Defence minister Rajnath Singh (C) with Adm R Hari Kumar and others on INS Mormugao’s deck during the destroyer’s commissioning.
Mumbai: The Indian Navy commissioned the country’s latest guided-missile destroyer, Mormugao, into the force, on Sunday. The defence minister, Rajnath Singh, commissioned the indigenously built Visakhapatnam-class hi-tech stealth destroyer in the Navy at a function in Mumbai’s naval dockyard.
The Navy chief, Admiral R Hari Kumar, and the chief minister of Goa, Pramod Sawant, were among the other dignitaries present in the event.
The ship, whose pennant number is D67, has been commissioned at a time when China has been asserting its naval presence incrementally in the Indian Ocean Region. The Navy says the warship will significantly add to the service’s firepower in the region.
#IndianNavy #CombatReady
— SpokespersonNavy (@indiannavy) December 10, 2022
With state-of-the-art weapons sensors, and combat capability, Mormugao is a shining testimony of #AatmaNirbharBharat.
Watch Combat Ready #Second2None… Coming Soon pic.twitter.com/DhuU3CobNr
Speaking on the occasion, Rajnath Singh said the ship will meet the nation’s current and future challenges. Praising the warship as a showcase of India’s shipbuilding capabilities, the defence minister said, “It is also an example of our indigenous defence production. In the future, we will do shipbuilding for the world.”
In his turn, Adm Hari Kumar said the ship shows how far the Indian Navy has come in warship designing and building in the last decade. He said, “Today is yet another milestone in the history of indigenous warship building as we commission the destroyer Mormugao, particularly when our sister ship Visakhapatnam was inducted into the Indian Navy just over a year ago.”
Some key facts about INS Mormugao:
1. | The destroyer was built by Mumbai’s Mazagaon Dock Limited. |
2. | It completed its basin trials on December 15, 2021, and started its sea trials on December 19, 2021, commemorating Goa Liberation Day. |
3. | It is named after the historic port city of Goa. |
4. | It has a displacement of 7,400 tonnes and measures 163 metres in length and 17 metres at its widest point. |
5. | The destroyer is the second ship of “Make in India” Project 15B. |
6. | It is a stealth destroyer that will carry an array of hi-tech equipment and weapons, like radars, electronic warfare gadgets, guided missiles, anti-submarine warfare equipment and weapons, etc, among other lethal systems. |
7. | It will carry two HAL Dhruv or Sea King Mk 42B helicopters. |
8. | It can carry a crew of 300 sailors, including 50 officers. |
9. | It will have a top speed of over 30 knots (56 kilometres per hour) |
10. | It can reach a maximum range of 7,400 kilometres by sailing at 33 kilometres per hour. |
