INS Sindhudhwaj, a submarine of the Eastern Naval Command (ENC), has been awarded ‘The Best Innovation Trophy’ by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The award was given as part of the Navy Day celebrations that concluded recently. The innovation undertaken by the submarine to repair their ventilation system under challenging circumstances at sea during a search and rescue (SAR) operation was adjudged the first among the 137 entries of Navy.

Did You Know???

• Submarines are typically large vessels with a high number of crew. Nuclear submarines may have a crew of over 100.
• Submarines are used by the military as part of navy forces, protecting aircraft carriers, marine research, undersea exploration and salvage missions.
• The first submarine not propelled by human power was the French vessel named ‘Plongeur’. Launched in 1863, it used compressed air for propulsion.
• Germans had submarines called U-boats that they used during World War I and World War II to attack the Allied Forces.
• Submarines use VLF (very low frequency), ELF (extremely low frequency), burst transmission, sonar telephone and other methods to communicate with other submarines underwater and non-submerged vessels above the surface.
• The first nuclear powered submarine was launched in 1954. It was named the USS Nautilus.