Indian Navy commissions INS Mormugao

The Indian Navy's latest indigenous guided stealth destroyer Mormugao - which is armed with surface-to-surface BrahMos missiles and Barak-8 long range surface-to-air missiles - was commissioned by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh at the Naval Dockyard in Mumbai on Sunday.

It may be mentioned, on 19 December, 2021, the ship sailed for her maiden sortie.

Mormugao is a seaport city situated in the eponymous Mormugao sub-district of the district of South Goa in the tiny state of Goa along the Arabian Sea on western coast of India. It has a deep natural harbour and is Goa's chief port. The Indian Navy played a pivotal role in the liberation and dedicating the ship's name to the maritime state of Goa will not just enhance the bonding between the Indian Navy and the people of Goa, but also link the ship's identity permanently to the crucial role the Navy played in nation-building.

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INS Mormugao was built at Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd (MDSL) as part of the Project 15B destroyers or the Visakhapatnam-class.
On 24 November, the MDL delivered the ship to the Indian Navy.

Goa Governor PS Sreedharan Pillai, Chief Minister Dr. Pramod Sawant, Chief Minister of Goa were present on the occasion.

Singh was presented a guard of honour on arrival. The inaugural address was delivered by Vice Admiral Narayan Prasad (Retd), CMD, MDL, followed by an address by Admiral R Hari Kumar, the Chief of the Naval Staff.

The ship’s Commanding Officer, Captain Kapil Bhatia, VSM, then read out the Ship’s Commissioning Warrant. Subsequently, the Naval Ensign was hoisted onboard for the first time and the Commissioning Pennant broken (unfurled) on the main mast to the time of the national anthem played by the Naval Band.

The Chief Guest later unveiled the Commissioning Plaque, dedicating the ship to the service of the nation, and addressed the gathering.

Designed by the Indian Navy’s Warship Design Bureau, P15B destroyers incorporate new design concepts for improved survivability, seakeeping and manoeuvrability. Enhanced stealth has also been achieved, making the ships difficult to detect. With a significantly increased indigenous content, P15B destroyers are a hallmark of self-reliance in warship design and building, and a shining example of Atmanirbhar Bharat.

The indigenous content in P15B class destroyers is 72per cent which is a notch above their predecessors P15A (59per cent) and P15 (42per cent) Class Destroyers, reaffirming the Government’s focus in the ‘Make in India’ programme.

The first Ship of P15B - INS Visakhapatnam was commissioned last year on 21 November, 2021.

The third ship Imphal was launched on 20 April 2019 and is at an advanced stage of outfitting the fourth ship Surat was launched on 17 May 2022.

Significantly more versatile than the previous classes of destroyers and frigates in Naval inventory, the Mormugao’s all round capability against enemy submarines, surface warships, anti-ship missiles and fighter aircraft will enable it to operate independently without supporting vessels, and also to function as the flagship of a Naval task force.

The ship is constructed using Indigenous Steel DMR 249A and is amongst the largest destroyers constructed in India, with an overall length of 164 meters and a displacement of over 7,500 tons. The ship is a potent platform capable of undertaking a variety of tasks and missions, spanning the full spectrum of maritime warfare. It is armed with supersonic Surface-to-Surface ‘BrahMos’ missiles and ‘Barak-8’ Long Range Surface to Air Missiles. Towards undersea warfare capability the Destroyer is fitted with indigenously developed anti-submarine weapons and sensors, prominently the hull mounted Sonar Humsa NG, heavy weight torpedo tube launchers and ASW rocket launchers.

The ship can accommodate a crew of 312 persons, has an endurance of 4,000 nautical mile and can carry out a typical 42 days mission with extended mission time in out of area operation.

The ship is equipped with two helicopters onboard to further extend its reach. The ship is propelled by a powerful Combined Gas and Gas Propulsion Plant (COGAG), consisting of four reversible Gas Turbines, which enables her to achieve a speed of over 30 knots (approx 55 Kmph). The ship boasts of a very high level of automation with sophisticated digital networks such as Gigabyte Ethernet based Ship Data Network (GESDN), Combat Management System (CMS), Automatic Power Management System (APMS) and Integrated Platform Management System (IPMS).