INS Karanj commissioned in Indian Navy

The third Scorpene-class submarine INS Karanj of Project-75 was commissioned into the Indian Navy on Wednesday, after two years of rigorous sea trials.

The third Scorpene-class submarine INS Karanj of Project-75 was commissioned into the Indian Navy on Wednesday, after two years of rigorous sea trials. The submarine was launched in January 2018 for sea trials and it will increase the strength and capability of the Indian Navy, said chief of naval staff (CNS) admiral Karambir Singh.

The commissioning ceremony of INS Karanj to Indian Navy at Naval Dock in Mumbai on Wednesday. (Pratik Chorge/HT)

Singh and retired admiral VS Shekhawat were present at the event. Shekhawat, who was part of the commissioning crew of the old Karanj and also its commanding officer during the 1971 India-Pakistan war, was the chief guest.

Shekhawat, the 14th CNS who served as navy chief from September 30, 1993 to September 30, 1996, said, “We live in India and launch numerous satellites, build nuclear submarines, manufacture vaccines for the world. The new Karanj is another example of Make In India”.

He said that between the first and second world wars submarines were hardly evolved. However, after the second world war, when electronic revolution started off, development and engineering began to take place and the nature of the submarine substantially changed. “There is a huge difference between the old Karanj and the new one. But one thing will never change, that is the sea and the dangers of the sea,” he added.

Shekhawat quoted a British navy officer who insisted that “the hazard of the sea must always be given priority over the violence of the enemy, the enemy you might have to get away from, but from sea you can never escape if there is a danger situation.”

“This Project-75 submarine is motivation to indigenisation, and Aatmanirbhar Bharat is a fundamental tenet of Indian Navy’s growth story and future operational capabilities,” Singh said.

He added, “The Air Independent Propulsion (AIP) system, which was recently developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the trials have just been completed, will be ready in 2023. After that, when the first submarine will go for refit, AIP will be installed in her. AIP plug will increase the capability of submarines to spend more time underwater.”

INS Karanj is India’s third of the six Scorpene-class submarines which have superior stealth and several major combat capabilities to defeat an enemy. INS Karanj, a diesel-electric attack submarine and built under Project-75 at Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited in Mumbai.

The first submarine, INS Kalvari was launched in October 2015 and was commissioned in December 2017, five years behind the schedule. The second one, INS Khanderi, was launched in January 2017 for sea trials and commissioned in September 2019 and INS Karanj will be commissioned soon. After the tree submarines were handed over to the Indian navy, and multiple torpedoes and missile firing were undertaken during trials to confirm the fighting capability, said a Navy officer. The fourth submarine INS Vela was launched in May 2019 and is undergoing sea trials while the fifth one, INS Vagir, was launched in November 2020 and is also undergoing trials. The sixth submarine, INS Vagsheer, is in various stages of outfitting.

Scorpene-class submarines can undertake multifarious types of missions such as anti-surface warfare, anti-submarine warfare, intelligence gathering, mine laying, area surveillance etc. The submarine is designed to operate in all theatres with means provided to ensure interoperability with other components of a Naval Task Force. It is a strong platform, marking a generational shift in submarine operations.

The state-of- the-art technology utilised for construction of Scorpene-class submarines has ensured superior stealth features such as advanced acoustic silencing techniques, low radiated noise levels, hydro-dynamically optimised shape and the ability to launch a crippling attack on the enemy using precision guided weapons. The attack can be launched with both torpedoes and tube launched anti-ship missiles at the same time, underwater or on surface. The stealth of this strong platform is enhanced by the special attention given to various signatures. These stealth features give it invulnerability, unmatched by most submarines.

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The Old INS Karanj was commissioned on September 4, 1969 at Riga in the erstwhile USSR (United States of Soviet Russian) and took active part in the conflict under the Command of then commander VS Shekhawat and was decommissioned in 2003.