Date to decommission INS Viraat not finalised: Dhowan

Navy Chief Admiral RK Dhowan on Wednesday said aircraft carrier INS Viraat was on its last legs, but the actual date of its decommissioning had not been decided yet.

“I must mention that INS Viraat has done excellent service to the Navy and the nation. I would like to congratulate the commanding officers and the entire ship company making sure that INS Viraat is maintained, operational at its peak efficiency. But now, it is on its last legs,” Dhowan said, following the Investiture Ceremony at Naval dockyard onboard INS Viraat. “We have not yet decided on the date but we certainly are looking at the aspect when the ship would be decommissioned,” he said.

About prospects of turning the country’s flagship aircraft carrier into a museum after its decommissioning, he said, “Yes, we have proposed to the Ministry of Defence that it (INS Viraat) should be converted into a museum.”