Named after Queen of Ramgarh, who formed 4,000-men strong army to fight valiantly against the British Raj and became a martyr by killing herself in 1858, Indian Coast Guard ship Rani Avantibai was commissioned here on Thursday.
The second in the series of five inshore patrol vessels (IPV) built by the Hindustan Shipyard Limited for the Coast Guard, the ship would be deployed here under administrative control of the Coast Guard District Headquarters No. 6, Visakhapatnam.
“It’s a momentous occasion because the ship named after great warrior Rani Avantibai is commissioned exactly 155 years after martyrdom,” HSL Chairman-cum-Managing Director Rear Admiral (retired) N.K. Mishra said.
After ship’s Commandant Ashish Sinha read out the Commissioning Warrant, the Rashtriya Salute was sounded on completion and the colours hoisted on-board for the first time and the commissioning pennant broken signalling the completion of the ceremony.
This is the 169 vessel built and delivered by the HSL since its inception.
Built with light high tensile steel with aluminium superstructure and powered by three water jet propulsion systems for high speeds, the IPV is well suited for coastal and offshore operations.
The vessel, which is 51.5-metre long and 8.36-metre wide has a draught of 4.55 metres and capable of achieving 33 knots. It is expected to become the workhorse of IPV.HSL incorporated certain improvements to enhance its role worthiness.
HSL will deliver the remaining three IPVs to the Coast Guard during current fiscal.
