INS Aditya Commissioned: 'A proud moment for India'

By Our Staff Reporter

VISAKHAPATNAM, APRIL 3. INS Aditya, the first indigenously constructed naval ship, was commissioned at the Naval Jetty here on Monday by Mr. Harin Pathak, Union Minister of State for Defence Production and Supplies.

``This is a proud moment for India, to see the results of our efforts towards achieving self-reliance, in the field of warship construction'', he said.

The country was committed to according the due prominence to maritime matters and was planning to build its own air defence ship and two more submarines, the Minister said.

Rear Admiral R.B. Vohra, Chairman-cum-Managing Director of the Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers, Calcutta, where the ship was built, requested the Minister to place more orders with his shipyard.

A missile corvettee, INS Karmuk, would be commissioned on April 6; a frigate, INS Brahmaputra, on April 14 (by the Defence Minister, Mr. George Fernandes, at Calcutta for induction into the Western Fleet); and the first of the four fast attack craft in May, the Rear Admiral said. But after the first two of the three vessels were launched, two-thirds of the staff of the fabrication shop of the yard would be rendered idle along with the entire shop soon after, he said, while seeking more orders from the Navy for the yard.

Garden Reach was taken over in 1960 by the Defence Ministry. It had built six survey vessels between 1981 and 1993, the Sagardhwani, an advanced marine acoustic research ship in 1994, corvettes, frigates and patrol vessels for the Navy and the Coast Guard. This experience had helped it to develop its own design for a new 35 knots high speed patrol vessel. Garden Reach also had the distinction of producing the biggest indigeneously- built warship.

Vice-Admiral Vinod Pasricha, Flag Officer Commanding- in-Chief of Eastern Naval Command, accepted the ship on behalf of the Navy and said it would be inducted into the Eastern Fleet.

Rear Admiral Sanjiv Kapoor, Assistant Controller of Warship Production and Acquisition, Naval Headquarters, was present.

Earlier, the Minister received a salute and inspected a guard of honour presented by a contingent of the Navy.

The commissioning of the ship was conducted at an impressive function attended by Flag Officers and other senior Naval officers, sailors and their families.

After the Commanding Officer of the ship, Capt. Vimal Narayan, read out the commissioning warrant, the national anthem was struck by the naval band on board the ship and simultaneously the ship's colours were raised. The Commissioning Pennant was broken at the last bar of the national anthem. Mr. Pathak later unveiled the ship's plaque and went round the ship.

The 172-metre-long vessel is a fleet tanker with a 17,000-tonne capacity, comprising 12,000 tonnes of liquid cargo and 5,000 tonnes of solid cargo. It can attain a maximum speed of 20 knots with an endurance of 10,000 nautical miles at a speed of 16 knots. It is manned by 16 officers and 140 sailors.

This is the third fleet tanker, in addition to INS Deepak and INS Jyoti. It can load six ships simultaneously in the high seas with liquid and solid cargo and is equipped with a special facility to transfer solid cargo. It can carry fuel and distilled and fresh water, besides six containers.

The ship has well-equipped workshops for maintenance support to fleet ships at sea and space to serve as command and control platform. It can carry a helicopter to meet and is equipped with guns and missiles for self-defence.

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