Pondicherry class minesweeper

The "Pondicherry class" are a class of minesweepers built for the Indian Navy by the Soviet Union. The vessels were acquired in two batches. The first were purchased from 1978 to 1980 and the second from 1986 to 1988. Technically, the second batch is referred to as the Karwar class but are physically identical to the first batch with the exception of additional surface-to-air missiles. As minesweepers, they are large and heavily armed. They can serve a dual purpose as an anti-submarine warfare escort. Their hulls are constructed of U3 low magnetic signature steel.

M61 - M66 are based at Mumbai and M67 - M72 are based at Visakhapatnam. Eight class members are to be decommissioned by 2008. The remaining four are receiving life extension overhauls.

hips

Name, pennant, commissioning date:
* INS Pondicherry (M61) (2 February 1978), decommissioned 2007
* INS Porbandar (M62) (19 December 1978) , decommissioned 2007
* INS Bedi (M63) (27 April 1979)
* INS Bhavnagar (M64) (27 April 1979)
* INS Alleppey (M65) (10 June 1980)
* INS Ratnagiri (M66) (10 June 1980)
* INS Karwar (M67) (14 July 1986)
* INS Cannanore (M68) (17 December 1987)
* INS Cuddalore (M69) (29 October 1987)
* INS Kakinanda (M70) (23 December 1986)
* INS Kozhikode (M71) (19 December 1988)
* INS Konkan (M72) (8 October 1988)

References

* http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/NAVY/Pondicherry.html
* http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/india/m-pondicherry.htm
* http://www.hazegray.org/worldnav/asiapac/india.htm#6