End of an era: Indian Navy to bid farewell to 2 iconic ships after 32 years of service
By Anish Kumar | First Published Jun 1, 2022, 9:40 PM ISTThe Indian Navy will decommission two of its frontline warships on Friday, marking an end to their glorious voyages of protecting the nation's maritime interests for around 32 years.
New Delhi: After serving the Nation for 32 years, the Indian Navy will bid farewell to its two ships INS Nishank and INS Akshay, at Naval Dockyard in Mumbai on June 3. These ships have been at the forefront of safeguarding the country’s maritime interests.
The two ships were inducted at the Poti Shipyard of the erstwhile Soviet Union and present-day Georgia in the 1990s in freezing temperatures and will retire in the tropical temperature of Mumbai.
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According to an Indian Navy officer, the retirement of these two ships after over three decades of service will be a moment filled with emotions and nostalgia for all the ex-crew members.
“All the seafarers bear the names of their ships as their own identity. Home to many a sea warriors, these ships will always remain the source of honour and pride,” he said.
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Let’s know in detail about INS Nishank and INS Akshay:
INS Nishank is the fourth of the Veer Class Missile Corvette and has been an integral part of the Killer Squadron renowned for its heroics in the 1971 War.
Equipped with a potent surface-to-surface missile that can strike fear in the heart of the enemy, the ship has operated on both the eastern and western seaboard.
Besides, the ship is also armed with medium and short-range guns and chaff launchers.
As per Indian Navy spokesperson Commander Vivek Madhwal, the journey of Nishank is not yet over. It has been earmarked to be showcased as a war relic at suitable historic locations.
“Nishank will continue to motivate our future generations to be part of our glorious past and bright future, showcasing the might of the Indian Navy,” he said.
Nishank has a displacement of 500 tonnes, a length of 56 metres, a beam of 10 metres and a speed of 35 knots.
It has been manned by a crew of seven officers and 90 sailors.
The ship has been used to perform the roles like coastal patrol, maritime surveillance and surface warfare.
INS Akshay
It is a part of the 23rd Patrol Vessel Squadron, whose primary role is Anti-Submarine warfare and coastal patrol.
The ship has been operating under Naval Officer-in-Charge, Maharashtra.
With her formidable armament of long-range torpedoes and anti-submarine rockets, the submarine hunter was perennially on patrol keeping the enemy submarines at bay.
Akshay has a displacement of 485 tonnes, a length of 56 metres, a beam of 10.2 metres and a speed of 28 knots.
As per the Indian Navy, these two ships have had forward-deployed on numerous occasions during heightened security situations —- Op Talwar during the Kargil war in 1999, OP Parakram in 2001 and post-Uri attack in 2017, maintaining a strict vigil in a bid to give a befitting reply to the adversary.
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Attendees
The guest of honour for the event would be VAdm R K Pattnaik (Retd) and VAdm SPS Cheema (Retd), the commissioning Commanding Officer of INS Akshay and the commissioning Commanding Officer of INS Nishank, respectively, the very first men to take these war machines to sea.
Indian Navy chief Adm R Hari Kumar, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Western Naval Command VAdm AB Singh, and Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Eastern Naval Command VAdm Biswajit Dasgupta will also be present during the event.
The veterans who had served on these two ships will also be attending the decommissioning ceremony.
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