INS Nirdeshak (J19)

History
India
NameINS Nirdeshak
BuilderGarden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers
Launched16 November 1978
Commissioned4 October 1982
Decommissioned19 December 2014
Identification
StatusDecommissioned
General characteristics
Class & typeSandhayak-class survey ship
Displacement1,929 long tons (1,960 t) full
Length87.8 m (288 ft 1 in)
Beam12.8 m (42 ft 0 in)
Draft3.3 m (10 ft 10 in)
Speed16 knots (30 km/h; 18 mph)
Range
  • 6,000 nmi (11,000 km; 6,900 mi) at 14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph)
  • 14,000 nmi (26,000 km; 16,000 mi) at 10 kn (19 km/h; 12 mph)
Complement18 officers + 160 enlisted
Armament1 × Bofors 40 mm gun
Aircraft carried1 × HAL Chetak helicopter
Aviation facilitiesHelipad

INS Nirdeshak (J19) (Hindi: निर्देशक lit. director) was the sixth ship of the Sandhayak class of the Indian Navy. The ship operated as a hydrographic survey ship in the Indian Navy, under the Eastern Naval Command. Nirdeshak was equipped to prepare a variety of marine charts and maps for ECDIS system. The ship's secondary role was to conduct humanitarian aid and disaster management operations, wherein the ship could be converted into a hospital ship. The ship was also equipped with an operating theater and associated equipment needed to attend to medical emergencies at sea.