INS Delhi (1948)

INS Delhi (1948)

The INS "Delhi" was a "Leander" class cruiser built for the Royal Navy in 1933 as HMS Achilles, and commissioned into the New Zealand Division of the Royal Navy (from 1941 the Royal New Zealand Navy) in 1937 as HMNZS "Achilles". She was returned to the Royal Navy at the end of the Second World War and was sold to the Indian Navy in 1948 and commissioned as HMIS "Delhi". She remained in service until decommissioned for scrap at Bombay on 30 June 1978.

Joins the Indian Navy

The ship was recommissioned as HMIS "Delhi" on 5 July 1948 (prior to India becoming a republic, when she became INS "Delhi") under the command of Captain H.N.S. Brown of the Royal Navy. She had 17 British officers and petty officers, the rest of the crew being Indian. Commander R.D. Katari, executive officer, was the most senior Indian officer. She conducted her first major goodwill cruise in 1948, to East Africa, the Seychelles, and Mauritius.

In June 1950 Commander A.K. Chatterji (later Chief of Naval Staff) became her first Indian commanding officer; the same month she conveyed Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru to Indonesia on an official visit.

In 1956 she played herself, as "Achilles", in the movie "Battle of the River Plate".

Invasion of Goa

On 18 December 1961, during the invasion of Goa she opened fire on two Portuguese vessels, sinking one and forcing the scuttling of the other. She also supported the Indian Army's advance by firing on the citadel and airport control tower.

"Delhi" missed the Indo-Pakistan war of September 1965 because she was in dry dock at the time.

Visit to New Zealand

In 1969 she visited New Zealand under Vice Admiral Barbosa. The visit was the occasion of many reunions of "Achilles" veterans who were plied with large quantities of rum and beer, and taken on a quick trip by the ship.

Decommissioned

"Delhi" was decommissioned and scrapped at Bombay in 1978. Subsequently one of her gun turrets was sent to New Zealand, where it is preserved. A second turret, or gun, is reported to be preserved at the Indian Military Academy, Dehradun. The precise fate of the third turret is unknown, but a persistent rumour holds that it was officially recorded as "eaten by white ants". [http://www.rediff.com/news/1999/may/14nad.htm]


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем сделать НИР

Look at other dictionaries:

  • INS Delhi — Two ships of the Indian Navy have been named Delhi :*The Leander class cruiser INS Delhi , in service in the Indian Navy between 1948 and 1978. *The Delhi class guided missile destroyer INS Delhi , commissioned in 1997 …   Wikipedia

  • HMS Delhi — Three ships of the Royal Navy have borne the name HMS Delhi , after the Indian city of Delhi:*HMS Delhi was the name under which the battleship HMS Emperor of India was constructed, but she was renamed a month prior to her launch in November 1913 …   Wikipedia

  • HMS Delhi — HMS Delhi, ha sido el nombre de tres buques de la Royal Navy británica, en honor a la ciudad India de Delhi: HMS Delhi fue el nombre bajo el cual el acorazado HMS Emperor of India era construido, pero fue renombrado un mes antes de su botadura en …   Wikipedia Español

  • Tischtennisweltmeisterschaft 1948 — Die 15. Tischtennis Weltmeisterschaft fand vom 4. bis 11. Februar 1948 in London/Wembley (England) statt. Spielort war das Empire Pool (die heutige Wembley Arena) in Wembley. Deutschland war, wie auch schon 1947 in Paris, nicht vertreten. Bei den …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Indian Navy — crest Active 1947–Present Country …   Wikipedia

  • List of ships of the Indian Navy — This is a list of ships of the Indian Navy. It covers both the pre independence Royal Indian Navy and the post independence fleet. Prior to the abolition of the monarchy in 1950 ships carried the prefix HMINS, standing for His/Her Majesty s… …   Wikipedia

  • HMNZS Achilles (70) — HMNZS Achilles Geschichte Bauwerft Cammell Laird, Birkenhead, England Kiellegung …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Leander class cruiser (1931) — See Leander class frigate for the later frigate class of the same name. The Leander class was a class of eight light cruisers built for the Royal Navy in the early 1930s that saw service in World War II. They were named after mythological figures …   Wikipedia

  • HMNZS Achilles — Geschichte Bauwerft Cammell Laird, Birkenhead, England Kiellegung 11. Juni 193 …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • HMS Achilles — Six ships of the Royal Navy have been named HMS Achilles , after the Greek hero Achilles. Four others, mostly prizes, have had the French spelling of the name, Achille .*HMS|Achilles|1747|6 was an 8 gun schooner purchased in 1747. She was… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”