Minister for Defence Support.
(c) The Commander of Northern Command.
Reception Onboard. A reception was hosted onboard. In addition
to Additional Secretary and PDLS the under mentioned dignitaries were present for the reception:-
(a) The Administrator.
(b) The Minister for Mines and Energy.
(c) The Lord Mayor of Darwin.
(d) The Commanding Officers of Patrol Vessel Squadron and HMAS Coonawarra.
Reception by Indian Community. The small Indian community of Darwin comprising l50 families hosted a reception for ship's officers and sailors. The Senior Government officials from New Delhi, the Defence Attache, High Commission of India, Canberra and the Counsellors at Canberra and Sydney also attended the reception.
Ship open for visitors. The ship was open to visitors on 06 and 07 Mar 04.
Educational / Training Visits. The ship's officers, cadets and sailors visited the following places:-
(a) HMA Ships Coonawara and Wallangong (both shore establishments).
(b) Larakyeah Army Base and RAAF station.
(c) Darwin Museum.
(d) Litchfield National Parks.
Adequate coverage of ship's visit was accorded by local print media and
Radio. Owing to strong maritime culture in Australia, Tarangini's circumnavigation
evoked great interest and admiration within the RAN and civilians alike.
Darwin to Jakarta
Darwin to Lombok Strait. The ship sailed from Darwin at 1230 h on 08 Mar 04. The ship used both engines for leaving harbour. The ship, after leaving middle pass buoys, settled on a Westerly course for Sahul Banks. The periodic effect of the tidal stream was felt upto a distance of about 120 NM. After having crossed the Sahul Banks the ship made a perfect landfall off Roti Island, the Southern most Island of the Timor group of islands on 11 Mar 04. South of Sumba and Sumbwa Islands the ship again experienced the periodic effect of the tidal current. The ship reached the Lombok straits on 15 Mar 04 so as to take advantage of strong northerly current of Lombok strait.
Lombok Strait. The ship altered course to 355 to enter Lombok Strait. Very strong tide rips and eddies were experienced at the entrance. The effect was so pronounced that even with both engines running @ 1350 rpm the speed made good was only about 2-3 knots. Once the ship was North of Nusapendia Island the ship finally experienced the promised Northerly current of 3-4 Knots. The Northerly current kept following till about 20 NM north of the strait.
Lombok Strait to Jakarta. Once clear of the Goagoa Islands, the ship once again settled on a Westerly course. The ship passed Madura, Poleng, Camar, Ariniki and Ardjuna oil fields.
The ship arrived Jakarta harbour at 0900 hrs on 20 Mar 04. The ship covered a total distance of 1589 NM in 12 days with an SOA of 5.4 Kts. Of this only 98 NM was covered under sails, 607 NM while close hauled motor sailing and 884 NM on engines alone.
Embarkation. Midshipman Mohd Hanif Bin Husain from Royal
Malaysian Navy who had embarked the ship at Cairns was disembarked at Jakarta.
One Midshipman of Thai Navy embarked the ship.
Change Around of Cadets. Change around of the cadets was effected by INS Krishna, a cadet training ship, on 23 Mar 04 at Jakarta.
Ceremonial Welcome. The ceremonial welcome by Indonesian Navy for both INS Tarangini and INS Krishna was held. Band display and traditional dances were part of the welcome ceremony.
Visits. The following dignitaries visited the ship at Jakarta:-
(a) Shri Ajay Prasad, The Defence Secretary.
(b) V Adm Madanjit Singh, FOC-in-C West, Mumbai.
(c) Shri Amar Sinha, Charge D' Affairs of the Indian Embassy at Jakarta.
(d) Shri Gautarn Mukhopadhyay, Joint Secretary (P&C), MoD.
(e) Commander Western Fleet, Indonesian Navy.
Calls. The calls were made on the following dignitaries:-
(a) By FOC-in-C West and the Commanding Officers of Krishna and Tarangini on Commander Western Fleet, Indonesian Navy.
(b) By the Commanding Officers of Krishna and Tarangini on the Colonel Marines and the Mayor of North Jakarta.
Reception Onboard. A reception was hosted onboard INS Krishna. It was attended by a number of Indonesian Naval Officers, civil officials, Defence Attaches and Indian expatriates.
Reception By Indian Community. The large Indian community of Jakarta hosted a reception for ship's officers. The reception was also attended by FOC-in-C West and the Charge D' Affairs.
Ship open for visitors. The ship was open to visitors on 23 and 24
Mar 04. 40 school children from Gandhi International School and Indonesian Navy
School also visited the ship.
Educational / Training Visits. The ship's officers, cadets and sailors visited Taman Safari and Taman Mini Park in addition to Indonesian ships and shore establishments.
Jakarta to Singapore
Passage. The ship sailed from Jakarta at 0530 h on 25 Mar 04. Along this leg, the ship passed through Gelasa Straits, South China Sea, Singapore Strait and entered Changi Naval Base at 0900 hrs on 29 Mar 04. The ship covered a total distance of 560 NM in four days with an SOA of 6 Kts. Of this, 145 NM was covered under sails, 225 NM while close hauled motor sailing and 190 NM on engines.
Visits. Cmde RII Vaz, the Commodore Bureau of Sailors, Mumbai
visited the ship at Singapore.
Calls. The calls were made on the following dignitaries:-
(a) By CABS and the Commanding Officer on Head of Naval Operations, RSN.
(b) By CABS and the Commanding Officer on HE Shri Alok Prasad, The Indian High Commissioner to Singapore.
(c) By the Commanding Officer on the Fleet Commander, RSN. The Fleet Commander also returned the call onboard.
Reception Onboard. A reception was hosted onboard . It was attended by a number of RSN officers with their spouses, Defence Attaches, HE Shri Alok Prasad were also present for the reception.
Lunch hosted by RSN Officers. The Commanding Officer and the officers of RSN ship Persistence (Endurance class LPD/LST) hosted a lunch for the ship's officers at SAF Yacht Club.
Educational / Training Visits. The ship's officers, cadets and sailors visited RSN ships and Sentosa Island.
Singapore to Colombo
The ship sailed from Singapore on 02 Apr 04 and reached Colombo on 16 Apr 04. During this leg the ship experienced favourable weather and seas. During the stay at Colombo, a reception was hosted on board. Various functions and interaction with the local population were conducted with much warmth . As has been done in some of the previous ports whilst nearing home, at Colombo, the ship was visited by Vice Admiral Venkat Bharathan, Chief of Personnel , New Delhi.
The ship departed Colombo on 20 Apr 04. Three Sri Lankan Naval midshipmen have embarked the ship f or the passage from Colombo to Kochi. The ship is scheduled to enter Kochi harbour on 25 Apr 04, where a grand reception has been planned. The President of India has kindly consented to be the Chief Guest for this Welcome Home Ceremony.
The ship would have by then traversed the proverbial Seven Seas, having visited 37 ports in 18 countries enroute, covering over 33, 000 nautical miles and achieving very successfully the aim of the Indian Navy's first circumnavigation voyage viz Building Bridges of Friendship.
Reception At Kochi
With the crow's nest, right on top of the manned mast and cadets standing on the yard of the royal barque, 35 metres above the deck, INS Tarangini entered Ernakulam channel with His Excellency, the President of India, Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, accompanied by Admiral Madhevendra Singh, Chief of the Naval Staff and V Adm Yashwant Prasad, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Southern Naval Command embarked, escorted by scores of watercrafts. Waving colourful flags Naval personnel, school children, and citizens of Kochi, who manned the water front, welcomed INS Tarangini with the customary "Jai's". For the ships .
It was during this epic voyage that the human spirit found its finest expression In an environment of challenge and adventure. It was a protracted voyage under a spread of canvas, where human skill and endeavour were pitted against the vagaries and raw energy of the elements of nature and finally emerged victorious & triumphant!.
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