Naming naval ships after prominent cities is India’s time-honoured tradition, INS Mumbai, INS Chennai, INS Delhi, INS Kolkata, INS Kochi to name a few. Two years ago, INS Imphal had the unique distinction of being the most advanced stealth-guided missile destroyer and was named after a city from the northeast.
Now, it’s time for Surat to be part of India’s maritime legacy.
The fourth and final ship of the Project 15B stealth destroyer series, INS Surat, was recently commissioned at the Mumbai navy dockyard by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Following this event, the Southern Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SGCCI) reached out to the Indian Navy to explore the possibility of bringing INS Surat to Hazira.
The induction of INS Surat is seen as a celebration of the city’s nautical heritage.
For the unversed, INS Surat was fully designed and constructed at Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) in Mumbai. This destroyer stands as a more advanced version of the Kolkata-class (Project 15A) vessels, showcasing remarkable upgrades in both capabilities and design.
Crafted by the Indian Navy’s warship design bureau, the ship is equipped with cutting-edge sensors and weaponry, most of which were developed domestically or through strategic international collaborations.
Moreover, INS Surat boasts state-of-the-art aviation facilities, enabling it to operate an array of helicopters, including the Chetak, ALH, Sea King, and the newly introduced MH-60R. These features allow the ship to operate effectively around the clock. In line with the Navy’s initiative to bolster female representation in frontline roles, INS Surat includes specially designed accommodations for a significant number of female officers and sailors.
Surat has a tryst with India’s naval history. A national daily has given a detailed account of a ship called Surat that travelled between England and New Zealand on multiple occasions in the 1800s, transporting both people and goods.
A UK-based corporation owned a cargo ship having the same name that was constructed in 1939. During World War II, in May 1941, that ship was torpedoed by a German Kriegsmarine submarine near Sierra Leone in West Africa. Four of its 65 crew members perished when it sank right after the attack, while the surviving members were taken to safety by a hopper barge. After making a stop in Cape Town, Surat was on her way from Karachi to the UK with a load of iron, peas, and rapeseed.
History has another record dating back to 1873 when a three-masted ship called Surat went down off the coast of Catlins, New Zealand. On the evening of December 31, the ship, which was operating as a passenger ship, collided with a submerged rock while sailing to Dunedin. With 271 people and cargo, the roughly 1,000-ton ship sailed from England in October 1873. The ship struck the rock and drifted to the coast, where the Otago region’s Surat Bay lies today. There were no casualties, even though people quickly left the ship and lost their possessions.
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