Mumbai, July 23 (DHNS): The Navy’s second aircraft carrier INS Viraat will go on its farewell cruise on Saturday from her home port of Mumbai to Kochi before its decommissioning. She will spend a month in Kochi, where some parts and equipment would be removed, before returning to Mumbai for dismantling.

“She would be dry-docked in Kochi. It would take some time before she returns to Mumbai,” an official of the Western Naval Command (WNC), said. The world’s oldest carrier in service, INS Viraat, was the star attraction at the International Fleet Review earlier this year. 

The ship’s keel was laid in 1944 and she was launched on February 16, 1953. She was commissioned in the Royal Navy on November 18, 1959, as HMS Hermes. On May 12, 1987, she was commissioned under the White Ensign of the Indian Navy and has been serving Indian interests since. 

As HMS Hermes, she was the flagship of the South Atlantic Task Force during the Falklands War in 1982. Operating round-the-clock, her aircraft destroyed several enemy airplanes in the air and on the ground.

After the Falklands War, the ship was placed as a reserve before India inked a deal with the United Kingdom to buy her as its second aircraft carrier.  

Capable of moving nearly 28,500 tonnes, INS Viraat could operate Short Take-off and Vertical Landing (STOVL) Sea Harrier jump jets and virtually all types of naval helicopters. 

The ship’s 12-degree ramp on the bows, the most striking visual feature, improves the safety factor and the radius of operation/payload carrying capacity of Sea Harrier. 

Besides, being equipped with Close in Weapon System for self defence, the ship’s Computer Aided Action Information System (CAAIS) offers a comprehensive picture of the tactical scenario based on information assembled from all onboard sensors, providing rapid decision making in the minimal reaction time on the sea to destroy hostile platforms.