Indian Navy Day 2022: A Look at Indian Navy’s Killer Warships

INDIAN NAVY DAY 2022: Navy Day is celebrated every year on December 4 since the success of Indian Navy’s operation Trident in the 1971 Indo-Pak War. Navy Day is celebrated to commemorate the success of Operation Trident in which the Indian Navy’s Killer Squadron carried out an attack off the Karachi coast and sank two Pakistani ships. President Draupadi Murmu will attend the Navy Day celebrations in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh on Sunday.

On the occasion of Navy Day, here is a look at some of the most important warships of the Indian Navy.

The Vessels of Operation Trident

The task group, 22nd Missile Vessel Squadron of Indian Navy, that attacked Karachi on December 4-5, 1971, comprised of three Vidyut-class missile boats (INS Nipat, INS Nirghat, and INS Veer), two anti-submarines Arnala-class corvette (INS Kiltan and INS Katchall) and INS Poshak, a fleet tanker.

Escorted by INS Kiltan, the three Vidyut-class vessels approached Karachi, evading Pakistan’s aircraft and patrol vessels. INS Nirghat engaged PNS Khaibar; INS Nipat targeted PNS Shah Jahan and the motor vessel Venus Challenger. This vessel also went on to attack oil tankers at the harbour, wreaking havoc. INS Veer fired at PNS Muhafiz.

The Indian Navy caused immense damage to assets and personnel of the Pakistan Navy, without incurring a single casualty.

The 22nd Missile Vessel Squadron comprising 10 Veer Class and three Prabal Class missile boats was formally established in Mumbai in October 1991.

INS Vikrant

INS Vikrant is a milestone for self-reliance in defence in India since it is the country’s first indigenously designed and built aircraft carrier. The warship, built by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd (MDL), is 262 metre long and 62 metre wide, with a displacement of over 40,000 tonnes. Aircraft carriers are crucial for power projection. The 20,000 crore made-in-India aircraft carrier was commissioned into the Indian Navy on September 2.

INS Nilgiri

INS Nilgiri was another foundational ship built by the MDL. Its construction, testing and commissioning all serve as milestones since it was the first major indigenously-built warship in the country. The frigate, whose name was derived from the Nilgiri hills, was 113 metre long, with a full load displacement of 2962 tons. It had a recorded top speed of 28 knots. The success of INS Nilgiri was monumental for the first steps towards self-reliance in manufacturing naval equipment.

INS Arihant

INS Arihant is the first nuclear submarine indigenously built by India. Launched on July 26, 2009, on the occasion of 10th anniversary of Kargil War, it was a part of the Indian Navy’s covert Advanced Technology Vessel (ATV) project. The first deterrence patrol by INS Arihant completed India’s nuclear triad (the ability to fire nuclear weapons from sea, land and air). The commissioning of this nuclear submarine in August 2016 also meant India became the sixth country to possess nuclear ballistic missile submarines.

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