INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
The aircraft carrier served the Navy for 29 years before being decommissioned in 2017
None of the attempts to convert 'Viraat' into a museum or a restaurant were successful
Mumbai: Indian Navy's decommissioned
aircraft carrier Viraat on Saturday set sail for the last time, on way to Alang in Gujarat, where it will be broken down and sold as
scrap.For Navy veterans who watched the huge vessel being towed away by a tug boat, it was an emotional moment as they stood near the
Gateway of India, waving at the once 'floating town', aboard which they spent the best years of their career.As Viraat began its final
journey from the Naval dockyard, a Navy helicopter circling overhead provided a majestic backdrop to the vessel's last voyage.A Defence
spokesperson said Viraat was to leave for Alang on Friday, but its departure was delayed by a day.The aircraft carrier served the Indian
Navy for 29 years before being decommissioned in March 2017
It had served in the UK's Royal Navy as HMS Hermes and was named INS Viraat after being inducted in the Indian Navy in 1987.There were
attempts to convert 'Viraat' into a museum or a restaurant, but none of the plans fructified.Alang-based Shree Ram group bought it for Rs
38.54 crore at an auction
Viraat will be dismantled at the Alang ship breaking yard, said company chairman Mukesh Patel."The vessel will likely reach Alang by 21
September if weather conditions remain favourable," he added.Once the ship arrives, it will require clearances from the Gujarat Pollution
Control Board and Customs before being brought ashore
Permissions will also be needed for recycling as per the Supreme Court's 2013 guidelines, Patel said.The ship will be scrapped in 9 to 12
Prior to being commissioned in Indian Navy on 12 May, 1987, the aircraft carrier had served with UKs Royal Navy for 27 years under the name
HMS Hermes, taking it to a total of 56 years of operational service, and making it among the oldest serving warships.Under the Indian flag,
Viraat played a crucial role in military operations such as Operation Jupiter, Operation Parakram and Operation Vijay.Viraat was
commissioned into Indian Navy at Plymouth in the United Kingdom.For the Indian Navy, Operation Jupiter in July 1989 was Viraat's first major
operation, as part of the Indian Peace Keeping operations in Sri Lanka in the wake of the breakdown of the Indo-Sri Lankan accord of
1986.Viraat also saw action during Operation Parakram in 2001-2002, post the terror attack on Parliament.The last operational deployment of
the ship was the participation in International Fleet Review at Vishakhapatanam on February 2016.The ship also participated in various
international joint exercises like Malabar (with US Navy), Varuna (with French Navy), Naseem-Al-Bahr (with Oman Navy) and was an integral
element of annual Theater Level Operational Exercise (TROPEX).Viraat is the second aircraft carrier to be broken down in India
In 2014, Vikrant was broken down in Mumbai.Four officers who served on board Viraat when it was operational, went on to become Indian Navy
chiefs.Nicknamed the Grand Old Lady, Viraat could carry a contingent of over 1,500 crew and officers
"She was like a floating city, a piece of our country wherever we went," a former Navy officer said.The warship served the British Navy for
25 years between 1959 and 1984
It was then called HMS Hermes and had played a major role in the Falklands War of 1982.When the Indian Navy acquired the warship in 1986,
the British Navy predicted that it would not be in service for more than seven years
But she went on to serve the Indian Navy for nearly 30 years, over four times the predicted life span.Viraat was at sea for a whopping 2,258
days, covering 5,90,000 nautical miles, and 22,622 hours of flying operations, a Defence official said.It could carry 25 aircraft,
includingSea Harrier fighters and Sea King 42 B/C, Chetak, Kamov 31 and ALH helicopters.While operational, Viraat weighed about 27,800
Its boilers had run for over 80,000 hours and it was probably the only warship, constructed during the World War II, to have served any
country for so long, the official said.Many social media users lamented the failure of successive governments to preserve Viraat and another
aircraft carrier Vikrant as maritime muesums to depict India's rich naval heritage, instead of allowing them to be broken down and sold as
scrap."#Viraat Callsign "Romeo Two Two" - End of an era, a glorious chapter in the history of @indiannavy
She departs #Mumbai today for her final journey
Old ships never die, their spirit lives on," tweeted PRO Defence Mumbai.Find latest and upcoming tech gadgets online on
https://www.reviewcomparepurchase.com Get technology news, gadgets reviews - ratings
Popular gadgets including laptop, tablet and mobile specifications, features, prices, comparison.
