Jump to content

National Hydrographic Office

Add links
Coordinates: 30°20′41″N 78°03′29″E / 30.3447888°N 78.0580398°E / 30.3447888; 78.0580398
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 182.56.180.203 (talk) at 05:40, 21 September 2022. The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Indian Naval Hydrographic Department
Logo of National Hydrographic Office, headquarters of Indian Naval Hydrographic Department stationed at Dehradun.
Military overview
Formed1 June 1954; 70 years ago (1954-06-01)
Preceding agencies
  • Marine Survey of India (1947-1954)
  • Naval Hydrographic Office (1954-1997)
HeadquartersNational Hydrographic Office, 107-A, Rajpur Road, Dehradun,  India [1]
30°20′41″N 78°03′29″E / 30.3447888°N 78.0580398°E / 30.3447888; 78.0580398
Minister responsible
Deputy Minister responsible
Military executive
Parent department Indian Navy
WebsiteNHO Official

The Indian Naval Hydrographic Department (INHD), headed by the Chief Hydrographer to the Government of India, is an Indian government agency responsible for hydrographic surveys and nautical charting in India. Its headquarters National Hydrographic Office is located in Dehradun, Uttrakhand beside the Principal Controller of Defense Accounts Office (Air Force). Presently, the department is equipped with Seven indigenously built survey ships including a catamaran hull survey vessel (CHSV). The National Institute of Hydrography is the training institute to impart knowledge regarding hydrography and to train its personnel. Two more ships are currently being constructed and is expected to be commissioned into service by 2025-26.

The department is also responsible for making electronic navigational charts officially on behalf of the government of India. The department has also signed memoranda of understanding with various countries for surveying their waters as part of international cooperation.[3]

INS Makar used by INHD for surveys

History

Pre-independence

Hydrography in India originated back in the 17th century. The first chart of Indian Ocean was compiled by Thorntons of the British East India Company in 1703, which is considered as a major step towards the development of nautical charts of India. In 1874, the Indian Marine Survey Department was established in Calcutta; later it became a part of Royal Indian Navy.[4]

Post-independence

After Indian independence in 1947, the department continued its functions under the Surveyor-in-Charge of the Marine Survey of India from Bombay. Later the office was shifted to Dehradun by renaming it as Naval Hydrographic Office headed by Chief Hydrographer of the Navy, which was later re-designated Chief Hydrographer to the Government of India in 1964. In view of international role of India in hydrography, the office was renamed once again in 1997 as National Hydrographic Office.[4] Captain (later Admiral and Chief of the Naval Staff) Jal Cursetji was the first Indian to serve as the Chief Hydrographer of the Navy.[5][6]

National Hydrographic Office

The National Hydrographic Office, headed by the Chief Hydrographer to the Government of India, is the headquarters of Indian Naval Hydrographic Department stationed at Dehradun. It is responsible for the publication of nautical charts relating to Indian on behalf of the government.[4]

Chief Hydrographer to the Government of India

The Chief Hydrographer to the Government of India is the executive head of the Indian Naval Hydrographic Department. The Chief Hydrographer is a vice admiral from the Indian Navy. The Chief Hydrographer is also the coordinator for charting Area "J" in the North Indian Ocean and NAVAREA VIII coordinator.[2][7]

Organisational structure

The department is headed by Chief Hydrographer, assisted by a staff officer. The organisation is further divided into 6 divisions.

Ships

Presently 7 ocean-going survey ships are in service with the department. All these ships belong to Sandhayak class, whose design was adopted as basic one, and later added on with minor changes in tandem with the existing technology, except INS Makar which belongs to Makar class.

Ships in Sandhayak class
Name Pennant No. Date of Commission Home Port Crest\ Emblem\ Image
INS Nirupak J 20 14 August 1985 Visakhapatnam File:INS Nirupak emblem.JPG
INS Investigator J 15 11 January 1990 Mumbai File:INS Investigator emblem.JPG
INS Jamuna J 16 31 August 1991 Kochi File:INS Jamuna emblem.JPG
INS Jamuna in the foreground
INS Sutlej J 17 19 February 1993 Kochi File:INS Sutlej emblem.jpg
INS Sandhayak J 18 14 March 1981 (Decommissioned on 04 June 2021) Visakhapatnam File:INS Sandhayak (J-18) emblem.JPG
INS Darshak J 21 28 April 2001 Visakhapatnam File:INS Darshak emblem.jpg
INS Sarvekshak J 22 14 January 2002 Kochi File:INS Savekshak emblem.JPG
INS Sarvekshak in the background
Ships in Makar class
Name Pennant No. Date of Commission Homeport Crest\ Emblem\ Image
INS Makar J 31 21 Sep 2012 Karwar

References

  1. ^ "National Hydrographic Office, India". Hydro International. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
  2. ^ a b "Chief Hydrographer". NHO. Govt. of India. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
  3. ^ "Welcome to INHD". NHO. Govt. of India. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
  4. ^ a b c "Brief History 1". NHO. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
  5. ^ "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Navy Branch)". The Gazette of India. 24 March 1956. p. 60.
  6. ^ "Indian Navy Information Resource and Facilitation Centre - Content". 19 April 2012. Archived from the original on 19 April 2012.
  7. ^ "Brief History 2". NHO. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=National_Hydrographic_Office&oldid=1111478477"