Anti-Submarine Warfare Ship 'Anjadip' Built For Indian Navy Launched

Anti-submarine warfare shallow watercraft vessel 'Anjadip', built by Kolkata-based Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) for the Navy has been launched at the Larsen and Toubro, Kattupalli Port in Chennai.

This is the third of the eight ships of the contract that was signed between GRSE and Ministry of Defence in April 2019. All the three ships have been launched within a span of six months. As per the contract, four ships are to be built by GRSE while the remaining four ships have been subcontracted to Larsen and Toubro Shipbuilding, Kattupalli. The first ship of the project is planned to be delivered to the Indian Navy by this year end.

The vessel was named after the island of Anjadip located off Karwar Port in Karnataka, signifying its strategic maritime importance. The island is connected to the mainland by a breakwater and is part of INS Kadamba, according an official release.

The 'Arnala' class of ships would replace the current 'Abhay' class of anti-submarine warfare corvettes of the Navy. While its predecessors had a more limited role in coastal waters, the Arnala class is designed to undertake anti-submarine operations in coastal waters, low-intensity maritime operations (LIMO) and mine laying operations, including subsurface surveillance in littoral waters, among others.

The ships would have 80 per cent indigenisation. Each ship, measuring about 77-metre long, would have a displacement of 900 tonne with a maximum speed of 25 knot and an endurance of 1,800 nautical mile.

The crew consists of 57 members, including seven officers and 50 sailors. The vessel is equipped with an anti-submarine combat suite, potentially the DRDO-developed IAC MOD'C', a hull mounted sonar and a low-frequency variable depth sonar. It also features a fire control system, an integrated platform management system, an atomic power management system and a battle damage control system.

The ship's armaments include 1 RBU-6000 anti-submarine rocket launcher, 6 lightweight ASW torpedoes, likely the Shyena Advanced Light Torpedo, and anti-submarine mines launched from mine-laying rails. The vessel is also equipped with one CRN-90 mm naval gun and two ordnance factory Tiruchirappalli 12.7 mm M2 stabilised remote-controlled guns.

Vice Admiral and Commander-in-Chief of the Strategic Forces Command R.B. Pandit was present at the launch ceremony yesterday. In keeping with naval maritime tradition, Mrs Priya Pandit launched the ship to the chanting of Atharva Vedic invocations. Vadm Pandit also laid the keel for the 7th ASW-SWC ship following the event.