All-new Vindhyagiri to be launched by President Murmu

The old INS Vindhyagiri, a Nilgiri class frigate, was commissioned on July 8, 1982, which caught fire in 2011, after colliding with merchant vessel MV Nordlake, owned by a German company, off the Mumbai coast

MUMBAI: The Indian Navy will launch Vindhyagiri, named after a mountain range in Karnataka, on August 17, at the hands of President Droupadi Murmu, at Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Limited (GRSE), Kolkata.

All-new Vindhyagiri to be launched by President Murmu

The old INS Vindhyagiri, a Nilgiri class frigate, was commissioned on July 8, 1982, which caught fire in 2011, after colliding with merchant vessel MV Nordlake, owned by a German company, off the Mumbai coast. The ship was attached to the western naval command. It sank in the Mumbai naval dockyard. It was refloated and restored, and finally decommissioned in 2012. Eleven years later, Indian Navy has decided to launch it in its new avatar.

Vindhyagiri sailed out of the Mumbai harbour on January 30, 2011, for a ‘families day at sea’ – it is an occasion for families of sailors to visit the high seas on naval ships. While returning, the collision took place near Sunk Rock lighthouse. The guests – between 100-150 – were transferred on other vessels, as a fire broke out onboard. It fire spread but there were no casualties. After the ship reached naval dockyard, the ammunition was removed. There was ingress of water in some compartments later leading the ship to hit the seabed in the early hours of January 31.

At the time the director general of shipping issued orders to arrest MV Nordlake at Mumbai harbour and demanded compensation to the Indian Navy. The German company moved court and the legal battle is still on.

The Indian Navy hired Titan Salvage to pull out the ship. It was also made seaworthy; but as it was ageing it was not financially prudent to keep her in operation. On May 8, 2011, the Mumbai High Court granted permission to decommission it, which was done at a silent ceremony in June 2012.

This and similar warships have improved stealth features, advanced weapons and sensors and platform management systems. Captain (retired) D K Sharma, former spokesperson of western command, said, “Indian Navy never lets its ship into history. Our ships never die and come up in a new avatar, just as INS Vikrant did.”