GRSE launches 7th Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft

Kolkata, Oct 25 (IANS) Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) Ltd launched the 7th in a series of eight Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Crafts (ASW SWCs), being built by it for the Indian Navy, on Friday.

The warship was launched by Sandhya Pendharkar, president, of Navy Welfare and Wellness. She is the wife of Vice Admiral Rajesh Pendharkar, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Naval Command, who was the chief guest at the occasion.

Among the others present were Cmde P R Hari, IN (Retd), chairman and managing director, GRSE, Rear Admiral Sandeep Mehta, ACWP&A, Indian Navy, Cdr Shantanu Bose, IN (Retd), director (shipbuilding), GRSE and other senior officials.

The launch of a ship is an important event when the vessel gets a name and feels water for the first time under her keel. A warship also gets her name during the launch, which is considered her birth. The lady who launches the ship is considered her mother till she is finally decommissioned after decades of service.

After the rituals, the Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft (Yard 3032) was named INS Abhay by Sandhya Pendharkar.

These Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Crafts or ASW SWCs require a draught of barely 2.7 metres and are capable of conducting operations in coastal waters, close to shore. They are also capable of Low-Intensity Maritime Operations (LIMO) and mine-laying operations.

These 77.6-metre-long and 10.5-metre-wide extremely potent warships are also capable of full-scale sub-surface surveillance of not only coastal waters but various surface platforms and coordinated anti-submarine operations with aircraft.

The ASW SWCs are compact waterjet-propelled ships capable of reaching maximum speeds of 25 Knots. These ships pack a lethal anti-submarine suite comprising lightweight torpedoes, ASW rockets and mines. They are also armed with a 30 mm Close-in Weapons System and 12.7 mm Stabilised Remote-Control Guns. These warships are fitted with a Hull Mounted Sonar and a Low-Frequency Variable Depth Sonar for effective underwater surveillance.

There is an INS Abhay that is still in service in the Indian Navy. She was the lead vessel of the Abhay class of ASW Corvettes built in the erstwhile Soviet Union. Though she was the first one of that four-vessel series to be commissioned into the Indian Navy in 1989, she is the only one still in service. The remaining three have been decommissioned. The 35-year-old INS Abhay will also be decommissioned shortly, making way for the new ship that is far more advanced, with superior capabilities to tackle modern-day sub-surface threats.

Vice Admiral Pendharkar lauded GRSE’s efforts in keeping the Indian Navy supplied with modern warships. As many as 63 warships are now under order with Indian shipyards, he said, adding that the Navy will require many more in the years to come.

"There is always the possibility of an enemy submarine lurking in Indian waters. These ASW SCWs, once commissioned, will fill up a major gap that exists after the decommissioning of the ASW Corvettes. What is important is that 80 per cent equipment on these warships has been sourced from Indian suppliers and OEMs. GRSE has also succeeded in completing nearly 40 per cent work on the ship before her launch. The shipyard is also building three advanced P-17A frigates and four Next Generation Offshore Patrol Vessels," Vice Admiral Pendharkar added.

Cmde Hari spoke on how GRSE has adopted the latest technology in shipbuilding and is working on some of the most advanced vessels. He highlighted the challenges faced soon after signing the contract for the 8 ASW SWCs, due to the COVID pandemic and breakages in supply chains that followed.

"We overcame all challenges though and continued to maintain our commitments. We have already delivered a record 72 warships to the Indian Navy and hope to score a century over the next decade," he said.

--IANS

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