Indian Navy gets warship to ferry tanks Indo-Asian News Service
Karwar (Karnataka), Jan 5 (IANS) Terming it a "step forward to fulfil the nation's desire to indigenise naval ships", Defence Minister A.K. Antony has commissioned the largest tank landing ship in the Indian Navy. "(INS Shardul) will add to the amphibious warfare capabilities of the Indian Navy," Antony said during the brief commissioning ceremony at the Karwar Naval Base here Thursday. He also noted that the troop landing ship USS Trenton, which the navy has acquired from the US and which is expected to join the fleet later this year, would also serve as a powerful force multiplier. Promising all support for the indigenous design and manufacture of all ships, the minister said there were ambitious plans to modernise state-owned shipyards across the country to "reduce time and cost overruns". At the same time, he cautioned the navy against "resting on your laurels. You have to ensure you don't let down your guard", Antony added. Speaking on the occasion, Indian Navy Chief Admiral Sureesh Mehta described INS Shardul as the "finest in a series of large ships" that are being built for the force. "It is vessels like this which will make us a true blue water navy," he maintained. The warship, built by Garden Reach Ship builders and Engineers Ltd, Kolkata, is capable of carrying 11 heavy tanks, 10 vehicles and about 500 troops, apart from a Seaking helicopter. It is armed with two rocket launchers, two anti-aircraft guns and shoulder launcher surface-to-air missiles (SAMs). Shardul, named after an amphibious animal, stands for the Royal Bengal Tiger, symbolising agility, strength and valour - all of which mark the features of an amphibious operation. "The warship is equipped with the latest advanced electronic warfare systems and automatic power management system. As the third landing ship tank of the navy, Shardul is the first of a new class, capable of transporting various kinds of combat equipment," a naval spokesman said. The ship is also capable of operating Seaking 42C and Dhruv advanced light helicopter (ALH), besides launching recovery of marine commandos through sea and by copters for vertical envelopment. "The ship is designed to support build up of men and material after the main landing. As a hospital ship with facilities in containerised form and as a fleet tanker for limited exercise," the spokesman said. INS Shardul replaces the earlier version commissioned in 1975 at Gdynia (Poland). It was decommissioned in June 1997. "Amphibious operations are by far the most complex of all military operations in view of the dexterous planning involved and the requirement of coordination between the diverse units -- sea, land and air," the official pointed out. As an amphibious vessel, Shardul can be configured and deployed to operate at various levels of conflict and in multiple theatres on account of its large accommodation and storage space. With a lift capability of 750 tonnes, it can operate even in shallow waters and is capable of beaching. "The ship is capable of performing a wide range of missions from providing humanitarian assistance and disaster relief to peace-keeping operations and major combat operations," the official added. * * * * * ndian Navy acquiring first American built warship Indo-Asian News Service Washington, Jan 5 (IANS) Over 300 sailors from the Indian Navy are getting ready to take home USS Trenton, an amphibious transport warship, the first American-made vessel to join India's growing blue water fleet. This first ever transfer of the US Navy ship to the Indian Navy is viewed as a significant event in the evolving Indo-US relationship with free and open access to sea considered an important and critical challenge by both navies. Formally called a Landing Platform Dock (LPD), the 17,000-tonne Austin-class ship will be handed over to India at a ceremony Jan 17 at the Naval Base, Norfolk, Virginia, where Indian sailors have been training with the Trenton crew since early November. It will then set sail for Visakhapatnam for likely induction into the Eastern Naval Command as INS Jalashva (Sanskrit for seahorse) to provide the Indian Navy an enhanced capability to move troops and equipment to great distances and remain off shore for a long time. It will be India's second-largest warship, second only to the 28,000-tonne Hermes-class aircraft carrier INS Viraat. Besides landing troops during war and rescue operations, it can also function as a command and control platform during offshore and mid-sea mishaps. Built by Lockheed at a cost of more than $400 million and commissioned in 1971, the amphibious ship has a complement of 28 officers and 480 men, and can transport nearly 1500 marines. The Trenton is being sold to India for about $48 million under a US Foreign Military Sales (FMS) programme. India has also purchased four Mark Eight landing craft and six H-3 Sea King helicopters to operate from the 173-metre-long vessel that has seen action in Somalia, Liberia and Lebanon among other places, landing US troops and rescuing American citizens. The keel of Trenton, the third ship of the United States Navy to be named after the capital of New Jersey, was laid down at Seattle, Washington, Aug 8 1966. It was launched two years later Aug 3, 1968.