INS Chennai, a P-15A guided missile destroyer, was commissioned into the Indian Navy by the Raksha Mantri Manohar Parrikar at the Naval Dockyard, Mumbai. The event marked the formal induction into the Navy of the third and the last of the three Kolkata class destroyers, indigenously designed by the Indian Navy’s in-house organisation, Directorate of Naval Design and constructed by Mazagon Dock Limited (MDL) Mumbai.

Parrikar, whilst addressing the gathering, termed the commissioning of INS Chennai, last of the Project 15 A class destroyers, as a historic day for the Indian Navy as it adds another milestone in our relentless journey towards achieving self-reliance in battle readiness. The ship represents a significant ‘coming of age’ of our warship building capability and defence preparedness, said the Defence Minister. He further stated that the Indian Navy, in addition to providing overall maritime security to our country, also plays a crucial role as the ‘net security provider’ in our adjoining seas. In this regard, Parrikar also stressed that the Navy’s growth and development must keep pace with the nation’s growth and maritime security needs.

Lauding the role played by the naval designers (DGND) and the ship builders, i.e. MDL Mumbai, the Raksha Mantri said: “With the induction of INS Chennai, a new benchmark has been achieved for our warship design and construction endeavours, with the sophistication of systems and equipment, and utilisation of advanced shipbuilding techniques”.

Admiral Sunil Lanba, the Navy Chief, said that commissioning of INS Chennai marks another milestone in the Navy’s quest for self-reliance as it signifies completion of the challenging Project P-15A and heralds a new era of advanced warships built indigenously by Indian shipyards. The Admiral also stated that indigenisation of platforms, weapons, sensors and equipment with participation of public as well as private sectors, will continue to remain a focus area of the Indian Navy, in line with the ‘Make in India’ policy enunciated by the Prime Minister. He emphasised that the “Road map for the Navy’s expansion and growth would continue to remain firmly anchored on self-reliance and indigenisation.”

The Commanding Officer, Captain C.R. Praveen Nair, read out the Commissioning Warrant, which was followed by the hoisting of ‘Colours’ (ceremony of hoisting the national flag and naval ensign) which marked the commencement of the ship’s service as a warship of the Navy.

Following her formal induction, INS Chennai will be placed under the operational and administrative control of the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Naval Command. In due course, the ship will be assigned to the Western Fleet and would be base-ported at Mumbai.

The ship measures 163 m in length, 17.4 m in breadth with a displacement of 7,500 tonnes and can rightfully be regarded as one of the most potent warships to have been constructed in India. INS Chennai is packed with contemporary and sophisticated state-ofthe-art weapons and sensors such as surface-to-surface missile and surface-to-air-missiles. The ship is fitted with a modern surveillance radar which provides target data to the gunnery weapon systems of the ship. The ship’s anti-submarine warfare capabilities are provided by the indigenously developed rocket launchers and torpedo launchers. The ship is equipped to fight under nuclear, biological and chemical (NBC) warfare conditions.