Indian Army chief commissions anti-submarine ship INS Mahe

The naval vessel is over 80% indigenous and the first of the Mahe-class ships will replace the ageing Abhay-class corvette.

Chief of Army Staff (CoAS) General Upendra Dwivedi on Monday commissioned INS Mahe, the first of the Mahe-class anti-submarine warfare shallow water craft (ASW-SWC), at the naval dockyard in Mumbai.

The Indian Navy commissioned INS Mahe, the first of the Mahe-class anti-submarine shallow water craft, in the presence of Army chief General Upendra Dwivedi at the naval dockyard in Mumbai on Monday. (Anshuman Poyrekar/HT Photo)

“It’s a moment of immense pride and a profound sense of honour to be present at the commissioning ceremony of INS Mahe, first of the eight anti-submarine war-face shallow watercrafts being built by Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) for the Indian Navy,” General Dwivedi said in his address.

Adding that the ceremony marks the induction of a potent new platform to a maritime order of battle, the Army chief said it also reaffirms “our nation’s increasing capability to design, construct and field complex combatants with indigenous technology”.

The naval vessel is over 80% indigenous, according to CSL chairman and managing director Madhu S Nair.

The first of the class ships will replace the ageing Abhay-class corvette. Among the primary roles are anti-submarine capability, including subsurface surveillance, search and attack missions and coordinated anti-submarine operations along with aircraft.The secondary capabilities include mine laying, search and rescue and defending against hostile aircraft.

Named after the former French colony Mahe on India’s western coast and part of Union Territory of Puducherry, INS Mahe marks the arrival of a new generation of indigenous shallow-water combatants - sleek, swift and indigenously built. CoAS added that she will serve as a ‘Silent Hunter’ on the western seaboard. This vessel is part of the government’s programme to have 16 ASW-SWC.