After serving Navy for 29 years, INS Viraat to be decommissioned on March 6

A visit on board the Indian Naval Ship Viraat, the oldest serving aircraft carrier, which will be decommissioned on March 6. (Kunal Patil/ht photo)

Updated on: Feb 27, 2017 5:17 PM IST

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A visit on board the Indian Naval Ship Viraat, the oldest serving aircraft carrier, which will be decommissioned on March 6. (Kunal Patil/ht photo)

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Vice-admiral Girish Luthra, flag officer commanding-in-chief western naval command and captain Puneet Chadha visit INS Viraat on Monday. (Kunal Patil/ht photo)

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She is the last of the Britist-built ship serving them.

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She has served a combined 56 years for the navy in two countries. (Kunal Patil/ht photo)

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Commissioned into the Royal Navy in November, 1959, as HMS Hermes, she served the British for 27 years before being decommissioned in 1984. (Kunal Patil/ht photo)

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India then bought the vessel and rechristened it INS Viraat, to be commissioned into the Indian Navy on May 12, 1987. (Kunal Patil/ht photo)

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INS Viraat sailed using her own power for the last time from Mumbai to Kochi in July 2016. (Kunal Patil/ht photo)

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In October 2016, she was towed out of Kochi and returned to Mumbai, where she will be formally decommissioned on March 6. (Kunal Patil/ht photo)

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Soon after commissioning, it saw active operations when it became part of Operation Jupiter in July 1989 as part of the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) in Sri Lanka, after the Indo-Sri Lankan accord broke down. (Kunal Patil/ht photo)

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While with the Royal Navy, she had played a major role in the Falkland wars. (Kunal Patil/ht photo)

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The last of operational duties for INS Viraat came when she was deployed in the International Fleet Review in Viskhakapatnam in February 2016. (Kunal Patil/ht photo)

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The Navy had to decide on its fate, primarily due to the increasing operational costs to keep her battle ready. (Kunal Patil/ht photo)

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A visitor on board the ship on Monday. (Kunal Patil/ht photo)