Imphal, the stealth-guided missile, has an uncommon attribute. It can fire extended-range, supersonic BrahMos missiles. Imphal was commissioned into the Indian Navy in Mumbai, making it a momentous moment for the city.
Attending the ceremony to officially welcome the third of the four Visakhapatnam class destroyers into the Navy were Chief of Naval Staff Admiral R Hari Kumar, Chief Minister of Maharashtra Eknath Shinde, and Defense Minister Rajnath Singh. The destroyers were designed in-house by the navy’s Warship Design Bureau and built by defense PSU Mazagon Dock Limited, The Telegraph reported.
Vice Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi, Flag Officer Commanding in Chief, Western Naval Command, has said INS Imphal is the first warship named after a city from the northeast.
“We have a community of about 400 personnel from Manipur, and it just symbolises the way warship functions with personnel from all over the country, all districts, all blocks, all working together for one single cause, which is of holding our tricolour and fulfilling the mission of the ship,” Admiral R Hari Kumar was quoted as saying.
“Warship Imphal also reflects the same ethos of multicultural, multi-faith, multiclass and all sorts of unifying sentiment. Ek Bharat Shesh Bharat is the underlying theme.”
The official added, “INS Imphal will not only tackle physical threats that emanate at or from the seas, but more importantly, through the demonstrated strength of an integrated Bharat, she will deter nefarious designs trying to subvert our national unity.”
“Even as we speak, we have four destroyers of 15 Alpha and Bravo class deployed to counter piracy and drone attacks on merchant shipping.”
Meanwhile, the Hindustan Times reported that the Indian Navy will assign female sailors to INS Imphal in February-March 2024. The country’s first warship will have separate accommodation for women officers and sailors as it prepares for operational deployment on high seas.
The warship can carry a crew of 360, including 20 women, officials told HT.
“We have designated messes for women officers and sailors. The warship’s layout is such that extra accommodation can be created for them as their numbers will only increase in service. We can convert nearby messes into berthing areas for women if need be,” the warship’s commanding officer Captain Kamal Kumar Choudhury told the media outlet.
According to the report, the women sailors’ mess has 12 bunks with a passage to the washroom. There is also a facility to access the toilet from outside. The same toilet can be used for more female sailors in the future.
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