By Staff Correspondent
Indian Navy’s Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft (ASW SWC) Project achieves another milestone as ‘Androth’, the second of the eight Arnala class ships, was launched on 21 March 2023 by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) at their Kolkata shipyard. The ceremony, presided over by Vice Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Naval Command, witnessed the ship making its first contact with the Hooghly River at 2:30 PM.
The ship’s launch ceremony was marked by traditional naval customs, including the chanting of invocation from Atharva Veda as Shashi Tripathi performed the ship launch. Former Indian cricketer and head coach of the Bengal cricket team, Arun Lal, graced the occasion as the Guest of Honour. Named after the strategically important Androth Island, located about 170 nautical miles north-west of Kochi in the Union Territory of Lakshadweep, ‘Androth’ will replace the Indian Navy’s in-service Abhay class ASW Corvettes.
The contract for building the Arnala class ships was signed between the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and GRSE, Kolkata, on 29 April 2019. The ASW SWC ships are designed to undertake ASW operations in coastal waters, Low-Intensity Maritime Operations (LIMO), and Mine Laying operations, including subsurface surveillance in littoral waters. The ships are 77.6 meters long, have a displacement of 900 tons and a maximum speed of 25 knots.
With the launch of two ships of the same class within three months, the Indian Navy reinforces its commitment towards indigenous shipbuilding as part of the Prime Minister’s vision of ‘AatmaNirbhar Bharat’. The first ship of the project is scheduled to be delivered to the Indian Navy by December 2023. With over 80% indigenous content, the ASW SWC ships will contribute to large-scale defence production executed by Indian manufacturing units, generating employment and enhancing the country’s capabilities.
