Decommissioned INS Khukri to be converted into museum

The ship is planned to be developed as a full-scale museum, the Navy said in a statement.

INS Khukri, the first of the indigenously built Missile Corvettes, was decommissioned on December 23, 2022, after 32 years of glorious service.

INS Khukri , the lead ship of the Indian Navy’s Khukri class missile corvettes which was decommissioned last December, was on Wednesday handed over to the Diu administration to be converted into a museum.

The ship is planned to be developed as a full-scale museum, the Navy said in a statement.

As part of developing and revitalising the Khukri Memorial, the Diu administration had approached the Defence Ministry in 2019 for gifting to it, for public display, a decommissioned naval vessel, the Navy said. “The ship commenced her last journey under tow by Navy ships from Visakhapatnam and arrived at Diu on January 14, it stated.

Built by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders,  Khukri  was commissioned on August 23, 1989 in Mumbai by the then Defence Minister Krishna Chandra Pant and Ms. Sudha Mulla, wife of late Capt. Mahendra Nath Mulla, MVC.

After over 32 years of service and having participated in all forms of naval operations, the ship was decommissioned in a solemn ceremony on December 23, 2021 when the national flag, naval ensign and decommissioning pennant were lowered at sunset in the presence of Vice-Admiral Biswajit Dasgupta, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Naval Command, the statement said.