Twenty five years after it was decommissioned, a 10-metre long replica of India’s first aircraft carrier INS Vikrant in south Mumbai, was dedicated to the city of Mumbai by Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari on Friday.
Present on the occasion were Vice-Admiral Ajendra Bahadur Singh, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Naval Command and other senior civil and defence officials.
Made in-house by Naval Dockyard, the imposing replica has been located at Colaba’s Regal circle in association with the Residents Association ‘ My Dream Colaba’ and 'CALM' and supported by Adv Makarand Narvekar. It stands shoulder to shoulder with the iconic Gateway of India and Naval Dockyard, signifying the ship’s strong bond with the city of Mumbai where she was based during her entire commissioned service
The dedication of the model is an affirmation of the strong maritime connect of Mumbai and equally rich maritime heritage of Maharashtra.
An aircraft carrier of the Majestic Class, INS Vikrant was launched in September 1945 and formally inducted into the Indian Navy on 03 November 1961 in Mumbai.
It may be recalled that INS Vikrant – which participated in the operations for Liberation of Goa in December 1961 and had played a key role during the 1971 Indo-Pak War that led to the liberation of Bangladesh — was decommissioned in January 1997 after 36 years of service. After it was decommissioned, INS Vikrant remained as a floating museum ship at Mumbai till 2012.
Like an old saying goes, old ships never die, they fade away to be resurrected in another avatar. ‘Vikrant’ is set to be reborn as the prestigious Indigenous Aircraft Carrier, designed by the Indian Navy and being built by M/s Cochin ShipYard Ltd.
