'Viraat' sets sail for Guj, to be dismantled and sold as scrap
Mumbai: Indian Navy's decommissioned aircraft carrier Viraat on Saturday set sail for the last time, on way to Alang in Gujarat, where it will be broken down and sold as scrap.
For Navy veterans who watched the huge vessel being towed away by a tug boat, it was an emotional moment as they stood near the Gateway of India, waving at the once 'floating town', aboard which they spent the best years of their career.
As Viraat began its final journey from the Naval dockyard, a Navy helicopter circling overhead provided a majestic backdrop to the vessel's last voyage.
A Defence spokesperson said Virrat was to leave for Alang on Friday, but its departure was delayed by a day.
The aircraft carrier served the Indian Navy for 29 years before being decommissioned in March 2017. It had served in the UK's Royal Navy as HMS Hermes and was named INS Viraat after being inducted in the Indian Navy in 1987.
There were attempts to convert 'Viraat' into a museum or a restaurant, but none of the plans fructified.
Alang-based Shree Ram group bought it for Rs 38.54 crore at an auction. Viraat will be dismantled at the Alang ship breaking yard, said company chairman Mukesh Patel.
"The vessel will likely reach Alang by September 21 if weather conditions remainfavourable," he added.
Once the ship arrives, it will require clearances from the Gujarat Pollution Control Board and Customs before being brought ashore. Permissions will also be needed for recycling as per the Supreme Court's 2013 guidelines, Patel said.
The ship will be scrapped in 9 to 12 months, he said.
Prior to being commissioned in Indian Navy on May 12, 1987, the aircraft carrier had served with UKs Royal Navy for 27 years under the name HMS Hermes, taking it to a total of 56 years of operational service, and making it among the oldest serving warships.
Under the Indian flag, Viraat played a crucial role in military operations such as Operation Jupiter, Operation Parakram and Operation Vijay.
Viraat was commissioned into Indian Navy on May 12, 1987 at Plymouth in the United Kingdom.
For the Indian Navy, Operation Jupiter in July 1989 was Viraats first major operation, as part of the Indian Peace Keeping operations in Sri Lanka in the wake of the breakdown of the Indo-Sri Lankan accord of 1986.
Viraat also saw action during Operation Parakram in 2001-2002, post the terror attack on Parliament.
The last operational deployment of the ship was the participation in International Fleet Review at Vishakhapatanam on February 2016.
The ship also participated in various international joint exercises like Malabar (with US Navy), Varuna (with French Navy), Naseem-Al-Bahr (with Oman Navy) and was an integral element of annual Theater Level Operational Exercise (TROPEX).
