Six Indian Navy women officers to get Nao Sena medals | Latest News India - Hindustan Times
close_game
close_game

Six Indian Navy women officers to get Nao Sena medals

New Delhi | ByIndo Asian News Service
Aug 14, 2018 10:58 PM IST

Lieutenant commanders Vartika Joshi and Prathibha Jamwal, and lieutenants Swathi Patarpalli, Aishwarya Boddapati, Vijaya Devi and Payal Gupta spent over eight months at sea, sailing around the world in six legs on INSV Tarini.

The six Indian Navy women officers who circumnavigated the globe earlier this year will be awarded Nao Sena medals – a gallantry award for courage and devotion to duty in the naval force – on the Independence Day.

The six Indian Navy women officers who circumnavigated the globe earlier this year were on Tuesday awarded Nao Sena medals - a gallantry award for courage and devotion to duty in the naval force.(ANI/Twitter)
The six Indian Navy women officers who circumnavigated the globe earlier this year were on Tuesday awarded Nao Sena medals - a gallantry award for courage and devotion to duty in the naval force.(ANI/Twitter)

Lieutenant commanders Vartika Joshi, who led the team, and Prathibha Jamwal, and lieutenants Swathi Patarpalli, Aishwarya Boddapati, Vijaya Devi and Payal Gupta spent over eight months at sea, sailing around the world in six legs on the Indian Naval Sailing Vehicle (INSV) Tarini.

Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now.

Lt commander Joshi volunteered for the expedition, Navika Sagar Parikrama, during which the crew spent 194 days at sea and nearly 8 months away from home port.

It was the maiden attempt by an all women naval officers crew to sail around the globe in a yacht, covering a distance of nearly 22,300 nautical miles (41,255 kmm).

During the Sep 10, 2017- May 18, 2018 expedition that began at Goa, the officers crossed the equator twice, sailed across four continents and three oceans, and passed south of the three Great Capes -- Leeuwin, Horn and Good Hope in their eight-month journey.

The crew made stops in Fremantle (Australia), Lyttleton (New Zealand), Port Stanley (Falkland Islands), Cape Town (South Africa) and Mauritius.

The entire voyage was completed using sails, regularly negotiating 10-meter waves and over 100 kmph winds with the temperatures varying between four and 40 degrees Celsius as the vessel traversed through different parts of the world, Joshi’s award citation reads.

“Successful completion of circumnavigation voyage over 194 days at sea is a testimony of the raw courage, endurance and professionalism displayed by the officer and is in keeping with the finest traditions of the Navy.”

Captain P. Rajkumar of the Navy was given the Shaurya Chakra who rescued four survivors from the rough seas when a very severe cyclonic storm Ockhi struck the southern coast of India last year.

On December 1, the officer was captaining naval helicopter Sea King flying sorties all day on search and rescue operations braving the fury of nature and undertaking rescue missions.

A fisherman, adrift at sea, was reported to have been spotted as the crew thought the day’s work was over.

“The aircraft had flown continuously with two hot re-fuelling and there was considerable risk involved in undertaking a fresh mission. However, with no regard to his safety, Rajkumar took a tough call and decided to fly the life threatening mission on the stormy night of cyclone to save the solitary survivor in the raging sea,” reads his citation.

There were no night vision devices available immediately.

Flying on a pitch dark night, the Captain descended his helicopter to as low as 200 feet to search for the survivor. About 25 minutes into the search, the survivor was sighted clutching onto a capsized boat.

The officer brought the enormous aircraft into a hover at 25 feet over the raging sea and dispatched the diver, maintaining an extremely difficult manual hover for almost 30 minutes.

“Anything could have gone wrong at this stage, as both the men and machinery were operating at their extreme limits.”

But the daring act of the officer enabled saving a human life in extreme conditions.

Unveiling Elections 2024: The Big Picture', a fresh segment in HT's talk show 'The Interview with Kumkum Chadha', where leaders across the political spectrum discuss the upcoming general elections. Watch now!

Get Current Updates on India News, Election 2024, Arvind Kejriwal News Live, Bihar Board 10th Result 2024 Live along with Latest News and Top Headlines from India and around the world.
SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Share this article
SHARE
Story Saved
Live Score
OPEN APP
Saved Articles
Following
My Reads
Sign out
New Delhi 0C
Friday, March 29, 2024
Start 14 Days Free Trial Subscribe Now
Follow Us On