INS Tarangini And INS Ikshak: The Indian Navy Ships That Joined IRIS Dena Rescue

Last Updated:March 05, 2026, 20:28 IST

Know all about INS Tarangini and INS Ikshak- the Indian Navy's sail trainer and survey ship that were deployed for search and rescue after IRIS Dena was sunk by a US torpedo.

When the Iranian frigate IRIS Dena sent out a distress call after being struck by a US torpedo off the coast of Galle on March 4, the Indian Navy responded promptly- deploying a long-range maritime patrol aircraft and two commissioned naval vessels to join the search and rescue operation led by Sri Lanka.

The two ships were INS Tarangini, a sail training barque that was already operating in the vicinity and arrived in the search area by 1600 hours that day, and INS Ikshak, a hydrographic survey vessel that sailed from Kochi and continues to remain in the area searching for missing personnel.

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INS Tarangini

INS Tarangini is a three-masted barque commissioned in 1997 and built by Goa Shipyard Limited in Vasco da Gama, Goa. At roughly 54 metres in length, the vessel carries a large sail area spread across multiple square and fore-and-aft sails. Its primary purpose is to train naval cadets in traditional seamanship- navigation by wind, sail handling, celestial navigation and long-distance endurance sailing. These are skills considered foundational to naval training, cultivating discipline and maritime awareness that modern motor vessels cannot replicate.

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Tarangini is attached to the Indian Naval Academy and typically embarks cadets on extended voyages lasting several months. Over the years it has completed numerous international sail training expeditions, participated in global tall-ship races and made maritime goodwill visits to ports around the world, functioning as a floating diplomatic platform representing India internationally.

INS Ikshak

INS Ikshak is a hydrographic survey vessel commissioned in 1992-93, belonging to the Ikshak-class of survey ships constructed by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers in Kolkata. Its mission is scientific and navigational in nature. The ship is designed to conduct hydrographic surveys of coastal and deep-water regions- measuring seabed topography, underwater hazards, tides, currents and shoreline features.

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Data collected by Ikshak is used to produce and update nautical charts issued by India’s National Hydrographic Office, charts that are essential for safe navigation by both naval and commercial vessels. The ship is equipped with specialised survey equipment including multi-beam echo sounders, side-scan sonar, oceanographic sensors and survey launches capable of operating close to shore. Ikshak undertakes surveys not only in Indian waters but also for friendly foreign nations as part of hydrographic assistance programmes.

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