 INSVikrant in 1984 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom | |
| Name | Hercules |
| Builder | |
| Laid down | 14 October 1943 |
| Launched | 22 September 1945 |
| Commissioned | Never commissioned |
| Identification | Pennant number: R49 |
| Fate | Laid up, 1947; Sold to India, 1957 |
 India | |
| Name | Vikrant |
| Acquired | 1957 |
| Commissioned | 4 March 1961 |
| Decommissioned | 31 January 1997 |
| Homeport | Bombay |
| Identification | Pennant number: R11 |
| Motto |
|
| Fate | Scrapped, 2014 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Majestic-classlight carrier |
| Displacement | |
| Length | 700 ft (210 m) (o/a) |
| Beam | 128 ft (39 m) |
| Draught | 24 ft (7.3 m) |
| Installed power |
|
| Propulsion | 2 shafts; 2Parsonsgeared steam turbines |
| Speed | 25knots (46 km/h; 29 mph) |
| Range |
|
| Complement | 1,110 |
| Sensors & processing systems |
|
| Armament | 16 ×40 mm Bofors anti-aircraft guns (later reduced to 8) |
| Aircraft carried | 21–23 |
| Aviation facilities | |
INSVikrant (fromSanskritvikrānta, "courageous") was aMajestic-class aircraft carrier of theIndian Navy. The ship waslaid down asHMSHercules for the BritishRoyal Navy duringWorld War II, but was put on hold when the war ended. India purchased the incomplete carrier in 1957, and construction was completed in 1961.Vikrant wascommissioned as the firstaircraft carrier of the Indian Navy and played a key role in enforcing thenaval blockade ofEast Pakistan during theIndo-Pakistani War of 1971.
In its later years, the ship underwent major refits to embark modern aircraft, before beingdecommissioned in January 1997. She was preserved as amuseum ship in the Naval Docks inMumbai until 2012. In January 2014, the ship was sold through an online auction andscrapped in November 2014 after final clearance from theSupreme Court.
In 1943 theRoyal Navy commissioned sixlight aircraft carriers in an effort to counter theGerman andJapanese navies.[1] The1942 Design Light Fleet Carrier, commonly referred to as the British Light Fleet Carrier, was the result. Serving with eight navies between 1944 and 2001, these ships were designed and constructed by civilian shipyards as an intermediate step between the full-sizedfleet aircraft carriers and the less expensive but limited-capabilityescort carriers.[2] Sixteen light fleet carriers were ordered, and all of them werelaid down as what became theColossus class in 1942 and 1943. The final six ships were modified during construction to handle larger and faster aircraft, and were re-designated as theMajestic class.[3] The improvements from theColossus class to theMajestic class included heavier displacement, armament,catapult,aircraft lifts and aircraft capacity.[4] Construction on the ships was suspended at the end ofWorld War II, as the ships were more than the Royal Navy's peacetime requirements. Instead, the carriers were modernized and sold to severalCommonwealth nations. The ships were similar, but each varied depending on the requirements of the country the ship was sold to.[5]
HMSHercules, the fifth ship in theMajestic class, was ordered on 7 August 1942 and laid down on 14 October 1943 byVickers-Armstrongs atHigh Walker on theRiver Tyne. After World War II ended withJapan's surrender on 2 September 1945, she waslaunched on 22 September and her construction was suspended in May 1946.[1] At the time of suspension, she was 75 per cent complete.[6] Her hull was preserved, and in May 1947 she waslaid up inGareloch off theClyde. In January 1957, she was purchased by India and was towed toBelfast to complete her construction and modifications byHarland & Wolff. Several improvements to the original design were ordered by the Indian Navy, including anangled deck,steam catapults and a modifiedisland.[7]
Vikrant displaced 16,000 t (15,750 long tons) atstandard load and 19,500 t (19,200 long tons) atdeep load. She had anoverall length of 700 ft (210 m), abeam of 128 ft (39 m) and a mean deepdraught of 24 ft (7.3 m). She was powered by a pair ofParsonsgeared steam turbines, driving two propeller shafts, using steam provided by fourAdmiralty three-drum boilers. The turbines produced a total of 40,000indicated horsepower (30,000 kW) which gave a maximum speed of 25knots (46 km/h; 29 mph).Vikrant carried about 3,175 t (3,125 long tons) of fuel oil that gave her a range of 12,000 nmi (22,000 km; 14,000 mi) at 14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph); and 6,200 mi (10,000 km) at 23 knots (43 km/h; 26 mph). The air and ship crew consisted of 1,110 officers and men.[6]
The ship was armed with sixteen 40-millimetre (1.6 in)Bofors anti-aircraft guns, but these were later reduced to eight. At various times, its aircraft consisted ofHawker Sea Hawk andSTOVLBAe Sea Harrier jet fighters,Sea King Mk 42B andHAL Chetakhelicopters, andBreguet Br.1050 Alizéanti-submarine aircraft.[8] The carrier fielded between 21 and 23 aircraft of all types.[9]Vikrant'sflight decks were designed to handle aircraft weighing up to 24,000 lb (11,000 kg), but 20,000 lb (9,100 kg) remained the heaviest landing weight of an aircraft. Larger 54 by 34 feet (16.5 by 10.4 m) lifts were installed later.[7] The ship was equipped with one LW-05 air-searchradar, one ZW-06 surface-search radar, one LW-10 tactical radar and one Type 963 aircraft landing radar with other communication systems.[10]
The Indian Navy's first aircraft carrier wascommissioned as INSVikrant on 4 March 1961 in Belfast byVijaya Lakshmi Pandit, theIndian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom.[7][11] The nameVikrant was derived from theSanskrit wordvikrānta meaning "stepping beyond", "courageous" or "bold".CaptainPritam Singh Mahindroo was the first commanding officer of the ship. Two squadrons were to be embarked on the ship -INAS 300 commanded by Lieutenant Commander B. R. Acharya which had British Hawker Sea Hawk fighter-bombers; andINAS 310 commanded by Lieutenant CommanderMihir K. Roy which had French Alizé anti-submarine aircraft. On 18 May 1961, the first jet landed on her deck. It was piloted by LieutenantRadhakrishna Hariram Tahiliani, who later served as admiral andChief of the Naval Staff of India from 1984 to 1987.Vikrant formally joined the Indian Navy's fleet in Bombay (nowMumbai) on 3 November 1961, when she was received atBallard Pier by thenPrime MinisterJawaharlal Nehru.[6] That December, the ship was deployed for Operation Vijay (the code name for theannexation of Goa) off the coast of Goa with twodestroyers,INS Rajput andINS Kirpan.[7]Vikrant did not see action and patrolled along the coast to deter foreign interference.[12] During theIndo-Pakistani War of 1965,Vikrant was indry dock refitting, and did not see any action.[7]
In June 1970,Vikrant was docked at theNaval Dockyard, Bombay, due to many internalfatigue cracks and fissures in the water drums of her boilers that could not be repaired by welding. As replacement drums were not available locally, four new ones were ordered from Britain, and Naval Headquarters issued orders to not use the boilers until further notice.[13] On 26 February 1971 the ship was moved from Ballard Pier Extension to the anchorage without replacement drums. The main objective behind this move was to light up the boilers at reduced pressure, and work up the main and flight deck machinery that had been idle for almost seven months. On 1 March, the boilers were ignited, and basin trials up to 40 revolutions per minute (RPM) were conducted. Catapult trials were conducted on the same day.[14]
The ship began preliminarysea trials on 18 March and returned two days later. Trials were again conducted on 26–27 April. The navy decided to limit the boilers to a pressure of 400pounds per square inch (2,800 kPa) and the propeller revolutions to 120 RPM ahead and 80 RPM astern, reducing the ship's speed to 14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph). With the growing expectations of awar with Pakistan in the near future, the navy started to transfer its ships to strategically advantageous locations in Indian waters. The primary concern of Naval Headquarters about the operation was the serviceability ofVikrant.[14] When asked his opinion regarding the involvement ofVikrant in the war, Fleet Operations Officer CaptainGulab Mohanlal Hiranandani told the Chief of the Naval Staff AdmiralSardarilal Mathradas Nanda:
...during the 1965 warVikrant was sitting in Bombay Harbour and did not go out to sea. If the same thing happened in 1971,Vikrant would be called a white elephant and naval aviation would be written off.Vikrant had to be seen being operational even if we didn't fly any aircraft.
— CaptainGulab Mohanlal Hiranandani,[14]
Nanda and Hiranandani proved to be instrumental in takingVikrant to war. There were objections that the ship might have severe operational difficulties that would expose the carrier to increased danger on operations. In addition, the threeDaphne-class submarines acquired by thePakistan Navy posed a significant risk to the carrier.[14] In June, extensive deep sea trials were carried out, with steel safety harnesses around the three boilers still operational.[a] Observation windows were fitted as a precautionary measure to detect any steam leaks. By the end of June, the trials were complete andVikrant was cleared to participate on operations, with its speed restricted to 14knots.[15]
As part of preparations for the war,Vikrant was assigned toEastern Naval Command, then to theEastern Fleet. This fleet consisted of INSVikrant, the twoLeopard-classfrigatesINS Brahmaputra andINS Beas, the twoPetya III-classcorvettesINS Kamorta andINS Kavaratti, and one submarine,INS Khanderi. The main reason behind strengthening the Eastern Fleet was to counter the Pakistani maritime forces deployed in support of military operations inEast Bengal.[15] A surveillance area of 18,000 square miles (47,000 km2), confined by a triangle with a base of 270 mi (430 km) and sides of 165 and 225 mi (266 and 362 km), was set up in theBay of Bengal. Any ship in this area was to be challenged and checked. If found to be neutral, it would be escorted to the nearest Indian port, otherwise, it would be captured and taken as awar prize.[16]
In the meantime, intelligence reports confirmed Pakistan was going to deploy the US-builtTench-class submarinePNS Ghazi.Ghazi was considered a serious threat toVikrant by the Indian Navy, asVikrant's approximate position would be known by the Pakistanis once she started operating aircraft. Of the four available surface ships, INSKavaratti had nosonar, which meant the other three ships had to remain in close vicinity, around 5–10 mi (8.0–16.1 km) close toVikrant, without which the carrier would be completely vulnerable to attacks byGhazi.[16]
On 23 July,Vikrant sailed off toCochin in company with theWestern Fleet. En route, before reaching Cochin on 26 July, Sea King landing trials were carried out. After completion of the radar and communication trials on 28 July, she departed forMadras, escorted byBrahmaputra andBeas. The next major problem was operating aircraft from the carrier. The commanding officer of the ship, Captain (later Vice Admiral)Swaraj Prakash, was seriously concerned about flight operations. He was concerned aircrew morale would be adversely affected if flight operations were not undertaken, which could be disastrous. Naval Headquarters remained stubborn on the speed restrictions, and sought confirmation from Prakash whether it was possible to embark an Alizé without compromising the speed restrictions.[17] The speed restrictions imposed by the headquarters meant Alizé aircraft would have to land at close tostalling speed. Eventually the aircraft weight was reduced, which allowed several of the aircraft to embark along with a Seahawk squadron.[18]
_launches_an_Alize_aircraft_during_Indo-Pakistani_War_of_1971.jpg)
By the end of September,Vikrant and her escorts had reachedPort Blair. En route toVisakhapatnam, tactical exercises were conducted in the presence of the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Eastern Naval Command. From Vishakhapatnam,Vikrant set out for Madras for maintenance. Rear AdmiralS. H. Sarma was appointedFlag Officer Commanding Eastern Fleet and arrived at Vishakhapatnam on 14 October. After receiving reports that Pakistan might launch preemptive strikes, maintenance was stopped for another tactical exercise, which was completed during the night of 26–27 October at Vishakhapatnam.Vikrant then returned to Madras to resume maintenance. On 1 November, the Eastern Fleet was formally constituted, and on 13 November, all the ships set out for theAndaman and Nicobar Islands. To avoid misadventures, the plan was to sailVikrant to a remote anchorage, isolating it from combat. Simultaneously, deception signals would give the impression ofVikrant operating somewhere between Madras and Vishakhapatnam.[18]
On 23 November, an emergency was declared in Pakistan after a clash of Indian and Pakistani troops inEast Pakistan two days earlier.[18] On 2 December, the Eastern Fleet proceeded to its patrol area in anticipation of an attack by Pakistan. The Pakistan Navy had deployedGhazi on 14 November with the explicit goal of targeting and sinkingVikrant, andGhazi reached a location near Madras by the 23rd.[19][20] In an attempt to deceive the Pakistan Navy andGhazi, India's Naval Headquarters deployedRajput as a decoy—the ship sailed 160 mi (260 km) off the coast of Vishakhapatnam and broadcast a significant amount of radio traffic, making her appear to beVikrant.[21]Ghazi, meanwhile, sank off the Visakhapatnam coast under mysterious circumstances.[20] On the night of 3–4 December, a muffled underwater explosion was detected by a coastal battery. The next morning, a local fisherman observed flotsam near the coast, causing Indian naval officials to suspect a vessel had sunk off the coast. The next day, aclearance diving team was sent to search the area, and they confirmedGhazi had sunk in shallow waters.[22]
The reason forGhazi's fate is unclear. The Indian Navy's official historianG. M. Hiranandani suggests three possibilities after analysinh the position of the rudder and extent of the damage suffered. The first was thatGhazi had come up toperiscope depth to identify her position and may have seen an anti-submarine vessel that caused her tocrash dive, which in turn may have led her to bury herbow in the bottom. The second possibility is closely related to the first: on the night of the explosion,Rajput was on patrol off Visakhapatnam and observed a severe disturbance in the water. Suspecting that it was a submarine, the ship dropped twodepth charges on the spot, on a position that was very close to the wreckage.[19] The third possibility is that there was a mishap whenGhazi was layingmines on the day before hostilities broke out.[22]
Vikrant was redeployed towardsChittagong at the outbreak of hostilities. On 4 December, the ship's Sea Hawks struck shipping in the Chittagong andCox's Bazar harbours, sinking or incapacitating most of the ships present. Later strikes targetedKhulna and thePort of Mongla, which continued until 10 December, while other operations were flown to support a naval blockade of East Pakistan.[23] On 14 December, the Sea Hawks attacked thecantonment area in Chittagong, destroying several Pakistani army barracks. Medium anti-aircraft fire was encountered during this strike. Simultaneous attacks by Alizés continued on Cox's Bazar. After this,Vikrant's fuel levels dropped to less than 25 per cent and the aircraft carrier sailed toParadip for refueling.[24] The crew ofVikrant earned twoMaha Vir Chakras and twelveVir Chakra gallantry medals for their role in the war.[20]
_with_a_Sea_King_helicopter_during_Indo-Pakistani_war_of_1971.jpg)
Vikrant did not see much service after the war, and was given two major modernisationrefits—the first one from 1979 to 1981 and the second one from 1987 to 1989.[25] In the first phase, her boilers, radars, communication systems and anti-aircraft guns were modernised, and facilities to operate Sea Harriers were installed.[26] In the second phase, facilities to operate the new Sea Harrier Vertical/Short Take Off and Land (V/STOL) fighter aircraft and the new Sea King Mk 42B Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) helicopters were introduced. A 9.75-degreeski-jump ramp was fitted.[25] Thesteam catapult was removed during this phase.[7] in 1991,Vikrant again underwent a six-month refit, followed by another fourteen-month refit in 1992–94. She remained operational thereafter, flying Sea Harriers, Sea Kings and Chetaks until her final sea outing on 23 November 1994.[25] In the same year, a fire was also recorded aboard.[7] In January 1995, the navy decided to keepVikrant in "safe to float" state.[25] She waslaid up and formally decommissioned on 31 January 1997.[27]
During her service, INSVikrant embarked four squadrons of the Naval Air Arm of the Indian Navy:
| Squadron | Name | Insignia | Aircraft | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| INAS 300 | White Tigers | Hawker Sea Hawk | Operated during the 1971 war, and phased out in 1978.[25] | |
| BAE Sea Harrier | Introduced in 1983, with the first Harrier landing on the ship's deck on 20 December 1983, operated until the ship was decommissioned in late 1997.[25][28] | |||
| INAS 310 | Cobras | Breguet Alizé | Operated during the 1971 war, and phased out in 1987, with the last Alizé flown off on 2 April 1987.[25] | |
| INAS 321 | Angels | Alouette III/ HAL Chetak[b] | The Alouettes/Chetaks were first embarked in 1960s, and operated until the ship was decommissioned in 1997.[29] | |
| INAS 330 | Harpoons | Westland Sea King | Introduced into the Indian Navy in 1974,[30] the Sea Kings operated onVikrant from 1991, and remained until the ship was decommissioned in 1997.[27] |
| S.No | Name | Assumed office | Left office | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CaptainP. S. Mahindroo | 16 February 1961 | 16 April 1963 | Commissioning CO. LaterChief of Materiel. |
| 2 | CaptainNilakanta KrishnanDSC | 17 April 1963 | 16 November 1964 | Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Eastern Naval Command during theIndo-Pakistani War of 1971. |
| 3 | CaptainV. A. Kamath | 16 November 1964 | 4 November 1966 | Flag Officer Commanding Southern Naval Area during theIndo-Pakistani War of 1971. FoundingDirector General of Indian Coast Guard. |
| 4 | CaptainJal Cursetji | 4 November 1966 | 8 December 1967 | LaterChief of the Naval Staff. |
| 5 | CaptainE. C. Kuruvila | 8 December 1967 | 5 December 1969 | Flag Officer Commanding Western Fleet during theIndo-Pakistani War of 1971. LaterFlag Officer Commanding Southern Naval Area. |
| 6 | CaptainKirpal Singh | 5 December 1969 | 15 January 1971 | LaterFlag Officer Commanding Western Fleet. |
| 7 | Captain S. L. SethiNM | 15 January 1971 | 30 June 1971 | LaterVice Chief of the Naval Staff. |
| 8 | CaptainSwaraj ParkashMVC, AVSM | 1 July 1971 | 24 January 1973 | LaterVice Chief of the Naval Staff andDirector General of Indian Coast Guard. |
| 9 | CaptainM. K. RoyAVSM | 3 January 1974 | 8 February 1976 | LaterFlag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Eastern Naval Command. |
| 10 | CaptainR. H. TahilianiAVSM | 8 February 1976 | 26 December 1977 | LaterChief of the Naval Staff. |
| 11 | Captain J. C. PuriVrC, VSM | 26 December 1977 | 5 March 1979 | |
| 12 | Captain R. D. Dhir | 5 March 1979 | 15 June 1979 | |
| 13 | Captain S. Bose | 15 June 1979 | 2 April 1981 | |
| 14 | Captain Arindam GhoshVSM | 2 April 1981 | 27 August 1982 | LaterFortress Commander, Andaman and Nicobar Islands. |
| 15 | CaptainKASZ RajuNM | 27 August 1982 | 19 November 1984 | LaterFlag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Western Naval Command. |
| 16 | CaptainS. K. GuptaMVC, NM | 19 November 1984 | 17 March 1986 | |
| 17 | Captain P. A. DebrassAVSM, NM | 17 March 1986 | 8 August 1988 | LaterFlag Officer Commanding Maharashtra Naval Area. |
| 18 | Captain B. S. Karpe | 11 October 1988 | 22 October 1989 | |
| 19 | CaptainR. N. GaneshAVSM, NM | 22 October 1989 | 3 January 1991 | LaterFortress Commander, Andaman and Nicobar Islands andFlag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Southern Naval Command. |
| 20 | Captain Raman PuriVSM | 3 January 1991 | 25 June 1992 | LaterChief of Integrated Defence Staff. |
| 21 | Captain R. C. KochcharVSM | 25 June 1992 | 7 September 1994 | LaterFlag Officer Commanding Maharashtra Naval Area. |
| 22 | Captain K. Mohanan | 7 September 1994 | 7 August 1995 | |
| 23 | Commander H. S. Rawat | 20 July 1996 | 31 January 1997 | Last Commanding Officer. |
Following decommissioning in 1997,Vikrant was earmarked for preservation as amuseum ship in Mumbai. Lack of funding prevented progress on the ship's conversion to a museum and it was speculatedVikrant would be converted into a training ship.[31] In 2001, the ship was opened to the public by the Indian Navy, but theGovernment of Maharashtra was unable to find a partner to operate the museum on a permanent, long-term basis and the museum was closed after it was deemed unsafe for the public in 2012.[32][33]
In August 2013,Vice AdmiralShekhar Sinha, Commander-in-Chief ofWestern Naval Command, said theMinistry of Defence would scrap the ship as she had become very difficult to maintain and no private bidders had offered to fund the museum's operations.[34] On 3 December 2013, the Indian government decided to auction the ship.[35] TheBombay High Court dismissed apublic-interest lawsuit filed by Kiran Paigankar to stop the auction, stating the vessel's dilapidated condition did not warrant her preservation, nor were the necessary funds or government support available.[36][37] In January 2014, the ship was sold through an online auction to a Darukhanaship-breaker for₹60crore (US$7.1 million).[38][39][40] TheSupreme Court of India dismissed another lawsuit challenging the ship's sale and scrapping on 14 August 2014.[41]Vikrant remained beached off Darukhana in Mumbai Port while awaiting the final clearances of theMumbai Port Trust. On 12 November 2014, the Supreme Court gave its final approval for the carrier to be scrapped, which commenced on 22 November 2014.[42]
On 7 April 2022, an FIR against an ex-MPKirit Somaiya, his son Neil and others was registered, on charges of alleged cheating and criminal breach of trust linked to the collection of funds up to Rs. 57 crore for restoring the decommissioned aircraft carrier INSVikrant. TheTrombay Police booked them underSection 420 (cheating and dishonesty including delivery of property), Section 406 (punishment for criminal breach of trust) and Section 34 (common intentions) of the Indian Penal Code. According to the complaint, the father and son duo collected the money in 2013–14 in the name of restoringVikrant, but the funds collected were spent on personal use. Somaiya was leading the front of attacking the government's intent of commercializing the decommissioned ship by handing it to private players.[43]
In memory ofVikrant, the Vikrant Memorial was unveiled by Vice AdmiralSurinder Pal Singh Cheema, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Western Naval Command at K Subash Marg at the Naval Dockyard of Mumbai on 25 January 2016. The memorial is made from metal recovered from the ship.[44] In February 2016, the Indian automobile manufacturerBajaj unveiled a new motorbike made with metal fromVikrant's scrap and named it Bajaj V in honour ofVikrant.[11][45]
The navy has named its first home-built carrierINSVikrant in honour of INSVikrant (R11). The new carrier is built byCochin Shipyard Limited, and will displace 40,000 t (44,000 short tons).[46] The keel was laid down in February 2009 and she was launched in August 2013 under the premiership of then PMDr. Manmohan Singh. The ship was commissioned on 2 September 2022 by PMNarendra Modi.[47]
The decommissioned ship featured prominently in the filmABCD 2 as a backdrop while it was moored near Darukhana in Mumbai.[48]
After the decommissioning of INSVikrant, Mumbai-based artistArzan Khambatta was approached by veterans who had served on the warship to create a sculpture in its memory. Using actual metal from the ship, Khambatta crafted a tribute that now stands atLion Gate, a historic naval entrance in Mumbai.[49]
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