Maritime museum INS Vikrant may land in scrapyard:
The Indian Navy’s pride and country’s first aircraft carrier INS Vikrant, now transformed into a maritime museum, may end up in the scrapyard if the Navy fails to garner five crore rupees immediately to keep the decommissioned ship afloat.
The hull of the ship is deteriorating and needs immediate attention, Vice Admiral Arun Prakash, Flag officer Commanding-in-chief, Western Naval Command, told reporters in Mumbai on Tuesday. “If the ship fails to undergo repair and maintenance work in the coming six months, the Navy will be forced to sell it as scrap.”
INS Vikrant, which was commissioned in the Indian Navy on February 16, 1961 and played a stellar role during the 1971 Indo-Pak war, was decommissioned in 1997 after serving the Navy for nearly 40 years
However, while the ship was awaiting final disposal, the Maharashtra government on public demand offered to convert it into a maritime museum and sanctioned five crore rupees for that purpose.
The ship’s hull on which minimal work was carried out in 2000, now needs attention again. Vikrant was brought inside the naval dockyard on February 11, 2003 and is now awaiting funds for maintenance work.
“I met Chief Minister Sushilkumar Shinde recently who showed a positive response,” Vice Admiral Prakash said.
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link: http://www.rediff.com/news/2003/may/13mum.htm
By: kurmitz28 - 15th May 2003 at 19:56
Its a pity that she is going this way, but to clear a few points up. She was commissioned 4th May ’61 into the Indian navy, after being bought from the RN in ’57, she was originally laid down as HMS Hercules back in ’43!!
The Indain navy has still got our old great ship HMS Hermes now known as INS Viraat and is still going to be around till 2010 ish which is great for such a loverly old ship.
In ’89 the Indain navy put forward a plan for 2 new 32,000+ ton a/c carriers which will carry the mig-29 and sea-harrier!
As far as I am aware this will be the only navy using these two a/c side by side.
INS Viraat…note the Sea-Harriers and KA-31 Helix
By: keltic - 13th May 2003 at 19:15
What a pity. Heritage is not only art but other aspects of history like naval relics which have contributed to shape the countries identity. Being a cruise liner enthusiast too, I wonder why so many ships have been scrapped. If air museum are essentials, most historic liners like Queen Mary, Aquitania, France and many war ships should be preserved in open air museums.
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May 13, 2003 at 4:48 pm