INS Sarvekshak

About INS Sarvekshak:

• It is an Indian Navy hydrographic survey ship.
• It is based at Southern Naval Command at Kochi.
• It is fitted with state-of-the-art survey equipment like Deep Sea Multi-Beam Echo Sounder, Side Scan Sonars and a fully automated digital surveying and processing system.
• In addition, the ship carries an integral Chetak helicopter, which would be extensively deployed during the survey. 
• The ship is the second ship of the Darshak class of ships and has a complement of 15 officers and 175 sailors.
• In the past, INS Sarvekshak has also undertaken foreign cooperation surveys in Sri Lanka, Mauritius, Seychelles, Tanzania, and Kenya.

What is Hydrography?

• Hydrography is the branch of applied sciences which deals with the measurement and description of the physical features of oceans, seas, coastal areas, lakes, and rivers, as well as with the prediction of their change over time.
• This is done mainly with specialised ships and boatsoperating echo sounders and sonars, but also using survey aircraft fitted with lasers.
• Useful information can also be derived sometimes from satellite observations.
• Hydrography also involves measuring the tide and the currents.
• Unlike oceanography, hydrography will include shore features, natural and manmade, lights and towers that will aid in fixing a ship’s position, as well as the physical aspects of the sea and seabed. 

Q1: What is a sonar?

Sonar (Sound Navigation And Ranging) is the name of a technology that is used to detect objects in water and within the seafloor. There are two basic types – passive and active. Passive sonars listen for underwater sounds. Active sonar systems emit sounds and use returning echoes to detect, locate, and classify objects in the environment. 

Source: BS

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