50 years of service to the nation, Naval Dockyard Visakhapatnam celebrates Golden Jubilee

After successfully completing over 860 refits of ships and submarines and undertaking over 3,700 dockings, the Naval Dockyard at Visakhapatnam celebrated its Golden Jubilee on 29 March 2022. The special occasion saw the release of a special postal cover, a digital version of a Coffee Table Book and also held a painting exhibition.

The event was inaugurated at NDV by Vice Admiral Kiran Deshmukh, AVSM, VSM, Controller Warship Production and Acquisition in the presence of Vice-Admiral Sreekumar Nair, AVSM, VSM, Director General Naval Projects, Vice Admiral Sanjay Vatsayan, Chief of Staff, Eastern Naval Command, Dr Venkateswarlu Mutyala, IPoS, Post Master General and other dignitaries. The event was also graced by Rear Admiral AP Revi, (Retd) who had served as the first General Manager Refit at NDV.

A painting cum photo exhibition showcasing the talent of the local community was inaugurated by the Chief Guest. Delivering the welcome address at the event, R Adm IB Uthaiah, AVSM, VSM, Admiral Superintendent, NDV, paid rich tributes to the vision, resilience and innovation of the Yard personnel, past and present, who have made the Yard’s work ethos what it is today.

From its inception in 1940, as a Boat Repair Shop to its present avatar, Naval Dockyard, Visakhapatnam has evolved into one of India’s finest dockyards, hosting state-of-the-art facilities in niche fields of ship and submarine repair and maintenance. The Yard’s infrastructure and capabilities have kept abreast with new inductions, comprising ASW and stealth frigates, tankers, OPVs and strategic assets.

The Golden Jubilee year of the Naval Dockyard, Visakhapatnam was celebrated from 29 Mar 2021 to 28 Mar 2022 under the motto, ‘Self Reliance – Atmanirbharata’  which has been a hallmark of the Yard’s success. A large number of events were organised around the year, as part of the celebrations. Three expeditions consisting of 75 Yard members were flagged off on 30 Mar 21, to mark 75 glorious years of Indian Independence, celebrated as Azadi Ka Amrit Mahatosav, and the beginning of the Yard’s Golden Jubilee Year. A six-day Golden Jubilee Quality Circle Convention was held early Sep 21, where 40 Quality Circles from ND(Vizag), ND(Mbi), Eksila, Dega, NSRY Karwar, Kochi and Port Blair had participated.  A Golden Jubilee Blood Donation Camp was conducted on 12 Nov 21, where 750 personnel contributed 556 units of blood.

A technical seminar on the topic ‘Atma Nirbharata – Make-in-India initiatives relevant to India’, was conducted on 21 Dec 21. Vice Admiral Biswajit Dasgupta, AVSM, YSM, VSM Flag Officer Commanding in Chief, ENC, inaugurated the event, which was attended by the Chief of Material, 12 ASDs of Yore, and a large number of Flag officers. A Tech Expo was held concurrently with the seminar; represented by 25 firms, which had included MSMEs, start-ups and other industries developing niche technology for India. A maiden documentary, highlighting the Yard’s evolution from its inception in 1940 was also released on the occasion.