Crew of Taragiri echo ‘Kiski Chalegi Dadagiri?—Taragiri, Taragiri!’

Visakhapatnam: For300-odd crew of INS Taragiri (F41), it is like a ‘home’ away from home.

As the fourth potent platform of the Project 17A class is slated to be commissioned by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on April 3 (Friday) at the Eastern Naval Command in Visakhapatnam, some of the officers and crew members of the much-refined version of the stealth frigate share what it means to them to be part of the Indian-made larger-than-life vessel 48 hours before the commissioning of the Nilgiri class.

In an exclusive interaction with The Hans India, Commanding Officer of INS Taragiri Captain Hemanth Gopal, highlighted, “Taragiri is extremely capable and brings a different spirit altogether to the Eastern Board. The Project 17 A has cutting edge technology of everything that the Indian Navy aspires for and probably the best in the world.”

Stating that the Indian Navy has been constantly evolving and is greatly respected across the world, the Commanding Officer mentioned that the country has been making ships since long.

“Certainly, we have reached a great expertise over the years. We are way ahead of where we were a few years back and are going to be in much better place a few years down the line as sky is the limit. There will be far more cutting-edge technologies, far more evolution. It is not a ‘silent Navy’ as we go and make things happen rather than sit back quietly,” Captain Hemanth Gopal exuded confidence.

When asked where does Indian Navy stand in terms of adding ships to its fleet compared to the US and China,

“Each country focuses on defence strategies based on its requirements and policy demands. India has a very strong navy. Over the years, it is only getting healthier and far better with each passing day,” the Commanding Officer replied.

Responding to how it feels to lead an army of young officers onboard Taragiri, the Commanding Officer said: “It feels young.”

Expressing delight over the commissioning of the ship that has over 75 percent of indigenous content, Captain Hemanth Gopal termed it as a full-fledged baby being ‘reborn’. “Kiski Chalegi Dadagiri?…Taragiri Taragiri,” the Commanding Officer concludes the conversation with a ‘punch line’.

Highlighting that every ship has its own soul, Executive Officer Commander Siddhartha Gupta, Engineering Officer Commander G. Siva Venkatesh, Electrical Officer Commander Akhilesh Sharma and Logistics Officer Commander Abhishek Bali, said, “We feel proud to be part of the indigenous and powerful ship. What makes it more special is that about 200 MSMEs from across the country have chipped in to make the vessel an Indian-made baby.”

Elaborating on technical features of the ship, Radio Maintainer POEL (R) Varun Chourey, Assistant Electricals Officer (Power Generation and Distribution) Lieutenant HC Bhuvan, MCMECH (P)-I NAVAIDS Maintainer Praveen and Engineering Department CHERA Deepak Teotia define Taragiri mentioned that the ship is equipped with automatic power generation system which aids in operating things remotely. “The ship is endowed with an Integrated Platform Management System (IPMS). Apparently, because the parts are indigenous, accessing spares is easy, and the turnaround time for repairs is shorter compared to sourcing foreign parts,” they emphasised.

During long deployments, the crew said that they would never feel completely disconnected from their families as the ship takes care of them, offering a generous dose of entertainment through digital screens, pre-recorded cinema and open theatre projector, games and connectivity.

“The ship has four RO plants that aid in converting seawater into fresh water. While one plant is meant for machinery purpose, the rest is used for domestic needs,” they informed.

Designed by the Indian Navy’s Warship Design Bureau and built by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited, 6,670-tonne Project 17A frigate will be based at the ENC.