Page 10 - NAVAL FORCES 03/2017

Letter from Mumbai

An Old INS “Viraat” ( R22 ),
INS “Jyoti” ( A58 ),
INS “Jalashwa” ( L41 ),
Warhorse Retires and INS “Karmuk” ( P64 )
in formation.
(Photo: Indian Navy)

It was a ceremony befitting the Indian after the commissioning of the new “Vikrant.” Sarosh Bana
Navy’s (IN) jewel in the crown as the ageing Both the decommissioned “Vikrant” and is a regular contributor
aircraft carrier, INS “Viraat,” the service’s “Viraat” were made in Britain and initially ser- to NAVAL FORCES.
flagship for almost three decades, was recently ved in the Royal Navy (RN). Both also became
decommissioned in an elaborate but solemn the world’s oldest operational carriers, the hull
ritual at the naval dockyard in Mumbai. of “Vikrant” having been laid down in 1943 Its commissioning Commanding Officer,
The termination of any warship is a and launched in 1945 and that of “Viraat” in Captain (now retired Vice-Admiral) Vinod
sombre occasion, more so if it has been the 1944, although not launched until 1953. Pasricha remembers heading for Plymouth
longest-serving naval vessel in the world, if As age caught up with the “Viraat” it was in May 1986 along with the commissioning
one discounts the USS “Constitution,” com- due to be retired in 2008, on the originally crew of 29 officers and 180 sailors as the
missioned in 1797 and is retained on the US scheduled delivery of the “Gorshkov.” But, mothballed ship was being readied at Devon-
Navy’s strength for entirely historical reasons. as the Russian carrier slipped its schedule, it port Dockyard for its recommissioning with
The 28,700t “Viraat,” formerly HMS was then planned to pay off “Viraat” in 2018, the IN nine months later. They were soon
“Hermes,” was acquired from Britain in 1987 on the induction of the “Vikrant,” which itself visited on board by the Indian High Commis-
to join India’s first aircraft carrier, the 19,500t has been delayed by three years. While some sioner to the UK, who seemed convinced that
INS “Vikrant” (former HMS “Hercules”), also in the IN believe “Viraat” could have lasted the ship would not be ready to sail for at least
acquired from Britain, in 1961. much longer, it was clear that its many life-en- the next three years.
This enabled the IN to deploy a carrier task hancing refits and upgrades could not sustain “The ‘Viraat’ crew not only proved him
force on each seaport. As two carrier strike it indefinitely. It had its final operational de- wrong, but also the RN team, who let us know
groups became a prerequisite for the IN, this ployment in the International Fleet Review off that we would be lucky if we kept her operatio-
advantage did not last beyond a decade, how- Visakhapatnam, the base of the Eastern Naval nal for seven more years,” Pasricha remarked.
ever, as the ageing “Vikrant” had to be de- Command, in February 2016. He also remembers that while everyone desi-
commissioned in 1997. This changed again INS “Viraat” held the Guinness Book record red some relaxation after working long hours
16 years later when the 44,750t Russian- for having been the longest-serving aircraft at the dockyard, the IN does not allow a bar on
made INS “Vikramaditya” (former “Admiral carrier in the world. Under the Indian flag, the board ship, unlike the RN. Bars ashore were
Gorshkov”) joined the service in 2013. ship clocked more than 22,622 flying hours by priced beyond the men’s limited sanctioned
With “Viraat’s” decomissioning, the IN will its various aircraft, and spent 2,252 days at sea, allowances. “So as to not break any rule, and
remain a single carrier service until India’s sailing an overall 5,88,287 nautical miles. By yet resolve the issue, the dockyard was kind
first indigenous aircraft carrier – christened this reckoning, it was at sea for over six years enough to give us a large room on the jetty that
“Vikrant” to commemorate its forebear – joins and had sailed round the globe 27 times. we converted into a bar on weekends,” he says.
the service in late 2018, following its launch A “Centaur” class aircraft carrier, “Viraat” Pasricha hopes that a historic ship like
in August 2013. was originally commissioned in the RN in the “Viraat” is preserved as a museum- cum-
Although “Vikrant” served the IN as its 1959 and had the distinction of serving as the heritage site to keep the nation’s maritime
flagship for 26 years, from 1961 to 1987, INS taskforce flagship during the conflict with memories alive and as a tribute to its naval his-
“Viraat” was also the flagship for 26 years, Argentina over the Falkland Islands in 1982. tory. This appears unlikely. Similar sentiments
from 1987 until “Vikramaditya’s” induction It also played a stellar role in the IN, spearhea- had been expressed when INS “Vikrant” en-
in 2013. With its greater size, superior fire- ding the Indian Peace Keeping Force’s Opera- ded its service. But, as the government expres-
power, and capacity to stable more aircraft, tion Jupiter in Sri Lanka in 1989, and in Ope- sed its inability to fund such a venture, it was
“Vikramaditya” will continue as flagship even ration Vijay in 1999, during the Kargil War. disposed to a scrap dealer in Mumbai. NAFO
8 NAVAL FORCES III/2017