Boost to maritime power: Indian Navy to commission missile destroyer, submarine

The Navy commander also said that as many as 39 naval ships and submarines are currently being constructed in various Indian shipyards

Indian Navy is set to induct its most advanced warship – a stealth guided-missile destroyer to be named INS Visakhapatnam on commissioning – next week, besides the fourth Scorpene-class submarine INS Vela.

While the commissioning of INS Visakhapatnam – the first of the four new guided-missile destroyers to be constructed under Project-15B – will take place on November 21 in the presence of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, the under-water boat would join the service four days later.

Measuring 163 mt in length with a displacement of 7400 tonnes, the destroyer is a majestic warship and one of the most potent weapons built in India. Constructed using indigenous steel DMR 249A, this is amongst the largest Indian destroyers, which would carry two helicopters.

Also Read | Missile destroyer Visakhapatnam to be commissioned on November 21

“The commissioning of INS Visakhapatnam will reaffirm India’s presence amongst an elite group of nations with the capability to design and build advanced warships. The overall indigenous content of the project is around 75% including some of the weapons,” Navy Vice Chief Vice Admiral S N Ghormade said here on Tuesday.

With a speed in excess of 30 knots, the ship has enhanced stealth features resulting in a reduced radar cross-section achieved through efficient shaping of the hull, full beam superstructure design, plated masts and use of radar transparent materials on exposed decks.

The other three ships to follow INS Visakhapatnam would be named after three other cities - Mormugao, Imphal and Surat.

Admiral Ghormade said that as many as 39 ships and submarines were under construction at various Indian shipyards. “Commissioning of ‘Visakhapatnam’ and ‘Vela’ are major milestones showcasing the Indigenous capacity to build complex combat platforms. This will enhance our capacity and firepower to address the threats both in the above water and underwater domains.”

This month will also witness the commissioning of INS Vela, the fourth submarine of the Kalvari class, providing the Indian Navy with yet another potent platform in its arsenal. This is the second induction of a Scorpene-class submarine in 2021 after INS Karanj in March.

While the first submarine INS Kalvari was commissioned in 2017, the last two of the lot Vagir and Vagsheer are likely to be inducted in the next two years, boosting the Indian Navy’s declining under-water fleet. The destroyer and the submarine were manufactured by Mazgaon dock in Mumbai.

Vice Admiral Ghormade said a new hydrographic ship, Sandhayak, would also be launched in early December.

Manufactured by Kolkata-based Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers, this is the first of the four new-generation survey vessels to replace the existing Sandhayak Class survey ships that would be fitted with new generation hydrographic equipment and advanced technical capabilities for collecting oceanographic and geophysical data in the Indian Ocean Region.

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