INS Viraat heads for Alang ship-breaking yard

Mumbai: INS Viraat, the aircraft carrier that served the Indian Navy for 30 years before being decommissioned three years ago, is being towed from Mumbai to Alang in Gujarat’s Bhavnagar district. INS Viraat left the jetty at 12 noon and will reach the Alang ship-breaking yard on Monday. The longest serving warship, inducted into the Indian Navy in 1987, was bought by Shree Ram Group for Rs 38.54 crore at an auction conducted by the Metal Scrap Trade Corporation Limited last month.

INS Viraat, the second Centaur-Class aircraft carrier in service, spent 30 years in the Indian Navy and 27 years in the Royal Navy. INS Viraat holds the world record

as mentioned in the Guinness Book of records for being the longest serving warship of the world. The ship which was the centerpiece of the Navy, housed the fighters Sea Harriers of INAS 300, popularly called “White Tigers”, Anti Submarine aircraft Sea king Mk 42B, also known as “Harpoons”, Sea King Mk 42C and the SAR helicopter Chetak as an integral flight. The indigenous Advance Light Helicopters “Dhruv” and the Russian twin rotor Kamov-31 have also operated from the ship. The Sea Harrier fleet was decommissioned at Goa on 11 May 2016.

INS Viraat was the centrepiece of the Indian Navy as it has clocked over 22,622 flying hours by different aircraft in the past 30 years and also has spent around 2,252 days at sea sailing across 5,88,287 nautical miles under the Indian Flag. The warship was an integral part of the force since she has played a major role in various operations for the force. INS Viraat had an important role to play in Operation Jupiter in 1989 during the Sri Lankan Peacekeeping operation, and also in Op Parakram in 2001-2002, after the Parliament terrorist attack.