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From beach selfies to sea grave: The final days of ill-fated Iran Navy ship Iris Dena's crew in India
Iran Navy ship Iris Dena was on its way back home after taking part in a naval exercise organised by India when it was struck by US submarine attack on March 4.
They posed for selfies, took photos of the beach in India, unaware that they will be caught in the crossfire of Israel-US and Israel fighting off the Sri Lankan coast days later. These reportedly were some of the 87 sailors of the ill-fated Iranian naval ship Iris Dena who died on Sunday after a US submarine strike.
Iris Dena had taken part in a naval exercise organised by India in the Bay of Bengal from February 18 to 25 and was on its way back, according to the drill's website and Sri Lankan officials.
Sri Lankan military rescuers responded to an early-morning distress call from the frigate on Wednesday and found 32 survivors. Sri Lanka initially denied reports of strike, the attack was confirmed later.
Several are still missing after a US submarine strike on the Iranian warship.
Defence minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated Exercise Milan on February 19, in which, apart from “friendly foreign navies”, maritime patrol aircraft from France, Germany and USA also participated.
‘Selfies, photos’
The sailors had disembarked in Visakhapatnam days earlier, between February 13 and 15. The foreign naval officers also travelled to see the Taj Mahal and Bodh Gaya. "They experienced the beauty of Taj Mahal and the profound sanctity of Mahabodhi temple where Lord Buddha attained enlightenment," a press note from the Visakhapatnam defence establishment said.
The sailors from Iran onboard the frigate that was struck spent much of their time ashore with naval officer and also visited Visakhapatnam's Rushikonda hilltop known as Kailasagiri, the Victory at Sea War Memorial, the submarine museum, and the Sankalp Art Village on the outskirts of Vizag, according to an Indian Express report.
On the evening of February 19, a group of students from various colleges in Visakhapatnam, , among the thousands of spectators of the exercise, watched the sailors of the participating countries marching from the steps of the Beach View Holiday Home hotel on RK Beach Road.
Owner of the hotel, who said he specifically recalls seeing the Iranian contingent, saw the sailors posing for selfies and taking photos of the beach.
"The students were among thousands who turned up to watch the parade. I specifically recall seeing the Iranian contingent, though there were sailors from other countries too. It was quite a spectacle. They posed for selfies and took photos of the beach… As a hotelier, I always hope that whoever visits beautiful Vizag returns home safely," the report quoted Suresh K, the hotel owner, as saying.
President Droupadi Murmu witnessed the exercise, which saw the participation of 85 ships, including 19 foreign warships.
Taj Mahal, Bodh Gaya visits
The sailors had disembarked in Visakhapatnam days before the exercise was inaugurated, according to the report, which added that the foreign naval officers also visited the Taj Mahal and Bodh Gaya.
"They experienced the beauty of Taj Mahal and the profound sanctity of Mahabodhi temple where Lord Buddha attained enlightenment," a press note from the Visakhapatnam defence establishment said.
Andhra Pradesh governor S Abdul Nazeer was the chief guest for the march past on RK Beach Road.
"There were cross-deck visits by Iranian crew to Indian warships, and Indian Navy personnel went aboard the Iranian ship. Young officers interacted with one another," the report quoted an official. "They were a jovial bunch. We all enjoyed their time here."
"On their last day, they went sightseeing and shopping. They were impressed with the glass skywalk at Kailasagiri," one of their Navy guides said.
A Navy officer described the participants as young men in their twenties, “awed by the warm welcome they received.” "While shopping, they chose traditional Indian weaves for their families back home," the officer said, according to the report.
The Indian Navy, acknowledging the incident, said on Thursday that the Iranian ship was operating 20 NM (nautical miles) west of Galle in the SAR region under Sri Lanka’s responsibility when it sounded a distress call.
On receipt of the information, the Indian Navy promptly launched its search and rescue efforts commencing with a long-range maritime patrol aircraft at 10 am on March 4 to augment the search efforts led by Sri Lanka, Indian Navy said.
“Another aircraft with air droppable life rafts was also kept standby for immediate deployment. INS Tarangini which was operating in vicinity was deployed for aiding the rescue efforts and arrived in search area by 1600 hr on 04 Mar 2026. By this time SAR had been undertaken by Sri Lanka Navy and other agencies,” the press release said.
INS Ikshak has also sailed from Kochi to augment the search efforts and continues to remain in the area to search for missing personnel as a humanitarian measure for ship wrecked personnel, it said, adding that coordination with the Sri Lanka side on search and rescue efforts is ongoing.
