The Moudge-class warship, whose photograph illustrating this article was taken by the author on the 18th of that month, took part in the International Fleet Review (IFR) in the waters off the port of Vishakhapatnam, from where it set sail toward home without major issues on February 25.
Initial reports speak of more than 80 crew members killed, whose bodies were found floating in the Indian Ocean, in international waters 40 miles off the coast of Sri Lanka. The country has deployed a rescue mission to locate survivors, who so far number more than thirty.
India is also participating in the search operations for the shipwrecked sailors after responding to a distress call from the Persian vessel, having deployed ships such as INS Tarangini and INS Ikshak, as well as a long-range maritime patrol aircraft.
The frigate IRIS Dena of the Southern Fleet of the Islamic Republic of Iran, with a displacement of 1,500 tons and the capability to carry a helicopter, was built between 2012 and 2015 in local shipyards and began operations in 2021. It carried the hull number 75, had a crew of 180 personnel, and was commanded by Commander Abu Sarsare.
Prior to that, its crew had participated in an interesting display of capabilities and carried out various joint and combined maneuvers with naval units from several countries in the region, while a delegation went ashore to parade along the main avenue of Visag before thousands of citizens.
Likewise, a group of senior officers of the Iranian Navy attended the official presentation of a modern system designed to rescue submarines that have suffered accidents on the seabed.
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