Indian Coast Guard
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Indian Coast Guard is the fourth service created to guard Republic of India's vast coastline. It was created on 18 August 1978 as an independent entity as per the Coast Guard Act. The Indian Coast Guard is an armed force of India and is not a part of the Indian Paramilitary Forces.
The coast guard works closely with the Indian navy and the Indian Customs Department. India's coast guard has a large number of fast craft including hovercrafts and hydrofoils. They patrol the seas and river mouths. They also patrol lakes in Kashmir bordering the People's Republic of China.
The coast guard has performed a number of commendable tasks of rescuing distressed personnel. It has also apprehended pirates on high seas and cleaned up oil spills. Heavy patrolling of sensitive areas such as Gujarat, West Bengal and Mumbai have resulted in catching a large number of smugglers and illegal immigrants.
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[edit] Objectives
 Emblem |
|
| Military Man Power | |
|---|---|
| Total armed forces | 2,414,700 (Ranked 3rd) |
| Active troops | 1,414,000 (Ranked 3rd) |
| Total troops | 3,773,300 (Ranked 6th) |
| Paramilitary forces | 1,089,700 |
| Components | |
| Indian Army |  |
| Indian Air Force |  |
| Indian Navy |  |
| Indian Coast Guard |  |
| Indian Paramilitary Forces | |
| Strategic Nuclear Command | |
| History | |
| Military history of India | |
| Ranks | |
| Air Force ranks and insignia of India | |
| Army ranks and insignia of India | |
| Naval ranks and insignia of India | |
- To protect the ocean.
- Protect offshore wealth such as oil, fish and minerals.
- Assist mariners in distress.
- Safeguard life and property at sea.
- Enforce maritime laws with respect to sea, smuggling, narcotics, shipping and poaching.
- To preserve marine environment, ecology and protect rare species
- Prevention and control of maritime pollution
- To collect marine scientific data
- Assist the Indian Navy in times of war
Motto: Vayam Rakshaamah -- "We Protect" in Sanskrit. (It is seen in Devanagari script on the coat of arms.)
The Coast Guard is responsible for the policing of over 2.01 million square kilometres of ocean. The area under its control includes nearly 1,200 islands and a coastline of 7517 kilometres.
[edit] History
In 1974, the Government of India set out to create an autonomous coast guard to protect the nation's long coast line. This coast guard was modelled on the lines of the British (HMCG) and American (USCG) coast guards. Like many coast guards around the world, the Indian Coast Guard has borrowed the white paint scheme and "racing stripe" from the U.S. service. The dress uniforms are similar to their American counterpart.
An interim Indian Coast Guard was set up on February 1, 1977 equipped with modern weaponry and quick sea craft with the help of the Indian Navy. The duties and functions of the service were formally defined in the Coast Guard Act, which was passed on 18 August 1978, and came into effect the next day.
The Indian Coast Guard conducts exercises with the other coast guards of the world. In 2006, the Indian Coast Guard conducted exercises with Japanese and Korean counterparts. In May 2005, the Indian Coast Guard agreed to set up liaison links with Pakistan Coast Guard.
[edit] Bases
The Coast Guard is headed by a Director General with a rank equivalent to a Vice Admiral. The force has a strength of 5440, including 633 officers. Its headquarters is based in the capital, New Delhi. It has:
- three regional headquarters at Mumbai, Chennai, and Port Blair
- one district headquarters in each of the nine coastal states and 2 in the Union territories of Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep Islands.
- Twenty nine coast guard stations[1] at places like Vadinar, Haldia, Kakinada, Okha, Tuticorin and Mandapam.
- two air bases, in Daman and Chennai
- air enclaves at Goa, Kolkata and Port Blair.
- A new station Pondicherry recently commissioned
[edit] Vessels
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The Coast Guard began with two old frigates handed to it by the Navy and five small patrol vessels. It has since grown to a sizeable fleet of 75 ships and watercraft and 44 aircraft and helicopters. The coast guard relies on a variety of seafaring vessels equipped with modern detection facilities. They include patrol boats of various speeds and capabilities, defence boats, air cushion vehicles and interceptor craft. The air arm of the coast guard boasts has Dornier Do 228 airplanes and Chetak and Dhruv helicopters. The Indian Coast Guard will acquire eight ships including one pollution control vessel from the United States.[2]
Advance Offshore Patrol Vessels (AOPV's)
Sankalp class (AOPV's) (2 being built)
Samar class (AOPV's) (4 in service)
Vikram class Offshore Patrol Vessels (9 in service)
Fast Patrol Vessels (8 in service)
Extra Fast Patrol Vessels (7 in service)
Inshore Patrol Vessels (13 in service)
Seaward Defence Boats (2 in service)
Interceptor Boats (12 in service)
Inshore Patrol Crafts (5 in service)
Interceptor Crafts (8 in service)
Hovercrafts (6 in service)
Pollution control vessels (3 on order)
[edit] Aircraft inventory
| Aircraft | Origin | Type | Versions | In service[3] | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aérospatiale Alouette III |  France |
utility helicopter | SA 316B | 17 | |
| Dornier Do 228 |  Germany
 India |
transport
search and rescue patrol |
Do 228-101 | 24 | 18 built by HAL |
| HAL Dhruv | India |
utility helicopter | 4 |
[edit] See also
[edit] References
[edit] Notes
- ^ Coast Guard station commissioned
- ^ Coast Guard to acquire eight ships from US
- ^ "World Military Aircraft Inventory", Aerospace Source Book 2007, Aviation Week & Space Technology, January 15, 2007.
[edit] External links
- Official Coast Guard site
- Indian Coast Guard @ India Defence
- Unofficial page on Coast Guard
- Ministry of Defence
- AeroFlight
- International Lifeboat Federation
- Indian Coast Guard eyes major expansion
- Video @ Youtube.com
