INS Mormugao Commissioned Into Indian Navy

New Delhi: Indian Naval Ship (INS) Mormugao (D67), the second warship of the P15B class of stealth guided-missile destroyers, was commissioned in the august presence of  Defence Minister Rajnath Singh at Naval Dockyard today.

The event marked the formal induction of the second of the four ‘Visakhapatnam’ class destroyers, indigenously designed by the Indian Navy’s in-house organisation Warship Design Bureau and constructed by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL), Mumbai.

In his address, the Defence Minister described INS Mormugao as one of the most powerful indigenously-built warships which will significantly enhance the country’s maritime capabilities and secure national interests.

“INS Mormugao is one of the world’s most technologically-advanced missile carriers. With over 75% indigenous content, it is a testimony to India’s excellence in the design and development of warships and a shining example of our growing indigenous defence production capabilities. The warship will meet the present and future needs of our country as well as of our friendly countries across the globe,” he said.

The ship was launched on September 17, 2016 and commenced sea trials on December 19, 2021, coinciding with 60 years of Goa Liberation. The commissioning on 18 December is significant as it was the same date in 1961 when Operation Vijay was launched to liberate Goa from Portuguese rule. Shri Rajnath Singh, in his address, paid glowing tributes to former Raksha Mantri late Manohar Parrikar, who hailed from Goa and had launched INS Mormugao in 2016.

Commissioning Ceremony at a glance

During the ceremony, Rajnath Singh was presented with a guard of honour upon his arrival. The Commanding Officer Captain Kapil Bhatia then read out the Ship’s Commissioning Warrant. Subsequently, the Naval Ensign was hoisted onboard for the first time and the Commissioning Pennant broken (unfurled) on the main mast to the time of the national anthem played by the Naval Band. Before his address, the Raksha Mantri unveiled the Commissioning Plaque, dedicating the ship to the service of the nation.

Governor of Goa Shri PS Sreedharan Pillai, Chief Minister of Goa Dr Pramod Sawant, Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Naval Command Vice Admiral Ajendra Bahadur Singh and CMD, MDL Vice Admiral Narayan Prasad (Retd) also attended the event.