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Updated November 20th, 2021 at 15:16 IST

Indian Navy ready to commission INS Visakhapatnam on Nov 21, Submarine Vela on Nov 28

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will be the Chief Guest at the commissioning ceremony of INS Visakhapatnam, the first ship of Project 15B.

Reported by: Piyushi Sharma
Indian Navy
(IMAGE: Indian Navy) | Image:self
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Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will be the Chief Guest at the commissioning ceremony of INS Visakhapatnam, the first ship of Project 15B, the Indian Navy announced on Saturday. The commissioning ceremony will take place on November 21 at the Mumbai Naval Dockyard.

Admiral Karambir Singh, Chief of the Naval Staff, will also be one of the guests of the commissioning ceremony of the fourth Kalvari Class submarine, Submarine Vela, on November 25. The commissioning of the 'Visakhapatnam' and 'Vela' are significant milestones that demonstrate the indigenous capability to build complex combat platforms and will increase our capacity and firepower to battle threats above and below the waterline.

"We are ready for INS Visakhapatnam's commissioning. Our indigenous content is the highest today. After commissioning, we will continue with a few more trials and will be one with the fleet," said Captain Birendra Singh Bains, Commanding Officer (designate) of INS Visakhapatnam.

Indian Navy to commission INS Visakhapatnam on Nov 21 & Submarine 'Vela' on Nov 28

The commissioning of INS Visakhapatnam, according to the announcement, will reinforce India's place among an elite club of nations capable of designing and building modern warships. The destroyer is equipped with many major indigenous weapons, including Indigenous Medium Range Surface to Air Missile Systems by BEL in Bangalore, Surface to Surface Missiles by Brahmos Aerospace, Torpedo Tubes and Launchers by L&T, and Gun Mount by BHEL, in addition to a wide variety of indigenous equipment in the 'Float' and 'Move' categories. The project's overall indigenous content is approximately 75%.

"Visakhapatnam class ships, built with indigenous steel, are follow-on of the Kolkata class destroyers commissioned in the last decade.  Designed by Directorate of Naval Design and built by M/s Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd, Mumbai. The four ships are named after major cities of the country, viz. Visakhapatnam, Mormugao, Imphal and Surat," read the official statement.

Inductions of Visakhapatnam and Vela to also serve as a tribute to Indian fighters of the 1971 war

Vela is the fourth submarine of the Kalvari Class. As a result, the Indian Navy would have another powerful platform in its arsenal. Submarine construction is a complex process that involves inserting small components within the submarine in a logical and sequential order due to the limited space available. In terms of industrial capacity, only a few countries have this capability. For the previous 25 years, India has demonstrated its ability to construct its own submarines.

The Indian industry has benefited greatly from both warship and submarine construction because they are able to meet the high-quality control standards that these platforms demand. The commissioning ceremonies take place around the same time as the 'Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav' and 'Swarnim Vijay Varsh' festivals.

According to the Indian Navy, the inductions of INS Visakhapatnam and Vela not only strengthen our defence preparedness but also serve as a humble tribute to the sacrifices rendered by our freedom fighters for the nation's independence and our troops during the 1971 war.

(IMAGE: Indian Navy)

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Published November 20th, 2021 at 15:16 IST

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