The Andhra Pradesh government has set in motion the formal process of acquiring the Centre’s clearance for stationing INS Viraat, the last British ship serving the Indian Navy, once it is decommissioned in 2016.
The oldest aircraft carrier in the world is all set to take a new avatar as an important tourist attraction in the beach off Visakhapatnam after its decommissioning. INS Viraat has been serving the Navy for the last 56 years.
“The aircraft carrier with a huge built-up space could be turned into a museum or a hotel or a mini-township at an expenditure of around Rs. 200 crore in the Public-Private Partnership mode. If it is anchored in the sea, instead of the beach, tourists will be taken on boats to the warship,” official sources said.
INS Viraat, which was launched in 1953 and acquired by India and commissioned in 1987, is slated to get a grand farewell at the International Fleet Review in Visakhapatnam in February next year.
The idea is if all clearances are in place, then once INS Viraat is decommissioned in Visakhapatnam, its possession could be taken by from there itself, sources added.
