KOCHI: Vice-Admiral K N Sushil, Flag Officer Commanding-in- Chief, Southern Naval Command, inaugurated ‘Jalveer Smriti’, the memorial dedicated to Navy divers who attained martyrdom.
The programme was organised by the Indian Naval Diving School in Kochi, the alma mater of all special operations personnel of the Indian Navy.
The memorial depicts a naval combat diver emerging from the waves to launch a clandestine attack on the enemy.
The verses of the holy scripture exhorting the warrior to perform his duty as a defender and protector of rights have been engraved on the plaque.
The memorial has been conceptualised by Commander A K Sharma and Lieutenant Commander O P Singh of the Diving School as a tribute to the diving legends of the Indian Navy.
Recently, Chandrashekhar, a personnel of the diving cadre, sacrificed his life in Jammu and Kashmir in September 2009, while fighting anti-national forces.
The ‘Jalveer Smriti’ is also envisioned to inspire the young officers and sailors of the Navy trained at the Southern Naval Command.
The naval divers are employed in both offensive and defensive roles. Their major roles include combat amphibious operations, salvage and submarine rescue operations, underwater explosive ordnance disposal and providing aid to civil authorities during floods, accidents in water bodies and underwater surveys.
The elite and only amphibious special force of India, the Marine Commandos or MARCOS is an integral part of this cadre.