Like
humans, the ocean faring ships also grow old, even when they are
periodically maintained and refitted. The continuous contact with the
salt water is obviously the most obvious reason. But for India's
second aircraft carrier “ Viraat,” that may not be the only
reason as she faces decommissioning sometime in the middle of 2015.
She would perhaps continue to be around for another six months and
may take part in the grand farewell at the International Fleet
Review at Visakhapatnam in February 2016, before going to a ship
breaking yard.
Though,
INS “Viraat” was commissioned into Indian Navy in 1987, well
before India's first aircraft carrier “Vikrant” was
decommissioned in 1997, it was not a new ship. The ship that has now
completed a service life of 56 years as on date, was built and
actually commissioned in 1959 for the British Navy as HMS Hermes.
The construction work had continued for fifteen years. She had served
as the flagship of the Royal Navy's task force during the Falkland
Islands campaign in 1982.
Indian
Navy purchased the vessel in April 1986 and was subjected to an
extensive refit to allow for continued operability. New fire control
equipment, navigation radars, improved NBC protection, and deck
landing aids were installed in this refit. Boilers were converted to
operate on distillate fuel.
A 12°
ski jump was also fitted along with a reinforced flight deck to
operate the Sea Harrier aircraft from the ship. From 1987 till
today, five mid-service refits have been carried out on the ship for
it to continue in the fleet. However, the warship's age and cost of
maintenance has since prompted naval headquarters to consider
decommissioning.
India's
third aircraft carrier, INS Vikramaditya became operational after a
long wait only on 7th
May 2014. Indian Navy prefers to have two operational aircraft
carriers and at present this wish is fulfilled. However with INS
Viraat being decommissioned in this year, Navy may be left with only
with carrier again.
On
12th August 2013, India launched its first ever, locally built
aircraft carrier named INS Vikrant (2). This 37000 tonne ship with a
length of 260m (850ft) and a breadth of 60m, has been built at the
shipyard in Cochin in South India. This launch marks the end of the
first phase of its construction and outfitting and further
construction would continue. INS Vikrant is expected to go for
extensive trials in 2016 before being inducted into the navy by 2018.
The ship has been designed and manufactured locally and uses high
grade steel made by SAIL, Steel Authority of India, a state-owned
steel company. Navy has announced in December 2014, that this ship
would be commissioned by 2019. This would mean that the Navy would
have to do with only one carrier till then.
Considering
above facts, Navy had earlier planned to extend life of INS Viraat by
another four or five years and the carrier was to have been
dry-docked at the shipyard for another round of periodic refit in
December 2014. However that was cancelled, in view of the retirement
proposal.
The
most important reason for this change in plans has been the status of
the fleet of Sea Harrier fighters supposed to operate from the deck
of INS Viraat. The Sea Harrier is a naval short take-off and
vertical-landing/vertical take-off and landing jet fighter. The Sea
Harrier in active use in the Indian Navy are known as FA2 and have
been manufactured in 1993-1998 period. The original supplied aircraft
were upgraded with modern avionics and beyond visual range (BVR)
strike capability. Because of the ageing airframe however, only
seven Sea Harriers are available at the moment; some of them being
cannibalised to keep the ones in relatively better shape- airworthy.
Because of this dwindling of its air arm, INS Virrat is sometime
jokingly called as “One Harrier Carrier.” This probably is the
main reason for which navy has decided against extending the life of
this ship and wants to decommission it.
16th
February 2015
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