Mormugao, the Indian Navy’s second indigenous stealth destroyer from the P15B class has proceeded on her first-ever sea sortie today, this destroyer is to be commissioned in mid-2022. Today i.e 19th December is said to be the most befitting date for this ship to be put into the sea, as the nation celebrates 60 years of Goa’s liberation from Portuguese rule on this date.
The Defence Ministry in their statement said that “The Indian Navy played a pivotal role in the liberation and dedicating the ship’s name to the maritime state of Goa will not just enhance the bonding between the Indian Navy and the people of Goa, but also link the ship’s identity permanently to the crucial role the Navy played in nation-building”.
Currently, Mormugao is being built at Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd (MDSL) as part of Project 15B destroyers. The ship incorporates several niche indigenous technologies and has provided a positive push to the ‘Make in India’ initiative.
The ministry also claimed that “Mormugao will add significantly to the Indian Navy’s combat capabilities. With the recent commissioning in November 2021 of INS Visakhapatnam and the fourth P75 submarine INS Vela, the commencement of sea trials of Mormugao is testimony to the cutting-edge capabilities of MDSL and the strong indigenous shipbuilding tradition of a modern and vibrant India”.
