Name INS Vindhyagiri Decommissioned 11 June 2012 Launched 12 November 1977 Draft 4.3 m | Commissioned 8 July 1981 Identification Pennant number F42 Length 113 m | |
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Honours and
awards Served as flagship of Western Fleet Fate Capsized after collision | ||
0905 ins vindhyagiri honar nast
INS Vindhyagiri was a Nilgiri-class frigate of the Indian Navy. Vindhyagiri was commissioned on 8 July 1981. Having served in the Indian Navy for nearly thirty years, the vessel sank a few hours after colliding with a merchant vessel on 30 January 2011. It was subsequently salvaged and then decommissioned on 11 June 2012. It served for 31 years in the navy and in its prime served as the flagship of the Western Naval Command. It was decommissioned a year earlier than envisaged due to the collision.
Contents
January 2011 collision
On 30 January 2011, Vindhyagiri collided with the Cyprus-flagged merchant ship MV Nordlake near Sunk Rock lighthouse at the entrance of Mumbai harbour at 3:30 pm. It was reported that several civilians, including family members of the crew, were on board at the time of the incident. No casualties were reported. The collision caused major damage in the hull of the ship, affecting the boiler room and motor room. The collision also caused a major fire to break out, which took more than 15 hours to control.
On 31 January 2011, Vindhyagiri settled on the sea bed at Berth No 5 the Mumbai Naval Dockyard due to flooding in some of its compartments from the collision and fire.
Chief Public Relations Officer (Defence) Captain M. Nambiar told the The Hindu newspaper that: "The place where the ship is berthed hardly has enough water. It is just seven metres deep. The ship touched the bottom because of flooding in some compartments. She is on the sea bed. Of course, she can be recovered," .
After spending close to five months on the seabed, the ship was raised by the Titan Salvage company, with the assistance of the naval architect firm Salvage Master and a 24-hour diving crew. The procedure started with patches to the hull, followed by using multiple pumps to remove the water from inside the wreck, all while a giant floating crane lifted the wreck and kept it stable while the salvage crew performed their work.
Decommissioning
On 8 May 2012, the Bombay High Court granted permission to the Indian Navy to decommission and destroy the ship after one ammunition chamber could not be emptied. It was due to be expended as a target. The ship was decommissioned subsequently on 11 June 2012.