The primary objective of the navy is to safeguard the nation’s maritime borders, and in conjunction with other Armed Forces of the union, act to deter or defeat any threats or aggression against the territory, people or maritime interests of India, both in war and peace.
“The blueprint for the future Indian Navy is firmly anchored on self-reliance and indigenisation and Indian Navy is on the right way .It is a matter of great pride that over the decades Indian Navy has transformed from a “Buyer’s Navy” to a “Builders Navy.
Giving further teeth to its surveillance and maritime capability on country’s eastern seaboard, the Indian Navy commissioned its Offshore Patrol Vessel INS Sumitra on September 4.
The vessel was commissioned by then Chief of Naval Staff, Admiral RK Dhowan.
The construction of the ship is based on indigenous design. It is manufactured by M / s Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL). During construction, it was known as Yard 1211. INS Sumitra is the fourth and last Saryu class patrol vessel of the Indian Navy. INS Sumitra is India’s leading ship. It was created for coastal and offshore patrolling, sea border surveillance and communications, and monitoring offshore assets. The Indian Navy currently has a total of 47 patrol ships.INS Sumitra is propelled by two SEMT Pielstick diesel engines, the ‘largest’ of its type to be inducted in the Indian Navy, enabling it to achieve a maximum speed of 25 knots and an endurance of about 6,000 nautical miles,
This brave hero of the Indian Navy has also proved his passion and strength before. He was the first to reach out to rescue Indian civilians trapped in Yemen.
This vessel joining the Indian Navy is the largest among its kind of warships. India’s Navy consists of three such warships, named INS Saryu, INS Sunayna and INS Sumedha. Indigenously built vessel INS Sumitra is playing an important role in patrolling the eastern beaches of India. Under Eastern Naval Command, the vessel will be effective in meeting the challenges in the Bay of Bengal and the eastern Indian Ocean region.
ASSETS OF INS SUMITRA :-
It weighs 2200 tons. Its speed is 26 kilonauts. The ship is fitted with most sophisticated weapons, guns, heavy calibre SRGM, rapid fire Russian AK630 guns, chaff launchers Kavach, Electronic warfare system Sanket and various other electronic sensors. It is also equipped with medium and short range weapons, including 76 mm gun, clause-in weapon system and communication intelligence system. It can also operate a helicopter with light weight. Its length is 344 feet i.e. 105 meters and beam 13 meters 43 feet. It has a crew of 108 soldiers including eight officers.
INDUCTION OF INS SUMITRA
Launched on 6 December 2010, the vessel was inducted into the Indian Navy fleet on 4 September 2014, at which time it was stationed in Chennai. This ship has also made several foreign trips. Since being commissioned in 2014, the ship has been deployed in several missions. “Significantly, all the equipment planned on the warship has been tried and fully operational. It is ready for its intentional role in war and peace .The ship played a key role during the ‘Operation Relief’, through which in 2015 the country’s first batch of 350 civilians were evacuated from war-torn Yemen.
A national salute was performed at the tribunal of the ship and the national flag was hoisted for the first time in the Indian Navy when it joined the Indian Navy fleet.The vessel can help meet Navy’s requirement for undertaking ocean surveillance and surface warfare operations in order to prevent infiltration and transgression of maritime sovereignty and is suitable for monitoring sea routes of communication, defence of offshore oil installations and other critical offshore national assets.
INS SUMITRA IN YEMEN :
Thousands of people were left homeless and devastated as conditions worsened after a civil war-like situation in Yemen. More than four thousand people of India used to work in Yemen.
The warship INS Sumitra, which was then on patrol in the Gulf of Aden, was first sent to Yemen’s Aden port to help these civilians. On 30 March 2015, INS Sumitra and its crew rescued 350 civilians stranded in Yemen. The first batch of 350 Indians were evacuated to Djibouti. From Djibouti these citizens were brought to Kochi and Mumbai. After this, other ships had reached Yemen port to bring other groups of citizens. This work was done as part of the Indian Navy’s ‘Operation Relief’ campaign.
Indian Navy is focused well on guarding our National frontiers through sea route with its indigenous policy & will always work in welfare of the nation.
