Affilaiation Ceremony:INS Beas and Grenadiers Regiment

INS Beas, the latest ship of the Brahmaputra class, was on 30 May 08, affiliated to the Grenadiers Regiment, one of the most esteemed and battle hardened regiments of the Indian Army, at an impressive ceremony held onboard INS Beas berthed at the Naval Dockyard Mumbai. The charter of affiliation was signed by Lt Gen SS Dhillon, the Colonel Commandant of the Grenadiers and Rear Admiral Anil Chopra, Flag Officer Commanding Western Fleet. A special cover was released by the Postal department to mark the historic occasion.

The affiliation is in keeping with the tradition of affiliating warships of the Indian Navy with specific Army Units. INS Rajput was the first Naval ship to be affiliated to the Rajput Regiment of the Army, which was followed by several other ships of the Indian Navy including INS Viraat with the Garhwal Regiments. Continuing this trend, affiliation of BEAS with Grenadiers will further infuse a spirit of jointmanship and esprit-de-corps. Immaculately dressed in white uniform the Naval band along with the Pipe band of the Grenadiers played the martial tunes while a joint Guard of Honour was presented to Lt Gen SS Dhillon to begin the ceremony.

Welcoming the officers and the men of Grenadiers Regiment, Rear Admiral Anil Chopra, Fleet Commander Western Fleet, said that future conflict will be fought jointly by the three services. The affiliation of the Grenadiers and INS Beas is a step in this direction to further understand mutual operational requirements. Joint training during the peace time will help in honing skills to fight the war.

Addressing the media, Lt General SS Dhillon stated that, a new chapter has been added in the history of the two services with this affiliation. He further said that the Grenadiers and BEAS have participated in the pre and post Independence wars and have won battle honours for the Country. He was confident that this trend will continue in the future as well.

The ceremony was attended by former Commanding Officers of INS Beas and Officers of the Grenadiers Regiment both serving and retired, besides senior Army and Naval officers along with their families.

Photo Caption

Affiliation 01

Photo Shows: Jointmanship displayed by the combined guard of Naval Ship Beas & Grenadiers Regiment while taking post.

Affiliation 02

Photo shows: Rear Admiral Anil Chopra, Flag Officer Commanding Western Fleet (Right) and Lt Gen SS Dhillon, Colonel Commandant the Grenadiers Regiment exchanging Charter of Affiliation after signing.

Affiliation 03

Photo Shows: Jointmanship displayed by the men of Naval Band & Pipe band of the Grenadiers Regiment who are ready to play martial tunes during the affiliation ceremony.