Sandhayak-class survey ship (1981)

The Sandhayak-class survey ships are a series of eight vessels built by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE), Kolkata and Goa Shipyard, Vasco for the Indian Navy. While Sandhayak, Investigator, Nirdeshak, Nirupak were built in GRSE;^[1] Sarveshak, Jamuna, Darshak, Sutlej were built by Goa Shipyard.^[2][3] The vessels equipped with four survey motorboats, two small boats and are powered by two diesel engines with a top speed of 16 knots (30 km/h; 18 mph). They have a helicopter deck and are also armed with a Bofors 40 mm/60 gun mount for self-defense.

Sandhayak class

INS Sandhayak (J-18) survey vessel at sea.
Class overview
Builders	Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Goa Shipyard, Ltd.
Operators	India
Succeeded by	Makar class
Planned	8
Completed	8
Active	5
Retired	3
General characteristics
Type	Hydrographic survey ship
Displacement	1,929 long tons (1,960 t) full
Length	87.8 m (288 ft 1 in)
Beam	12.8 m (42 ft 0 in)
Draft	3.3 m (10 ft 10 in)
Speed	16 knots (30 km/h; 18 mph)
Range	6,000 nmi (11,000 km; 6,900 mi) at 14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph) 14,000 nmi (26,000 km; 16,000 mi) at 10 kn (19 km/h; 12 mph)
Complement	18 officers + 160 enlisted
Armament	1 × Bofors 40 mm gun
Aircraft carried	1 × HAL Chetak helicopter
Aviation facilities	Helipad

The ships are equipped with variety of next-generation surveying systems fitted onboard including multi-beam swath echo sounding system, differential GPS, motion sensors, sea gravimeter, magnetometer, oceanographic sensors, side scan sonars, automated data logging system, sound velocity profiling system, digital survey and processing system, amongst others.^[4]

Working as part of the Indian Naval Hydrographic Department the Sandhayak-class survey ships are equipped with a range of surveying, navigational and communication systems. The ships are designed to undertake shallow coastal and deep oceanic hydrographic survey and collect oceanographic and geophysical data required for the production of digital navigational charts and publications. Besides carrying out their primary role of hydrographic survey, they can also assist in times of war and natural calamities as troop transports and casualty holding ships. The ships are also equipped with ROV, AUV & USV.^[5]

Service history

Nirdeshak was decommissioned on 19 December 2014.^[6][7]

The lead ship of the class Sandhayak was decommissioned on 4 June 2021 after 40 years in service.^[8]

The third ship in the class Nirupak was decommissioned after 38 years of service on 29 January 2024 in Visakhapatnam.^[9]

Ships in the class

Ships in the class

Name	Pennant No.	Builder	Commission	Decommission	Homeport	Status
Batch I
Sandhayak	J 18	GRSE	14 March 1981	4 June 2021	Visakhapatnam	Decommissioned
Nirdeshak	J 19		4 October 1982	19 December 2014
Nirupak	J 20		14 August 1985	29 January 2024
Investigator	J 15		11 January 1990	—	Kochi[10]	Active
Jamuna	J 16		31 August 1991	—
Sutlej	J 17		19 February 1993	—
Batch II
Darshak	J 21	Goa Shipyard Limited	28 April 2001	—	Visakhapatnam[11]	Active
Sarvekshak	J 22		14 January 2002	—	Kochi[12]

Gallery

• 
  Sandhayak at sea.
• 
  Nirdeshak during a survey mission.
• 
  Investigator at sea.
• 
  Survey tasking being undertaken by Southern Naval Command ships Jamuna and Sarvekshak on World Hydrography Day 2014.
• 
  Sarvekshak en-route to Mauritius

See also

• List of active Indian Navy ships
• INS Sagardhwani