berth eludes vikrant
Jan 30, 2006
Berth still eludes Vikrant
BY MRITYUNJAY BOSE
MUMBAI: Nine years after the Indian Navy decommissioned her, a comfortable berth still eludes Vikrant – country's first aircraft carrier, which played a heroic role in the 1971 Indo-Pak war.
Often referred to as 'Old Lady of Indian Navy' and 'War Heroine', she is yet to be permanently berthed off the Mumbai harbour in the Arabian Sea even though efforts are on by the Maharashtra Government and the Indian Navy, for whom the majestic carrier holds special relevance and importance.She is to be permanently berthed off the Osyter Rock near the Radio Club alongside the Gateway of India, but of the years – she was decommissioned on January 31, 1997 – the maritime museum project has ran into rough weather several times.
The Maharashtra Government on the other side still maintains that it is keen on the project. "We are interested in the project. We are keen on it. Vikrant is very special to the Indian Navy and all of us and we are committed to the museum project," Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh told the Herald.
A museum aboard the ship now known as IMS Vikrant (Indian museum ship) – is operational and are opened on special occasions only pending her full-fledged conversion into a maritime museum.
The entire project is expected to cost over Rs 100 crore.Indian Navy sources said that in the next couple of years the project would be fully ready and would be one-of-its-kind in Asia.The project faced rough weather several times including protests from environmentalists, by fisherfolk of this island city and also financial constraints of the Maharashtra Government. She was also saved twice from heading towards scrapyards.Senior BJP leader and former MP Dr Kirit Somaiya, who has been on the forefront of saving Vikrant, told the Herald: "Now all formalities have been clear. The actual work is to start now and once it starts it would not take more than 24 months for the entire project to be complete."
HISTORY OF INS VIKRANT:
India became an aircraft carrier nation with the commissioning of the ship on February 16, 1961. She was brought to Bombay on November 3, 1961 and later became part of the Western Fleet. She was decommissioned on January 31, 1997 after 36 years of glorious service to the Indian Navy. The ship has a length of 700 feet, an extreme beam of 128 feet (width) and a draught of 24 feet. Her displacement is around 20,000-tonnes. She was also armed with powerful anti-aircraft guns. While Chetaks and the Westland-make seakings operated from this ship, the initial batch of aicraft were the SeaHawks. The ship was also equipped with a catapult launch and arrester wire recovery. Later on the ski-jump was added and the carrier was made capable for SeaHarriers, which are short-take-off and vertical landing type. The ex-British ship was one of the six majestic-class light fleet carriers and her keel was laid in 1943. The first active operation in which INS Vikrant took part was for liberation of Goa in December 1961. The first war operation was the Indo-Pak war of 1965, but unfortunately she was undergoing her periodical refit at that time. Vikrant's real opportunity to show her prowess came in the 1971 Indo-Pak war when Bangladesh was liberated.
TIMELINE:
Jan 31, 1997: Vikrant decommissioned, then CM Manohar Joshi says she would be made museum
Apr 1999: Navy says it can't maintain the ship, threatens to auction it
July 1999: Sena chief Bal Thackeray, then CM Narayan Rane visits the ship, promises Rs five crore for refit
July 2000: Again threat looms large for auction of the warship, then Dy CM Chhagan Bhujbal takes personal interest to revive the project
Sept 2000: TCS report says museum feasible and financially viableJan 2001: Vikrant enters dry dock, undergoes a major refit of worn out hull
Dec 2002: Vikrant museum complete
Jan 2004: Then Defence Minister George Fernandes says Centre has sanctioned 42 crore for the project
(This story was published in The Maharashtra Herald, Pune)
Berth still eludes Vikrant
BY MRITYUNJAY BOSE
MUMBAI: Nine years after the Indian Navy decommissioned her, a comfortable berth still eludes Vikrant – country's first aircraft carrier, which played a heroic role in the 1971 Indo-Pak war.
Often referred to as 'Old Lady of Indian Navy' and 'War Heroine', she is yet to be permanently berthed off the Mumbai harbour in the Arabian Sea even though efforts are on by the Maharashtra Government and the Indian Navy, for whom the majestic carrier holds special relevance and importance.She is to be permanently berthed off the Osyter Rock near the Radio Club alongside the Gateway of India, but of the years – she was decommissioned on January 31, 1997 – the maritime museum project has ran into rough weather several times.
The Maharashtra Government on the other side still maintains that it is keen on the project. "We are interested in the project. We are keen on it. Vikrant is very special to the Indian Navy and all of us and we are committed to the museum project," Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh told the Herald.
A museum aboard the ship now known as IMS Vikrant (Indian museum ship) – is operational and are opened on special occasions only pending her full-fledged conversion into a maritime museum.
The entire project is expected to cost over Rs 100 crore.Indian Navy sources said that in the next couple of years the project would be fully ready and would be one-of-its-kind in Asia.The project faced rough weather several times including protests from environmentalists, by fisherfolk of this island city and also financial constraints of the Maharashtra Government. She was also saved twice from heading towards scrapyards.Senior BJP leader and former MP Dr Kirit Somaiya, who has been on the forefront of saving Vikrant, told the Herald: "Now all formalities have been clear. The actual work is to start now and once it starts it would not take more than 24 months for the entire project to be complete."
HISTORY OF INS VIKRANT:
India became an aircraft carrier nation with the commissioning of the ship on February 16, 1961. She was brought to Bombay on November 3, 1961 and later became part of the Western Fleet. She was decommissioned on January 31, 1997 after 36 years of glorious service to the Indian Navy. The ship has a length of 700 feet, an extreme beam of 128 feet (width) and a draught of 24 feet. Her displacement is around 20,000-tonnes. She was also armed with powerful anti-aircraft guns. While Chetaks and the Westland-make seakings operated from this ship, the initial batch of aicraft were the SeaHawks. The ship was also equipped with a catapult launch and arrester wire recovery. Later on the ski-jump was added and the carrier was made capable for SeaHarriers, which are short-take-off and vertical landing type. The ex-British ship was one of the six majestic-class light fleet carriers and her keel was laid in 1943. The first active operation in which INS Vikrant took part was for liberation of Goa in December 1961. The first war operation was the Indo-Pak war of 1965, but unfortunately she was undergoing her periodical refit at that time. Vikrant's real opportunity to show her prowess came in the 1971 Indo-Pak war when Bangladesh was liberated.
TIMELINE:
Jan 31, 1997: Vikrant decommissioned, then CM Manohar Joshi says she would be made museum
Apr 1999: Navy says it can't maintain the ship, threatens to auction it
July 1999: Sena chief Bal Thackeray, then CM Narayan Rane visits the ship, promises Rs five crore for refit
July 2000: Again threat looms large for auction of the warship, then Dy CM Chhagan Bhujbal takes personal interest to revive the project
Sept 2000: TCS report says museum feasible and financially viableJan 2001: Vikrant enters dry dock, undergoes a major refit of worn out hull
Dec 2002: Vikrant museum complete
Jan 2004: Then Defence Minister George Fernandes says Centre has sanctioned 42 crore for the project
(This story was published in The Maharashtra Herald, Pune)
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