The Flag Officer Sea Training (FOST) is a training organisation in the

Indian Navy The Indian Navy is the maritime branch of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Navy. The Chief of Naval Staff, a four-star admiral, commands the navy. As a blue-water navy, it operates sig ...

. FOST is the authority responsible for the operational sea training of all personnel of Indian Naval and

Coast Guard A coast guard or coastguard is a maritime security organization of a particular country. The term embraces wide range of responsibilities in different countries, from being a heavily armed military force with customs and security duties to ...

ships and submarines. The organisation was instituted in 1992 and is the common authority to maintain battle efficiency standards. It also provides training to navies and maritime security forces of friendly foreign countries (FFC). Headquartered in

Kochi Kochi (), also known as Cochin ( ) ( the official name until 1996) is a major port city on the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea, which is a part of the Arabian Sea. It is part of the district of Ernakulam in the state of K ...

, the FOST operates under the control of the

Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Southern Naval Command The Southern Naval Command is one of the three command-level formations of the Indian Navy. It has its headquarters in Kochi, Kerala at INS Venduruthy. It is the Training Command of the Indian Navy. The Command is commanded by a Three Star Fl ...

History

In October 1977, an organisation called the Weapons workup organisation (WWO) was set up. This was aimed at increasing the efficiency of ships' weapons. In 1981, it was re-designated Warship Workup Organisation in

Bombay Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...

. An additional WWO was set up in

Vizag , image_alt = , image_caption = From top, left to right: Visakhapatnam aerial view, Vizag seaport, Simhachalam Temple, Aerial view of Rushikonda Beach, Beach road, Novotel Visakhapatnam, INS Kursura submarine museum, ...

- WWO (V) - for the

Eastern Fleet Eastern may refer to: Transportation *China Eastern Airlines, a current Chinese airline based in Shanghai * Eastern Air, former name of Zambia Skyways *Eastern Air Lines, a defunct American airline that operated from 1926 to 1991 *Eastern Air L ...

. In March 1992, a local flotilla workup team (LWT) was set up for the ships operating under the Maharashtra Naval Area. These three organisations - WWO (B), WWO (V) and LWT - reported into the

Flag Officer Commanding Western Fleet Flag Officer Commanding Western Fleet (FOCWF) is the title of the Indian Navy Officer who commands the Western Fleet, headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra. The FOCWF is a two star admiral holding the rank of Rear Admiral. The appointment is conside ...

(FOCWF),

Flag Officer Commanding Eastern Fleet Flag Officer Commanding Eastern Fleet (FOCEF) is the title of the Indian Navy Officer who commands the Eastern Fleet, headquartered in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. The FOCEF is a Two Star Officer holding the rank of Rear Admiral. The Current FOC ...

(FOCEF) and Flag Officer Maharashtra Area (FOMA) respectively. In 1992, a single authority was created to consolidate work-up efforts and serve as the safety authority responsible for the operational sea training (OST) of all ships. The organisation would be headed by a

rear admiral Rear admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, equivalent to a major general and air vice marshal and above that of a commodore and captain, but below that of a vice admiral. It is regarded as a two star "admiral" rank. It is often regarde ...

of the executive branch and be based out of Kochi. As the Southern Naval Command (SNC) was the training command of the Navy, the FOST would report into the FOC-in-C SNC. An Indian Navy Workup Team (INWT) was created at Kochi and local workup units were created at Bombay and Vizag - LWT (West) and LWT (East). On 4 June 1993, the first ship was trained by FOST - the Khukri-class corvette . In 2000, the Sukanya-class patrol vessel was sold to the

Sri Lanka Navy ta, இலங்கை கடற்படை , image = Sri Lanka Naval Seal.png , image_size = 180px , caption = Emblem of Sri Lanka Navy , dates = , c ...

. She was commissioned as SLNS Sayura in November 2000. The ''Sayura'' was the first foreign ship whose operational sea training was conducted by INWT and FOST.

Structure

The INWT at Kochi works up all major warships -

Aircraft Carrier An aircraft carrier is a warship that serves as a seagoing airbase, equipped with a full-length flight deck and facilities for carrying, arming, deploying, and recovering aircraft. Typically, it is the capital ship of a fleet, as it allows a ...

Anti-submarine warfare Anti-submarine warfare (ASW, or in older form A/S) is a branch of underwater warfare that uses surface warships, aircraft, submarines, or other platforms, to find, track, and deter, damage, or destroy enemy submarines. Such operations are t ...

and

Guided-missile destroyer A guided-missile destroyer (DDG) is a destroyer whose primary armament is guided missiles so they can provide anti-aircraft warfare screening for the fleet. The NATO standard designation for these vessels is DDG, while destroyers who have a prim ...

frigate A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied somewhat. The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and ...

s and other fleet units. The INWT is under the operational control of FOST and administrative control of FOC-in-C SNC. The LWT (West) and LWT (East) work up

Seaward-class defense boats The ''Seaward''-class defence boats are large patrol craft designed by Mazagon Dock Limited (MDL) and built by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) for the Indian Navy The Indian Navy is the maritime branch of the Indian Armed ...

missile boat A missile boat or missile cutter is a small, fast warship armed with anti-ship missiles. Being smaller than other warships such as destroyers and frigates, missile boats are popular with nations interested in forming a navy at lower cost. They a ...

s, Anti Submarine Patrol Vessels, Ocean-going tugs, etc. They are under the operational control of FOST and administrative control of FOC-in-C of

Western Naval Command The Western Naval Command is one of the three command–level formations of the Indian Navy. It is headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra. As the senior–most of the three formations, the command is responsible for the all naval forces in the A ...

and

Eastern Naval Command The Eastern Naval Command is one of the three command-level formations of the Indian Navy. It is headquartered in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. The command is responsible for the all naval forces in the Bay of Bengal and parts of the Indian Ocea ...

respectively.

Training regime

The FOST conducts multiple types of training which encompasses all spheres of ship activity. There are short training programs like the Sea Safety Checks (SSC) and Operational Sea Checks (OSC) for a duration of 7 – 10 days on selected disciplines like Bridge Work, Damage Control and Fire Fighting, Machinery Breakdown Drills and Ship Safety. It also conducts full work-up programs, under the ambit of OST, from three weeks (for minor war vessels) to six weeks (for aircraft carriers). It ensures a thorough training of the ship to achieve the prescribed performance standards. On completion, it conducts an operational readiness assessment at sea and certifies the ships operational status and the areas of improvement. The OST covers all operational/combat functions - aviation, ship management, hull, seamanship, NBCD, engineering, electrical, logistics and medical.

List of FOST

References

Bibliography