VISAKHAPATNAM: All roads in the city led to the Beach Road where Eastern Naval Command (ENC) conducted its annual Operations Demo (OpDemo) to mark the Navy Day celebrations, on Tuesday. Every inch of available space along the beach from RK Beach to Submarine Museum was occupied by people, including foreigners, forming a boisterous crowd that kept on yelling throughout the show of strength by the Indian Navy.
Children, who accompanied their parents were on cloud nine as they got a chance to witness live stunts of the Naval personnel. The celebrations highlighted the multi-dimensional warfare capabilities of the Indian Navy in protecting the vast maritime borders and offshore assets of the country.
On arrival at venue, chief guest N Chinarajappa, deputy chief minister, was greeted by a burst of water plume charges by the elite Marine Commandos. This was followed by the spectacular descent of the skydivers, following a combat free fall over the venue. The demonstration of naval power continued with the display of helicopters landing and taking off from the moving columns of Indian Navy ships - Ranvir, Satpura, Khanjar and Kadmatt - sailing in a taut formation. The Navy’s search and rescue capabilities, which have played a vital role in humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) operations, both at national and international levels, were showcased by the UH3H helicopter.
In a spellbinding display of covert operation, insertion of a team of Marine Commandos in a precise maneuvering was undertaken from a Sea King helicopter. This was followed by beach assault and amphibious landing on the beach front.