Indian Navy Commissions INS Vagir, the 5th Kalvari Class Sub
The Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral R Hari Kumar was present for the event.
MUMBAI: The Indian Navy on Monday commissioned its fifth Kalvari class submarine on Monday by the name of INS Vagir from Mumbai. The Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral R Hari Kumar was present for the event.
This vessel had taken its only sortie in the seas in the month of February last year, making the beginning of its sea trials after a series of compliance checks before being commissioned into the naval force of the country. The Kalvari class submarines are diesel-electric vessels built by the Mazagoan Dock Shipbuilders in Mumbai in collaboration with French Naval Defence.
This submarine is a renovated version of the original Vagir submarine which had already completed a glorious era in the Indian Navy. It was originally inducted in November 1973 and took part in several important operations, including deterrent patrol operations. It was decommissioned in January 2001 after almost three decades of service. It is now back in action in a new avatar which has been completed in the lowest build time among the indigenously created subs.
Admiral R Hari Kumar mentioned INS Vagir to be a lethal platform with a formidable weapon package. Highlighting that Vagir is the third submarine inducted into the Indian Navy in a span of 24 months, the Chief of Naval Staff added that it was a shining testimony to the expertise of India's shipyards to construct complex and complicated platforms.
According to reports, INS Vagir has been created to undertake a diverse variety of missions. These include anti-surface warfare, anti-submarine warfare, intelligence gathering, surveillance and underwater mine laying. The name itself has been inspired by the sandfish, a deadly sea predator living and hunting in the Indian Ocean.
"In the navy, it's a time-honoured tradition that old ships and submarines never die. In keeping with the spirit, the submarine in front of us is a reincarnation of erstwhile Vagir which served India and Indian Navy for three decades," the Chief of Naval Staff mentioned at the event.
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