Commander-in-chief will review the naval fleet on Feb 21

Of the 11 fleet reviews the Indian Navy has conducted since Independence, two have been International Fleet Reviews - in 2001 and 2016

The 12th President’s Fleet Review, a resplendent and much-anticipated ceremonial naval event, will be conducted at Visakhapatnam on February 21. President Ram Nath Kovind, the supreme commander of the military, will review the naval fleet, which will include more than 60 indigenously built ships and submarines, and 55 naval aircraft.

The Indian Navy says the fleet review is “a long-standing tradition followed by navies all across the world” and is “an assembly of ships at a pre-designated place for the purpose of displaying loyalty and allegiance to the sovereign and the state”.

By reviewing the fleet, the commander-in-chief reaffirms his faith in its ability to defend the nation’s maritime interests. Navies often carry out this exercise without any belligerent intentions, but the President’s Fleet Review is an established part of naval deterrence signalling, in which a country displays its naval might.

According to tradition, each president conducts a fleet review once during his/her tenure. The review was planned to be held in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands in 2020, but was cancelled due to the pandemic.

The President’s Yacht, which is an indigenously built Naval Offshore Patrol Vessel (NOPV) named INS Sumitra, will lead the presidential column in the review. The yacht will be distinguished by the Ashoka emblem on her side and will fly the President’s Standard on her mast.

After a ceremonial guard of honour and a 21-gun salute, the President — embarked on the Presidential Yacht, INS Sumitra — will sail through 44 ships lined up at anchorage off Visakhapatnam. The review will have a combination of ships from the Indian Navy as well as the Coast Guard. Ships from the Shipping Corporation of India and the Ministry of Earth Sciences will also be participating.

In this most formal of naval ceremonials, each ship, dressed in full regalia, will salute the President as he passes. The President will also be reviewing the Indian Naval Air Arm in a spectacular fly-past by several helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft.

In the final stage of the review, a mobile column of warships and submarines will steam past the Presidential Yacht. 

This display will also showcase the latest acquisitions of the Indian Navy. In addition, several waterfront activities will be conducted, including “Parade of Sails,” search and rescue demonstration at sea, aerobatics by Hawk trainer aircraft and water parachute jumps by the elite marine commandos (MARCOS).

The review will be followed by the release of a special First Day Cover and a commemorative stamp by the President in the presence of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Minister of State for Communication Devusinh J Chauhan.

The ships at anchorage will be ceremonially dressed overall with various naval flags in full regalia during the day. On February 19 and 20, the ships were illuminated from sunset to midnight, a spectacle visible from the beach front in Visakhapatnam.