Navy team the first military unit to ski to South Pole

NEW DELHI: An Indian Navy team has become world's first defence unit to ski to the South Pole.

The 10-member team led by Commander Satyabrata Dam reached the South Pole on December 28 2006 after skiing through the white continent and hoisted the tricolour in the coldest region of the world.

"It is a great achievement not only for the navy but for the country, which is proud of our men," Minister of States for Defence, Rao Inderjit Singh, said at a ceremony to flag-in the expedition.

Congratulating the navy personnel, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Suresh Mehta said, "The navy provides an opportunity to show how to be adventurous in a non-combative way and the efforts of our men have brought laurels for the country."

The team, which also comprised Lt Cdr KS Balaji, Lt A Khajuria, Lt A Sharma, Raj Kumar, Rakesh Kumar, Vikas Kumar, Manoj Kumar, B Singh and Sonam Tamchos -- left New Delhi on November 22 last year and travelled across half the globe.

It reached the base camp at Patriot Hill in Antractica on December 22.

On December 16, the men were flown to 88.6 degree latitude -- about 220 km from the South Pole -- from where they skied to the South Pole. The 12-day arduous journey completed on December 28.