Visakhapatnam: Will INS Viraat go the INS Vikrant way? How long before it is cut into scrap at the shipbreaking yards at Alang and a motorcycle manufacturer uses part of the steel to build fuel tanks for its latest launch?
The Navy doesn't want the INS Viraat to go the way INS Vikrant did and has offered it to coastal states in India to develop into a maritime museum. International Fleet Review 2016 is the last operational task for this Centaur-class aircraft carrier. Born in 1959 as HMS Hermes, it is the wo-rld's oldest aircraft carrier.
"We have offered the carrier, after its decommissioning to any of our coastal states. They may anchor it close to shore and allow people to visit the ship after converting it into a maritime museum with added attractions. From what we have gathered, Andhra Pradesh is keen to acquire the ship. However, the state is still trying to rope in partners who would be interested in keeping the museum going. We certainly don't want the INS Viraat to go the INS Vikrant way, " said Vice-Admiral Satish Soni, flag officer commanding-in-chief, Eastern Naval Command.
INS Viraat was the second aircraft carrier acquired by India. Though the 28,000-tonne carrier is considered small by today's standards, it wasn't so in 1987 when the Navy acquired it. The carrier is now anchored off Visakhapatnam close to INS Vikramaditya, with its complement of six Sea Harrier jump jets. Even INS Vikrant was converted into a museum after its decommissioning and was anchored off Mumbai. However, the economics of maintaining a behemoth such as that didn't quite work out and India's first carrier was relegated to Alang.