Details
“Having failed to receive the reserve price, at the e-auction recently held in Mumbai, the Indian Navy has decided to go in for second auction of the retired Indian Naval Ship (INS) Viraat.”
“The e-auction was held on 17 December 2019, following the Navy’s decision to sell the oldest aircraft carrier as scrap as plans to convert the iconic ship into maritime museum-cum-marine adventure centre didn’t materialise. “Since the ship remained unsold as the bids were not on the expected rates, fresh e-auction will be conducted again,” said an official privy to the developments. Interested bidders were required to pay a pre-bid earnest money deposit of Rs 5.30 crore.”
“Originally commissioned into the British Royal Navy as HMS Hermes in 1959, the ship saw action in the 1982 Falklands War. The Centaur-class light fleet aircraft carrier was built in the closing years of the Second World War. She spent 25 years (from 1959 to 1984) in the Royal Navy. After refurbishment, it was commissioned into the Indian Navy in 12 May 1987. She was procured for the price of $ 46,50,00,000 (Rs 3303.40 crore). Known as the ‘Grand Old Lady’, INS Viraat was decommissioned on March 6.2017 after spending spent nearly 2,250 days at sea, sailing 5,88,288 nautical miles. This implies that Viraat spent 7 years at sea covering the entire globe 27 times. At present, Viraat is at Mumbai’s Naval dockyard after its decommissioning.”
“Initially the Andhra Pradesh government had submitted a proposal in 2016 for the conversion of Viraat as an aircraft museum, including tourist and hospitality components on a commercial basis at Vizag at a cost of Rs. 300 crore, through a joint venture with the Union government. But the Defence Ministry rejected the proposal.”
“Then in November 2018, the Maharashtra Government decided to convert the ship into moored maritime museum-cum-marine adventure centre at a cost of Rs 852-crore, on public private-partnership (PPP) basis. It was to be grouted (grounded, sealed to the seabed with concrete and moored) seven nautical miles off the Malvan coast at Nivti rocks in Sindhudurg district.”
“The Maharashtra Maritime Board (MMB) had floated expressions of interest (EOI) in March 2019, for converting the ship, into an integrated tourism facility and for operating it on a PPP basis, including an infusion of Rs 250 crore by the state as viability gap funding (VGF) and an advance was to be paid as debt to make the project feasible. MMB extended the deadline till 15 June 2019. However, it did not receive bids. Eventually Maharashtra Government communicated to Defence Ministry that the proposal was scrapped. Eventually the defence ministry decided to scrap the ship.”
“‘INS Viraat’ had joined the Indian Peace-Keeping Operations in Sri Lanka during the Kargil War, and several fighter aircraft and combat helicopters have operated from its decks.”
She had played a major role in the Operation Jupiter in 1989 in Sri Lanka after which she was affiliated with Garhwal Rifles and Scouts of the Indian Army in 1990. Her major participation was seen during operation Parkham in 2001-2002 where India and Pakistan were engaged in a stand off post terrorist attack on the Parliament.
“However, most of Viraat’s sensitive equipments like the weaponry and sensors, its main machinery and auxiliaries, the huge propellers, sophisticated communication and navigation systems, life-saving systems, etc have been ‘cannibalized’, or retrieved prior to the e-auction. The ship holds the Guinness Books of record for being the longest serving warship of the world.”
“Viraat has been instrumental in sharpening the art of flying operations from a carrier deck in the Navy, which resulted in subsequent seamless induction of INS Vikramaditya.”
INS Vikrant
“Similarly India’s first aircraft carrier INS Vikrant, met the same fate and was broken up after a glorious history of 71 years in April 2014. She was built for the British Royal Navy as HMS Hercules on 14 October 1943 and was a Majestic-class light fleet aircraft carrier. She was commissioned in the British Royal Navy in 1945. It was commissioned in the Indian Navy on Feb 16, 1959. She saw action during the India-Pakistan war in 1971. For her exciting service full of wartime thrills and action, especially during the 1971 war, INS Vikrant was awarded two Mahavir Chakras and 12 Vir Chakras.”
“The gigantic vessel with a displacement of 20,000 tonnes, was finally decommissioned on January 31, 1997. It served as a maritime museum till 2004. Many proposals to convert it into a permanent maritime museum failed to materialise mainly due to financial constraints and bitter legal battles were fought for saving Vikrant right up to the Supreme Court. Eventually she was auctioned broken up. Vikrant’s metal parts were used to manufacture Bajaj motorcycles.”
“After Viraat’s decommissioning, Indian Navy is now left only with one aircraft carrier in the form of INS Vikramaditya bought for $2.35 billion.”
“Globally, around seven aircraft carriers have been converted into museum ships or theme parks and luxury hotels including USS Hornet, USS Intrepid, USS Lexington, USS Midway, USS Yorktown (United States) and Minsk and Kiev (China). But India’s plans to convert its two aircraft careers failed.”
