INS Kavaratti, the last of the four indigenously built Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) stealth corvettes built under Project 28 (Kamorta class), by Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE), Kolkata, was formally inducted into the Indian Navy at the Naval Dockyard in Eastern Naval Command, here on Thursday.
It was commissioned into the Indian Navy by General Manoj Mukund Naravane, Chief of the Army Staff, in the presence of Vice-Admiral Atul Kumar Jain, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Naval Command (ENC), Rear Admiral Vipin Kumar Saxena (Retd), CMD, Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers Limited, Kolkata, and other dignitaries
The ship, named after the capital of the Lakshadweep group of islands, has been constructed using high-grade DMR 249A steel produced in India.
The ship spans 109 metres in length, 14 metres in breadth with a displacement of 3300 tonnes and is regarded as one of the most potent Anti-Submarine Warships to have been constructed in India. It joins three other ships of the same class INS Kamorta, INS Kadmatt and INS Kiltan, at the ENC. Experts say that the induction of the ASW corvettes will be a game changer in the eastern seaboard, especially with the Chinese submarines trying to make sorties in the Indian Ocean.
With the superstructure built using composite material, the ship is propelled by four diesel engines. The ship has enhanced stealth features resulting in reduced Radar Cross Section (RCS) achieved by X form of superstructure along with optimally sloped surfaces. The ship’s advanced stealth features make her less susceptible to detection by the enemy.
The ship has high indigenous content with the state-of-the-art equipment and systems to fight in Nuclear, Biological and Chemical (NBC) warfare conditions. Also, the weapons and sensors suite onboard is pre-dominantly indigenous. Some of the major equipment/ systems developed indigenously include Combat Management System, Torpedo Tube Launchers and Infra-Red Signature Suppression System and etc.
Other advanced automation systems include Total Atmospheric Control System (TACS), Integrated Platform Management System (IPMS), Integrated Bridge System (IBS), Battle Damage Control System (BDCS) and Personnel Locator System (PLS).
Having completed sea trials of all her equipment, Kavaratti has been commissioned as a fully combat-ready platform providing a boost to the ASW capability of the Indian Navy.
The ship is manned by a team comprising twelve officers and 134 sailors with Commander Sandeep Singh at the helm as her first Commanding Officer. The ship would be an integral part of the Eastern Fleet under the Eastern Naval Command.
The ship is the reincarnation of the erstwhile Arnala Class missile corvette of the same name (INS Kavaratti – P 80), a ship that outlived her life span and played a stellar role in Liberation of Bangladesh in 1971.
Earlier, Gen.l Naravane was presented a guard of honour on arrival at the Naval Jetty. The inaugural address was delivered by Rear Admiral Saxena (Retd), CMD, GRSE, Kolkata. Vice Admiral Atul Kumar Jain, FOC-in-C, ENC, addressed the gathering which was followed by reading out the Commissioning Warrant of the Ship by the Commanding Officer, Commander Sandeep Singh.
