New Delhi. 05 April 2020. INS Tir, a cadet’s training ship of Indian Navy under Southern Naval Command (SNC) with 14 Naval Wing NCC cadets from different parts of the country embarked, returned to Kochi on completion of Overseas  Deployment of the “First Training Squadron”(1TS).

The NCC cadets had embarked INS Tir on 29 Feb 20 & were given maximum exposure on various facets of life at sea through a structured training programme, with special emphasis on the role of Indian Navy. The cadets enthusiastically participated in all activities of the ship. During the ship’s community outreach programme at an old age home in Port Louis, Mauritius, the NCC cadets won the admiration of the inmates by their sprightly enthusiasm and caring touch. The interactions were restricted due to the developing COVID-19 situation.  The cadets also gained immensely from regular interaction with Indian Naval officers as also the foreign sea riders and trainees from Maldives, Seychelles, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Myanmar who were also embarked onboard the ship.

The Overseas Deployment of 1TS ships was curtailed due to the COVID 19 pandemic and the ships returned to harbour on 04 Apr 20 after completing a 14-day quarantine period at sea. Due to the impracticality of Social distancing onboard ships, the whole ship with its personnel is treated as a cohort and quarantined as a whole. The crew of the ships and NCC cadets are presently undergoing an additional 14-day quarantine period in harbour as a precautionary measure.