Sandhayak-class survey ship (1981)

Sandhayak class
INS Sandhayak (J-18) survey vessel at sea.
Class overview
Builders
Operators India
Succeeded byMakar class
Planned8
Completed8
Active5
Retired3
General characteristics
TypeHydrographic survey ship
Displacement1,929 long tons (1,960 t) full
Length87.8 m (288 ft 1 in)
Beam12.8 m (42 ft 0 in)
Draft3.3 m (10 ft 10 in)
Speed16 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)
Complement18 officers + 160 enlisted
Armament1 × Bofors 40 mm gun
Aircraft carried1 × HAL Chetak helicopter
Aviation facilitiesHelipad

The Sandhayak-class survey ships are a series of eight vessels built by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE), Kolkata and Goa Shipyard, Ltd., 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.

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 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]

  1. ^ "GRSE_Coffee Table Book_low.pdf" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 February 2017. Retrieved 23 February 2017.
  2. ^ Saunders 2002, p. 316.
  3. ^ "INS Jamuna progresses joint hydrographic operations off Sri Lanka". PSU Watch. 20 February 2020.
  4. ^ "Indian navy ship on goodwill visit".
  5. ^ "INS Sarvekshak".