INS Viraat: The Pride of India

Hello everyone,

            The longest-serving battleship of India INS Viraat is taking her last breath at the Alang, Bhavnagar. The INS Viraat is anchored there at the beaches of Alang (known as Ship’s graveyard). The INS Viraat battleship will be dismantled there. Every ship comes to an end where it gets broken into pieces. However, this battleship INS Viraat is special for every Indian.

            The INS Viraat is an old battleship that served the Navy of both Britain and India. This battleship INS Viraat is the second warship after INS Vikrant which is being broken. The battleship INS Vikrant was decommissioned from the Indian Navy in the year 2013. The INS Vikrant was sold for ₨ 60 crores ($82 million) at an auction. The dismantling process of INS Vikrant had done at Mumbai whereas it is the first time in history that a historical battleship has come here at Alang for dismantling.

Alang Ship Breaking Yard at Bhavnagar

            Let’s have a look at the place where INS Viraat has been anchored and where INS Viraat will be broken. Alang is located in the Gulf of Khambhat, Gujarat. The natural condition of high tide and low tide made this place a perfect location to break ships. At the time of high tide, the water of the ocean comes high enough and goes up to 2-3 kilometers away during low tide. This happens two times a day which is not observed anywhere in the whole world. That is why Alang Ship Breaking Yard is so important.

Alang Ship Breaking Yard

            This place contains a total of 160 Ship Breaking Yards in an area of more than 10 km. When the financial crisis hits the world, the number of ships increases for the dismantling process and vice versa. The Alang Ship Breaking Yard was started in 1983 and to date, more than 8300 ships have been wrecked here. Out of all, INS Viraat is the most special and historical ship.

History of INS Viraat

            After the end of World War II, Britain started making an aircraft carrier as needed in 1949. The warship became ready after the hard work of 8 years in 1957. The warship underwent all the necessary examination and testing. Finally, she was added to Britain Royal Navy in 1959. At that time, her name was HMS Hermes. The HMS Hermes served Britain Royal Navy for 25 years from 1959 to 1984.

HMS Hermes

            In the 80’s decade, India needed an aircraft carrier because we were not building such aircraft carrier warships in our country at that time. During the 1971 war between India and Pakistan, India won because of perfect coordination between the Army, Navy, and Air Force. To make the Indian Navy stronger, the Government of India negotiated with England. The HMS Hermes was able to serve for a longer time if she got enough maintenance and some changes. In the end, India purchased HMS Hermes from Britain at $6.50 crores for the Indian Navy. On 12 May 1987, she was included in the Indian Navy and named "INS Viraat".

Specifications of INS Viraat

            INS Viraat served Indian Navy for 30 years as an aircraft carrier. The INS Viraat had 16 warplanes ready anytime on her runway. When Pakistan created an atmosphere of war, INS Viraat stood against them taking an important strategic position.

INS Viraat Museum and Auction Issue

            The battleship was anchored in Mumbai for the last three years. When the government decided to sell the INS Viraat via an auction there was some controversy. Instead of dismantling a historical ship, converting INS Viraat into a museum the reason for controversy. The Hermes Viraat Heritage Trust wanted to transform INS Viraat into a museum after purchasing it. A Marine Consultant Company of Mumbai even went to court for this matter. Many warships were transformed into museums after they were decommissioned.

            However, after taking the experts’ opinion, the government decided to send INS Viraat to Alang for dismantling instead of transforming her into a museum against the desire of many. The experts said that the dilapidated condition of INS Viraat can lead to a horrible accident if INS Viraat would be transformed into a museum.

Who purchased INS Viraat?

            The battleship INS Viraat was sold through an auction and purchased by a Ship Breaking Group of Bhavnagar. The chief of the Ship Breaking Group, Mr. Batukbhai Patel has said that “The purchase of INS Viraat was a proud moment for us. We have an experience of breaking more than 350 ships but neglected the gain-loss while purchasing the INS Viraat.” The INS Viraat was sold at a high price of ₨ 38.54 crores.

Conclusion: A historical aircraft carrier, INS Viraat is going to dismantle after serving 55 years of a long period. INS Viraat served Britain Royal Navy for 25 years and the Indian Navy for 30 years. The warship INS Viraat was decommissioned on 6 March 2017 and will be dismantled in a year. The dismantling process will take time as of 1 year.

If you like this blog please react and comment. Subscribe to my blog to show love and support. Follow me on Twitter @AkashMacwan5.

        Read the last article from this blog: Fifteen Major Events Of 2020

        Also, read this: Ace Card Of India: Rafale

        Read this amazing blog: thedigitalatma.blogspot.com

Thank You.