After a record 31 visits by a minister to world's highest battlefield, Siachen glacier, George Fernandes is all set to mark another first for a defence minister by spending a night underwater in a submarine.

Known for shunning special gala dinners and preferring to eat with ordinary soldiers in 'barakhana', Fernandes will stay onboard the Indian Navy killer class submarine INS Sindhuveer during his visit to Eastern Naval Command headquarters at Vishakhapatnam on May 24.

He would be the country's first politician to have stayed onboard a submarine. Recently, the Deputy Prime Minister Lal Kishenchand Advani stayed onboard the country's sole operational aircraft carrier INS Viraat to witness night exercises of the Navy.

Prior to his night in the submarine, Fernandes would create another first by witnessing operations in a coastguard hovercraft, while inspecting the Sethusamudram project at Adams bridge in the Palk straits.