MoD, Navy to convert ageing aircraft carrier into a floating museum

A year before its decommissioning by mid-2016, the Defence Ministry has asked the Navy to decide on the post-retirement plan for the ageing aircraft carrier INS Viraat.

Learning from the INS Vikrant experience that triggered a campaign involving political heavyweights like Nitin Gadkari, Indian Navy has now floated the idea of converting INS Viraat into a floating museum. An early response has come from Andhra Pradesh, which is ready to spend close to Rs 20 crore on the project.

The warhorse will fade into the sunset after the international fleet review in Visakhapatnam in February 2016 followed by visits to the naval bases on the east and west coast. The ship will celebrate its last anniversary on May 11 before it calls it a day.

This leaves the Navy with a year to determine the future of INS Viraat that was commissioned on May 12, 1987. Before serving the Indian Navy, it was in the Royal Navy where the ship was commissioned in 1959 as HMS Hermes. With 56 years of service, it is the world's oldest operational aircraft carrier.

“A proposal from the Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation has been received. We are seriously considering the museum plan and will take a decision before the decommissioning,” said a Navy officer.

The Navy has burnt its fingers with India's first aircraft carrier INS Vikrant because the decision to sell off the scrap triggered a political row and a Save Vikrant campaign after it was auctioned to IB Commercial for Rs 60 crore.

INS Vikrant that saw action in 1971 war, was decommissioned in January 1997. A year later, Maharashtra government proposed to convert the warship into a museum and defence ministry approved free transfer of the ship to the state in 1999.

However in 2012, Maharashtra indicated its inability to stay committed to the project because of the cost involved, leaving few options for the defence ministry and Navy, notwithstanding the military heritage of the ship.

“That's why we want a decision before INS Viraat is decommissioned,” said the official.
APTDC plans to dock the warship in Kakinada port to attract tourists. Andhra Pradesh government in the past had converted a decommissioned Kalvari class submarine into a museum, which is now anchored in Visakhapatnam. The Navy had also transferred another decommissioned Vela class submarine to Tamil Nadu to use the vessel as a museum.