Reliving the saga of ancient mariners and sailing through storms and choppy seas, INS Tarangini has completed a voyage, the mission of which was goodwill and peace apart from the training of its cadets. INS Tarangini is a three - masted barque, designed by Colin Muddie, famous naval architect and yacht designer of United Kingdom and built by Goa Shipyard Ltd. The name 'Tarangini' is derived from the Hindi word 'Tarang' which means wave. The crest of the ship depicts a mother swan teaching her child to swim and fly, thus depicting the primary role of the ship in training cadets of the Indian Navy.

INS Tarangini was commissioned in the Indian Navy on November 11, 1997 and forms a part of the 1st Training Squadron, based at Kochi on the west coast of southern India. The Indian Naval ships- Tir, Krishna and Tarangini - are all meant for training but INS Tarangini is the only Sail Training Ship in the Indian Navy. Throughout the world, thirty Navies own sail ships and in Asia, INS Tarangini is the third one.

Sail training ships are increasingly being used as basic seamanship and character building platforms by navies the world over. Sailing platforms provide an ideal setting to provide first hand experience of the vagaries of the sea to cadets embarking on a naval career. All sailing manoeuvres require experience of the basic elements of marine environment viz. wind and weather. They also need a good deal of sea sense. Sail training imparts. all these virtues. The objective of the circumnavigation voyage is not just to teach cadets seamanship, navigation, astro -navigation, semaphore and morse light signalling hut also inculcate in them courage, camaraderie a d endurance. INS Tarangini, primarily meant for the sail training of Cadets of First Training Squadron, also conducts sail training capsules for cadets of the National Defence Academy, Naval Academy and INS Shivaji.

INS Tarangini set sail on the circumnavigation voyage on January, 23, 2003. It battled wind and waves to proudly fly the National Flag and the Naval Ensign at 36 ports in 18 countries and six continents. It covered 33,000 nautical miles travelling through the Arabian Sea, the pirate­ infested Red Sea, the narrow Suez Canal, the turbulent Mediterranean, the chilly Atlantic, the Great Lakes, Panama Canal and the stormy Pacific. Propagating the theme of "Bridges of Friendship Across the Oceans", the voyage aimed at broadening the horizons of young officers and officer-trainees by exposing them to the socio-political, cultural and maritime facets of different countries and to inculcate in them a spirit of adventure, espirit de corps, physical and mental agility.

INS Tarangini stole the show at the Tall Ship races in the Great Lakes. Sailing ships from 24 countries, some with centuries-old sailing traditions, had participated in the event. The Tarangini came first in two races and third in the remaining two of the Youth Sailing Division, the main category of races. Besides, the Indians were the overall champions. The Tarangini was unanimously judged the best ship. Because it had come from the farthest country, the Indian vessel got the Long Distance Ship award too.
Tarangini's voyage not only symbolizes the grit and determination of her crew, but also signals the sea-faring capabilities, global reach and sustainability of the Indian Navy. The ship has proved herself to be a true ambassador of the nation wherever she has unfurled her sails. Tarangini - true to her name - made waves by her consistent and superlative performance during the entire circumnavigation voyage.

The Department of Posts celebrates the spirit behind the circumnavigation voyage through the issue of this commemorative postage stamp on INS Tarangini.

Source : Information Folder issued by Indian Posts & Telegraph Department, Government of India