AFVOA Newletter August 2020

Section 5 - Memoirs CV 2 No. 02 / 2020 Page 68 of 237 RatoSESE 1 A Ringside Untold Account on OPS GODSAL Capt (IN) N Vijayasarathy Genre: Running Aground / Vermin Menace n the night of 23 rd Mar 1976 old INS Godavari (D 92) to her and everyone else’s ‘grief’ unfortunately ran aground bow first on a ‘reef’ in Male Atoll. (This photo is representational of a Naval Ship having run aground on a reef. Neither is the ship Godavari nor the reef in Male Atoll). A tragic end to a 34 years old Destroyer after her exploits during WWII, where she did very well and came out unscathed. The following account is about her From the time humans sailed on ships, rats have been accompanying them. They are a menace in more ways than one onboard a ship. However, rats have been known to be the first to sense an impending disaster, such as a sinking of a ship; so if rats are seen leaving it's a good idea to follow! Therefore, rats remaining on board are indicators that the ship is not sinking! INS Godavari was originally a Hunt- class destroyer HMS Beadle. In 1942, she was leased to Poland and commissioned by the Polish Navy as ORP Ślązak (Polish for Silesian ). During the invasion of Normandy she was supporting the landing at Section 5 – Memoirs O