Naval ships affiliated to Army regiments

INS Shivalik and INS Satpura were affiliated to the Scinde Horse and the 7th Cavalry,two of the oldest and gallant regiments of the Indian Army,on Friday at the Naval Dockyard,Visakhapatnam. Lt Gen A K Singh,General Officer Commanding-in-Chief (GOC-in-C),Southern Army Command (SAC),Colonel of The Regiment was the chief guest at the ceremony presided by Vice-Admiral Anil Chopra,Flag Officer Commanding in Chief,Eastern Naval Command (FOC-in-C,ENC).

The ceremony commenced with the inspection of the combined Army-Navy ceremonial guard onboard the two ships,first by the chief guest and later by the FOC-in-C,with shining T-72 tanks and horse-mounted lancers of the two regiments lined up on the jetty. After the welcome address by Rear Admiral Ajit Kumar P,Flag Officer Commanding Eastern Fleet,the ships were formally affiliated to the regiments with the reading,signing and exchange of the affiliation charter by the Commanding Officers of INS Satpura and INS Shivalik,Captain Sharat Mohan and Captain Rajesh Pendharkar,with Commandants of Scinde Horse and 7th Cavalry,Colonel Ranvijay Singh and Colonel Sumit Rana.

Addressing the gathering,the FOC-in-C,ENC and the GOC-in-C,SAC,emphasised the importance of achieving the aims listed in the charter of affiliation which is to act as a force multiplier within the Indian Armed Forces by fostering greater synergy in the spirit of jointmanship,harmony and understanding of each other’s combat potential,ethos,traditions and culture. The Admiral and the General extended best wishes to officers and families of the two Ships and Regiments.