For the Navy veterans who watched the massive ship being towed by a tugboat, it was an emotional moment as they stood near the Gateway of India, saluting what was once a ‘floating city’, on board which the best years of his career.
As Viraat began its final journey from the naval yard, a Navy helicopter circling overhead provided a majestic backdrop for the ship’s final voyage.
A defense spokesman said Virrat was due to leave for Alang on Friday, but his departure was delayed one day.
The aircraft carrier served in the Indian Navy for 29 years before being decommissioned in March 2017. It had served in the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom as HMS Hermes and was appointed INS Viraat after being admitted to the Indian Navy. in 1987.
There were attempts to turn ‘Viraat’ into a museum or restaurant, but none of the plans came to fruition.
Alang-based Shree Ram group bought it for Rs 38.54 crore at auction. Viraat will be decommissioned at the Alang shipbreaking yard, company president Mukesh Patel said.
“The ship is likely to arrive in Alang on September 21 if weather conditions remain favorable,” he added.
Once the ship arrives, it will be necessary to obtain clearance from the Gujarat Pollution Control Board and Customs before being brought ashore. Permits will also be needed to recycle under the 2013 Supreme Court guidelines, Patel said.
The ship will be scrapped in 9 to 12 months, he said.
Prior to being commissioned into the Indian Navy on May 12, 1987, the aircraft carrier had served with the UK Royal Navy for 27 years under the name HMS Hermes, bringing it to a total of 56 years of service. operational and made it one of the oldest in service. Warships.
Under the Indian flag, Viraat played a crucial role in military operations such as Operation Jupiter, Operation Parakram, and Operation Vijay.
Viraat was inducted into the Indian Navy on May 12, 1987 at Plymouth in the United Kingdom.
For the Indian Navy, Operation Jupiter in July 1989 was Viraat’s first major operation, as part of India’s peacekeeping operations in Sri Lanka in the wake of the breakdown of the Indo-Sri Lanka agreement. 1986.
Viraat also saw action during Operation Parakram in 2001-2002, after the terrorist attack on Parliament.
The ship’s last operational deployment was its participation in the International Fleet Review in Vishakhapatanam in February 2016.
The ship also participated in several international joint exercises such as Malabar (with the United States Navy), Varuna (with the French Navy), Naseem-Al-Bahr (with the Omani Navy) and was an integral element of the Operational Exercise Annual Theater Level (TROPEX).
Viraat is the second aircraft carrier to be broken down in India. In 2014, Vikrant broke down in Mumbai.
Four officers who served aboard Viraat when it was operational became chiefs of the Indian Navy.
Nicknamed the Great Old Lady, Viraat could carry a contingent of more than 1,500 crew and officers. “She was like a floating city, a piece of our country wherever we went,” said a former Navy officer.
The warship served the British Navy for 25 years between 1959 and 1984. At that time it was called HMS Hermes and had played a major role in the 1982 Falklands War.
When the Indian Navy acquired the warship in 1986, the British Navy predicted that it would not be in service for more than seven years. But she went on to serve in the Indian Navy for nearly 30 years, more than four times the life expectancy.
Viraat was at sea for a whopping 2,258 days, covering 590,000 nautical miles and 22,622 hours of flight operations, a defense official said. It could carry 25 aircraft, including Sea Harrier fighters and Sea King 42 B / C, Chetak, Kamov 31 and ALH helicopters.
While in operation, Viraat weighed around 27,800 tons. Its boilers had run for more than 80,000 hours and it was likely the only warship, built during World War II, that had served any country for so long, the official said.
Many social media users lamented the failure of successive governments to preserve Viraat and another Vikrant aircraft carrier as maritime samples to represent India’s rich naval heritage, rather than allowing them to decompose and be sold for scrap.
“#Viraat Callsign” Romeo Two Two “- End of an era, a glorious chapter in @indiannavy’s story. She leaves #Mumbai today for her last voyage. Old ships never die, her spirit lives on,” PRO tweeted Defense Mumbai.
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