The Indian Navy's sail training ship INS Sudarshini sailed into New York Harbour on July 4, 2026 to represent India at the United States' International Naval Review 250 and Sail4th 250 celebrations, marking a proud moment for the country's maritime tradition on the global stage.
During the spectacular Parade of Sail along the Hudson River, the iconic three-masted barque flew the Indian Tricolour alongside tall ships from around the world, with the ship now berthed at Brooklyn for the festivities marking the 250th anniversary of American independence.
The New York stopover forms part of Lokayan 26, INS Sudarshini's ten-month, 22,000-nautical-mile transoceanic expedition that began at Kochi Naval Base on 20 January 2026, flagged off by Vice Admiral Sameer Saxena, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Southern Naval Command. The voyage is calling at 18 ports across 13 countries in Africa, Europe and North America, having already taken the ship through the Arabian Sea, the Suez Canal, the Mediterranean and across the Atlantic. Along the way, INS Sudarshini made her debut at France's Escale à Sète maritime festival in March 2026 and more recently took part in SAIL 250 events at Norfolk and Baltimore, where Indian Ambassador to the United States Vinay Kwatra visited the crew in late June.
Built indigenously at Goa Shipyard Limited and commissioned in January 2012, INS Sudarshini is a 54-metre, steel-hulled barque fitted with 20 sails covering roughly 1,035 square metres of sail area, and is based at Kochi under the Southern Naval Command.
The ship carries a crew of officers, sailors and trainee cadets who rotate at various ports, offering hands-on seamanship and navigation training guided by wind and waves rather than engine power alone. By the time she reached Antigua on May 27, 2026, the vessel had already logged over 10,000 nautical miles since leaving Kochi, underscoring the scale of her ongoing global voyage.
Officials have described the ship as India's "Ambassador at Large," carrying forward the country's seafaring heritage while strengthening maritime partnerships across the world's oceans.
