According to the Ministry of Defense, the Indian Navy’s first destroyer, the INS Rajput, will be decommissioned after 41 years on Friday, May 21.
INS Rajput was the Indian Navy’s first destroyer and the ship that commanded the Kashin-class destroyers. The INS Rajput, which was designed by the former Soviet Union and first commissioned on May 4, 1980, has served the Indian Navy for over 41 years.
The INS Rajput will be decommissioned at Visakhapatnam Naval Dockyard in a solemn ceremony. Due to the current COVID pandemic, the ceremony will be a low-key affair with only in-station officers and sailors in attendance and strict adherence to COVID protocols.
INS Rajput was built at the 61 Communards Shipyard in Nikolaev (now Ukraine) under the Russian name ‘Nadezhny,’ which means ‘Hope.’
The ship’s keel was laid on September 11, 1976, and she was launched on September 17, 1977. IK Gujral, India’s Ambassador to the Soviet Union, commissioned the ship as INS Rajput on May 4, 1980, in Poti, Georgia, with Capt Gulab Mohanlal Hiranandani as her first Commanding Officer.
According to the Ministry, the ship has served in both the Western and Eastern Fleets during her four decades of distinguished service to the nation.
The gallant crew of the INS Rajput have remained ever vigilant and constantly ‘on call’ to defend the nation’s maritime interests and sovereignty, with the motto “Raj Karega Rajput” deeply engraved in their minds and indomitable spirit.
The ship has taken part in a number of operations aimed at keeping the country secure. Operation Aman to support the IPKF off the coast of Sri Lanka, Operation Pawan for patrolling duties off the coast of Sri Lanka, Operation Cactus to address a hostage crisis off the coast of the Maldives, and Operation Crowsnest off the coast of Lakshadweep are only a few of them.
The ship also took part in a number of bilateral and multi-national activities. The Rajput Regiment was the first Indian Army regiment to be associated with an Indian Naval ship.
The ship had 31 Commanding Officers over the course of her 41-year career, with the last one taking command on August 14, 2019. ACCORDING TO THE MINISTRY OF DEFENSE, onboard INS Rajput, the Naval Ensign, and the Commissioning Pennant will be hoisted for the final time, symbolizing the ship’s decommissioning.
