Details
Raju Vernekar
vernekar.raj@gmail.com
“Indian Navy’s decommissioned Aircraft Carrier ‘INS Viraat’ began its last journey, from Indian Naval Dockyard in Mumbai, towards Alang in Gujarat’s Bhavnagar district, for dismantling, on Saturday.”
“A Navy helicopter circling overhead provided a majestic backdrop to Viraat’s last voyage from its home base in Mumbai. Commander Mehul Karnik, Defence PRO confirmed to the “Transcontinental Times” that the vessel moved around noon and would reach Gujarat after two days since it is being towed at a very slow speed.”
“””#Viraat Callsign “”Romeo Two Two”” – End of an era, a glorious chapter in the history of @indiannavy. She departs #Mumbai today for her final journey. Old ships never die, their spirit lives on,”” tweeted PRO Defence Mumbai.”
“The vessel will be dismantled at Alang, a beach town, that houses the world’s biggest ship-breaking yard, by the Shree Ram Green Ship Recycling Industries of Gujarat, which had won an Rs. 38.54 bid for dismantling the ship, at an auction conducted by the Metal Scrap Trade Corporation Limited last month. It will be scrapped in nine to 12 months at Alang, which has been certified as India’s first certified eco-friendly ship recycling yard,”
Viraat was commissioned in 1987. It was bought by the Indian Navy in 1984 and was commissioned as “INS Viraat” in 1987 after refurbishment. It served the Indian Navy for 30 years before it was decommissioned. Earlier it had served in the UK’s Royal Navy as HMS Hermes for 25 years from November 1959 to April 1984 and had participated in the “Falkland Island” war.
““INS Viraat” entered as the longest-serving (2252 days, 5.88 lakh nautical miles travel) warship in the Guinness Book of World Records. It had played a major role in “Operation Jupiter” in 1989 during the Sri Lankan Peacekeeping operation. It also saw action during “Op Parakram” in 2001-2002, post the terrorist attack on the Indian Parliament in 2001.”
“It was decommissioned in March 2017, and the Navy had been incurring expenditure since then on its upkeep, such as the provision of electricity and water, and repairs. It was also taking up space in the crowded Naval dockyard.”
“The Centaur class aircraft carrier, with 226 meters length and 49 meters width, had a 27,800 deadweight tonnage. There had been demands from various quarters to not let “INS Viraat” go the way of “INS Vikrant”, India’s first carrier, that was eventually scrapped. There were attempts to convert ‘INS Viraat’ into a museum or a restaurant, and many states had submitted proposals, but none of then fructified. As such the decision to scrap INS Viraat was taken in 2019.”
