Indian Naval Ship (INS) Mormugao (D67), the second warship of the P15B class of stealth guided-missile destroyers, was commissioned in the prestigious presence of Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh at Naval Dockyard, Mumbai on December 18, 2022.
This event was the formal induction for the second of the four ‘Visakhapatnam’ class destroyers, expertly designed by the Indian Navy’s in-house organisation, the Warship Design Bureau and constructed by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL), Mumbai.
Shri Rajnath Singh claimed, “The warship, packed with state-of-the-art weapons & sensors, will enhance the country's maritime capabilities & secure national interests.” Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral, R Hari Kumar, called the warship a great example of the ‘Make in India’ initiative while also saying that the warship is the perfect example for ‘Atma Nirbhar Bharat’ (self-reliant India).
The event was also attended by Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan, Chief Minister of Goa Dr Pramod Sawant, and other prominent officials.
The Raksha Mantri stated that safeguarding India’s interests in the Indian Ocean Region will be the prime responsibility of the Navy. “Our growing economy is directly connected to the increasing trade, most of which is through sea routes. Our interest is directly linked to the Indian Ocean. Being an important country in this region, the role of the Indian Navy becomes more important in its security. It is heartening to see that they are discharging their duties successfully,” he said.
The ship was named after the historic Goan port city Mormugao, which undertook its first journey on December 19, 2021 to celebrate Goa’s liberation from 60 years of Portuguese rule.
Over 75 per cent of the ship’s content was manufactured and developed in India, either directly or designed and developed by Indian Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) or through strategic tie-ups and transfer of technology with reputed OEMs in other countries, said the defence ministry in a statement. Its combat management system has the ability to use analytical tools and create a tactical picture, while it is also capable of achieving speeds of 30 knots (55 km/hour) as it is propelled by four powerful gas turbines in a ‘combined gas and gas’ (COGAG) configuration. . Building the ship incurred a cost of Rs 35,800 crore.
The ship measures 163 metres by 17 metres and has the ability to fight in nuclear, biological, as well as chemical (NBC) warfare due to its total atmospheric control system (TACS). The INS Mormugao is loaded with state-of-the-art weapons, with a displacement of 7,400 tonnes. The Navy said that this ship will be operated by a crew of at least 350 members, which would include 50 officers and 250 sailors.
The ship includes weapons like BrahMos surface-to-surface missiles and Barak-8 surface-to-air missiles and is also fitted with modern surveillance radar which helps provide target data to the ship’s weapon system. The ship’s weaponry also includes indigenously-developed rocket launchers, torpedo launchers and ASW helicopters like Sea King or HAL Dhruv.
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