INS Karanj, named after submarine that fought in 1971, joins Indian Navy

The third stealth Scorpene class submarine, INS Karanj, formally joined the Indian Navy fleet on Wednesday. And the chief guest of the commissioning ceremony at the Naval Dockyard in Mumbai was retired admiral V.S. Shekhawat, former Indian Navy chief, who was part of the commissioning crew of the previous Karanj submarine and later the commanding officer during the 1971 Indo–Pak war.

This year is being celebrated as the ‘Swarnim Vijay Varsh’ which marks 50 years of the 1971 Indo–Pak war. The previous INS Karanj (a Russian-origin Foxtrot class submarine) was commissioned on September 4, 1969, at Riga in the erstwhile USSR. It had served the nation for 34 years up to 2003. In recognition of the valiant action of her officers and crew, a number of personnel were decorated, including award of Vir Chakra to the then commanding officer V.S. Shekhawat. Interestingly, the commissioning commanding officer of the old INS Karanj, commander M.N.R. Samant, later on became the first chief of the newly formed Bangladesh Navy in 1971.

Six Scorpene class submarines were built in India by the Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL), Mumbai, under collaboration with M/s Naval Group, France. In 2006, an agreement was signed under Indian Navy’s $3.75 billion Project-75 programme for the six ships. The first submarine was scheduled to be delivered by 2012, but the project witnessed repeated delays. Originally, the entire project was expected to be completed by 2020.

Notably, Indian Navy’s fleet of attack submarines, all diesel-powered, has come down from 21 in the 1980s to just 15 at present, against 65 submarines that China operates currently.

The ship’s name, Karanj, is believed to be derived from the Karanja island (also known as Uran Island), a town in Raigad district, which lies in the south-east of Mumbai Harbour. The Indian Navy has its base at Uran near Navi Mumbai.

Interestingly, INS Khanderi (the second Scorpene class submarine) was named after the island fort of Maratha forces under Chhatrapati Shivaji. Shivaji is considered to be the father of the Indian Navy, as he was the first Indian king to realise the importance of a strong maritime force. Shivaji not only set up several naval bases across the coast of present-day Maharashtra but also the first keel of a Maratha naval vessel was laid down in a creek near Kalyan in 1654.

Speaking on the occasion, Indian Navy chief Admiral Karambir Singh said that the impetus to indigenisation and Aatmanirbhar Bharat is a fundamental tenet of Indian Navy’s growth story and future operational capabilities.

“We live in an India launching numerous satellites, building nuclear submarines, manufacturing vaccines for the worlds; the new Karanj is another example of it,” Admiral Karambir said.

INS Karanj will join the Western Naval Command’s submarine fleet, as another potent part of its arsenal.

The Indian Navy said that Scorpene platforms are equipped with the latest technologies in the world, giving them deadlier capabilities and greater stealth than their predecessors. And these submarines are equipped with potent weapons and sensors to neutralise any threat above or below the sea surface.

The Indian Navy claims that the Scorpene submarines are one of the most advanced conventional submarines in the world. Its French manufacturer, M/s Naval Group, claims the 2,000 tonne conventional-propulsion submarine is designed and developed for all types of missions, such as surface vessel warfare, anti-submarine warfare, long-range strikes, special operations or intelligence gathering.

"Extremely stealthy and fast, it has a level of operating automation that allows a limited number of crew, which reduces its operating costs significantly. Its combat edge is highlighted by the fact that it has six weapon-launching tubes, 18 weapons (torpedoes, missiles, mines)," Naval Group said in its statement.