He further noted the increasing role of women in the Armed Forces: “From the heights of Siachen to the depths of the ocean, Indian women are fulfilling crucial responsibilities that have strengthened the country’s security circle.”In his address, Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi commended the officers’ resilience, perseverance, and spirit. “This journey is a tribute to our maritime legacy and a vital step in fostering national maritime consciousness,” he said. “The DilRoo story is an inspiration to every Indian.”What makes their story even more remarkable is that neither officer came from a sailing background. Lt Cdr Dilna, once an NCC cadet, was commissioned as a logistics officer in 2014. “I took up sailing as a way to get away from the desk, to do something exciting,” she told TNIE.Lt Cdr Roopa, who joined the Navy’s armament cadre in 2017, inspecting guns and rocket launchers, had little exposure to seafaring. It was during a posting at the Controllerate of Naval Armament Inspection in Mumbai that she first took to sailing. “I took an immediate liking to it,” she said.As they stood on the dais on Thursday, “the two women officers looked, of course, beaten and weathered by the turmoil of the past eight months — but the light in their eyes hadn’t dimmed, and their smiles were even wider,” a Defence spokesperson said.“We made it,” Lt Cdr Dilna declared to a standing ovation. Lt Cdr Roopa added that the success was “not just ours, but of every young girl who dreams of becoming more.”The officers had set sail aboard Tarini on 2 October 2024. Their west-to-east journey involved four planned stops to restock supplies and handle technical checks—Fremantle (Australia), Lyttelton (New Zealand), Port Stanley (Falkland Islands), and Cape Town (South Africa).Over the course of their voyage, they faced 50-knot winds, freezing temperatures, and stormy seas. They rounded Cape Horn, crossed the infamous Drake Passage, and weathered three cyclones. The leg from Lyttelton to Port Stanley was widely considered the most gruelling.But there were moments of beauty too: glowing sunsets, pods of dolphins and soaring albatrosses, a pristine Milky Way, and bioluminescent waters. In Fremantle, they were honoured guests at the Western Australian Parliament.To mark the occasion, a photo-essay book titled Breaking Waves, Making History, chronicling the expedition, was also released. DilRoo’s voyage was the fourth expedition under the Navy’s Sagar Parikrama series, and the second led by an all-woman crew.
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