ADIEU,
INS VIRAAT
*
Anila B.
INS Viraat, the oldest aircraft carrier in the world
has completed the decommissioning refit in Cochin Shipyard on 04th
September 2016. The ship will be towed back to Mumbai from Kochi for the decommissioning
ceremony later this year. The ship arrived Kochi in last July for Essential
Repairs and Dry Docking (ERDD) prior to the decommissioning. The second Centaur-Class
aircraft carrier of the country has spent 29 years under the Indian flag and 27
years with the Royal Navy of UK, making it a total of 56 years of operational
service and she holds the Guinness Record for being the oldest serving warship.
The iconic warship played a major role in Operation Jupiter, Operation Parakram
and Operation Vijay after commissioned into Indian Navy. Decommissioning of INS
Viraat is indeed an emotional moment for India.
INS Viraat was commissioned into Indian Navy on 12th
May 1987 at Plymouth, United Kingdom by Dr. P. C. Alexander, High Commissioner
of India to UK. The ship operated Sea Harrier (White Tigers- fighter aircrafts),
Seaking 42B (Harpoons- Anti Submarine helicopters) & Seaking 42C (Commando
Carrier helicopters) and Chetak (Angles- SAR helicopter) as her main air
elements. The Sea Harrier fleet was also decommissioned at Goa in May 2016.
Under the Indian Flag, various aircrafts have flown more than 22,034 hours from
the decks of INS Viraat. She has spent nearly 2,250 days at sea sailing
5,88,288 NM (10,94,215 KM). This implies that Viraat has been at sea for over
six years covering the entire globe about 27 times.
INS Viraat involved in her first major operation-
‘Operation Jupiter’ in July 1989 as a part of Indian Peace Keeping Operations
in Sri Lanka in the wake of the breakdown of the Indo- Sri Lankan Accord of
1986. On 27th July 1989, the ship mounted 76 helo sorties off Kochi
to embark over 350 army personnel and over 35 tons of stores of 7 Garhwal
Rifles. Over the next few weeks, Viraat and her task group remained deployed at
a measured distance from the war zone, utilizing the time to train soldiers,
which adequately demonstrated the ship’s operational versatility. She also
played a pivotal role in Operation Parakram followed after the terrorist attack
on Indian Parliament in 2013. The Ship also played a key role in Operation
Vijay by creating blockade against Pakistan during Kargil War in 1999. The
ship has also participated in various international joint exercises like
Malabar (with US Navy), Varuna (with French Navy), Naseem-Al-Bahr (with Oman Navy)
and has been an integral element of annual Theater Level Operational Exercise
(TROPEX). The last operational deployment of the ship was the participation in
International Fleet Review (IFR-2016) at Vishakhapatanam on February, 2016.
INS Viraat was originally commissioned by the
British Royal Navy as HMS Hermes on 18th November 1959. Between 1959
and 1970 Hermes served as one of the Royal Navy’s four Strike Carriers, mainly
operating in the Indian Ocean. In 1970, she switched to her second existence as
a Commando Carrier or a Landing Platform Helicopter (LPH) and her third avatar,
between 1976 and 1980 was of an Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) carrier with the
option to revert to the LPH role at short notice. In 1982, Hermes saw action
in the Falklands under the command of Captain Middleton where she distinguished
herself as the Flagship of the Royal Navy in the campaign to regain Falklands
and South Georgia from Argentina. The 100-day war in hostile weather saw the
Sea Harriers undertake 2376 sorties and shoot down 23 enemy aircraft with the
loss of only one aircraft to enemy fire. The 108 continuous days at sea,
without a single major defect, under difficult combat and sea conditions, were
her finest hour.
The need for a second aircraft carrier for the
Indian Navy was felt in the early 1980’s to ensure force level stability since
INS Vikrant was nearing the end of her service life. On 24th April
1986 it was announced in Parliament that India would acquire HMS Hermes at a
cost of £63 million. Hermes commenced a year long refit and refurbishment
schedule in April 1986 before commissioning as INS Viraat. The motto of INS
Viraat “Jalamev Yasya, Balamev Tasya” (One Who Controls the Sea is All
Powerful) is truly reflective of the role that she is expected to discharge in
furtherance of the nation’s maritime goals. The crest of INS Viraat depicts an
eagle with five arrows. The eagle symbolizes air power and the five arrows held
in the talon represent the ship’s versatile weapon capability. The ship is
affiliated to Garhwal Rifles and Scouts, an elite infantry regiment of the
Indian Army, since their joint participation in Operation Jupiter.
INS Viraat has a standard displacement of 23,900
tons and a full load displacement of 28,700 tons. The total length of the
warship is 226.5 meters and the breadth is 48.78 meters. The ship is manned by
150 officers and 1500 sailors. With such a complement, the ship is like a
mini-city complete with attendant logistics infrastructure libraries,
gymnasiums, onboard ATM counter, a TV and video studio. A full-fledged hospital
and dental centre function onboard to cater to any emergencies. Unlike other
ships, the British-built warships are equipped for comfort
and convenience for all onboard even in a non-combat mode. INS
Viraat is the last ship built by the British serving the
Indian Navy.
In 1975, Prince Charles who was then a newly
qualified helicopter pilot joined 845 Naval Air Squadron on flying duties from
HMS Hermes in Caribbean and Eastern Canadian Waters. INS Viraat has a room
inside her named after Prince Charles, where the Prince himself resided at. A
number of photographs showing the glorious history of the warship are proudly
exhibited in a place namely ‘Heritage Route’ inside the ship. Unlike all other
Indian Navy Ships, INS Viraat has a chapel and graveyard inside the ship, which
is a reminiscence of her British military era. Even if the places for worship
inside a ship are not common in Indian Navy ships, Navy protects the chapel in
a fine way to honour the history.
Present Chief of Naval Staff of Indian Navy Admiral
Sunil Lamba served as an Executive Officer of INS Viraat. Former heads of
Indian Navy Admiral (Rtd) Madhavendra Singh, Admiral (Rtd) Arun Prakash,
Admiral (Rtd) Nirmal Kumar Verma and Admiral (Rtd) Devendra Kumar Joshi also
served as the Commanding Officer of INS Viraat, which confirms the dominant role
of INS Viraat in the history of Indian Navy. Captain Puneet Chadha is the
current Commanding Officer of INS Viraat and he is 22nd Commanding
Officer of the historic warship. Captain Chadha expressed his sadness over the
decommissioning of the grand old ship but also revealed his pride over the esteemed
history of INS Viraat. Naval staffs of INS Viraat also were in grief over the
decommissioning of the warship. INS Viraat is commonly referred as the ‘Grand
Old Lady’ among naval community.
INS Viraat is committed to helping less privileged
sections of our society and contributes to the overall development. The ship
regularly organizes blood donation camps, medical camps and visits onboard for
school children. In addition, the ship has adopted three destitute children
from different parts of the country and looks after their welfare. Naval
personnel working in INS Viraat will contribute money for that. A Mumbai based
charitable society will take care of these three children after the decommissioning
of the ship.
The propeller, rudder and stern tube of INS Viraat
has been removed during Essential Repairs and Dry Docking held at Cochin
Shipyard which made the towing essential to move the ship back to Mumbai. The
Cochin Shipyard Ltd. has been the mending hand of the ship since its
Commission. All the dry docking of Viraat has been undertaken only at Kochi and
ship has undergone seven SRs and six NRs and the recently concluded ERDD. The
final refit of was an emotional experience for shipyard workers who have been
working on her for nearly decades now.
Change in technology and the huge maintenance cost
made the decommissioning essential for INS Viraat. The future of the warship after
decommissioning is yet to be decided by the Government. Both the Indian and
British media are enthusiastic on the topic and discussions over the various
possibilities have already been started. Suggestions to convert the ship to an
aircraft carrier museum, luxury hotel or a resort are in the list. Eastern
coastal states are considered to be the ideal place to preserve INS Viraat
after the decommissioning.
The iconic warship INS Viraat
Flying
operations of Sea Harrier aircraft
INS
Viraat in International Feet Review 2016 held at Vishakhapatanam on February
2016
Final
flight of the fighter aircraft Sea Harrier of INS Viraat Vishakhapatanam
on February 2016
Final
flight of the commando carrier helicopter SeaKing of INS Viraat
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* Information
Assistant, Press Information Bureau, Cochin