Mangalore, Feb 16: For most people strolling at Panambur beach on Saturday evening, it was an unexpected surprise when a fully-functional hovercraft belonging to the Indian Coast Guard sped over waves around the coast towards the shore and whisked across the sand, leaving the visitors spellbound.
It was the first time that locals had seen a hovercraft from close quarters, since Karnataka so far did not have that kind of a hybrid vessel in the coast guard.
Much to the delight of those witnessing its arrival, the craft drifted over to the sandy shore and made its way over to a spot on the beach, sending a sudden blast of sand on the onlookers. As it came to a standstill on the beach, a large number of people gathered to take a closer look at the craft while its 'skirt' (air cushion) slowly deflated.
No sooner than the crew stepped outside from the craft, they were besieged with an array of questions from bystanders and the officers in charge of the hovercraft patiently answered each one of them.
Speaking to Coastaldigest.com, Commandant of the hovercraft H-194 Sandeep Safaya said that the hovercraft was one of the first to be commissioned by the Indian Coast Guard for increased surveillance along the coast of India. It will be used basically for patrolling, search-and-rescue operations and prevention of smuggling activities along the coast. It is also capable of rendering assistance to small boats or vessels in distress at sea and will help increase the security along the coast, he informed.
He said that the craft had been deployed on a preliminary test-basis to survey the coastline of Karnataka state. The H-194 hovercraft will be identifying and mapping beaches in the state where hovercrafts could land, he said.
Uttam Adhikari S Upadhyay said that the H-194 was one among the total 18 hovercrafts that would be stationed along the coast of the country. The hovercraft has a crew of two officers and 11 enrolled personnel. It can achieve a maximum speed of 45 knots, he said.
He said that the H-194 was equipped with better navigation equipment that most vessels in the coast guard, and also weaponry such as anti-aircraft weapons, light machine guns (LMGs) and infantry arms as part of INSAS (Indian National Small Arms System).
Few Mangaloreans such as Havish and Deepak had arrived at Panambur specifically to catch a glimpse of the hovercraft. It will be open for public viewing for the next two days before returning to Mumbai.
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