- INS Vikrant
INS "Vikrant" ( _hi. विक्रान्त) (formerly HMS "Hercules" (R49)) [ [http://books.google.com/books?id=FIIQhuAOGaIC&pg=PA168&dq=INS+Vikrant+hercules&ei=fA1NSNOGA5HitQPUidHmDQ&sig=gtHd4fneKkwwuWo2ZB4VArbLBEg The State of War in South Asia] by Pradeep Barua] was a "Majestic"-class light
aircraft carrier of theIndian Navy . Her keel was laid down on12 November 1943 byVickers-Armstrong [ [http://books.google.com/books?id=V5ZpiuCLoOQC&pg=PA103&dq=HMS+Hercules+Vickers-Armstrong&ei=Kg5NSIDKMJnstAOy1dznDQ&sig=xBYVyL7D8hH5sb6BaQMKsTU52fs Pink ice: Britain and the South Atlantic Empire] By Klaus Dodds] on theTyne and was launched on22 September 1945 .Completion work was carried out in
Belfast but construction was suspended after the end ofWorld War II and she was laid up for possible future use. Her pennant was changed from R11 to R49.In January 1957 she was sold to
India , and construction was completed atHarland and Wolff [ [http://books.google.com/books?id=PY8CvlKC7kgC&pg=PA64&dq=HMS+Hercules+Harland+and+Wolff&ei=uQ5NSL3-NpLAsQO8pY3nDQ&sig=-dy2013FLTEJScp0xIjPhdvxN8w Aircraft Carriers: The World's Greatest Naval Vessels and Their Aircraft] By Richard Jones, Chris Bishop, Chris Chant, Christopher Chant] with an extensively modernized design, including an angled deck withsteam catapult s, a modified island, and many other improvements.History
The Indian high commissioner to the
United Kingdom ,Vijayalakshmi Pandit , commissioned her as INS "Vikrant" on4 March 1961 while she was still atBelfast ,Northern Ireland . The name "Vikrant" was taken fromSanskrit "vikrānta" meaning "stepped beyond", i.e. "courageous", "victorious". Captain Pritam Singh was the first commanding officer of the carrier [ [http://www.asiarooms.com/travel-guide/india/mumbai/museums-in-mumbai/indian-museum-ship-(vikrant)-mumbai.html AsiaRooms.com] - Indian Museum Ship (Vikrant) Mumbai ] . She formally joined the Indian fleet at Bombay on3 November 1961 , when she was received at Ballard Pier by Prime MinisterJawaharlal Nehru and other high-ranking dignitaries.The "Vikrant"'s initial airwing consisted of British
Hawker Sea Hawk fighter-bombers and a French Alize anti-submarine aircraft. On18 May 1961 the first jet landed on board, piloted by Lieutenant (later Admiral) R H Tahiliani.India-Pakistan Wars, 1965, 1971
In 1965,
Pakistan claimed that it had sunk the "Vikrant". [ [http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/india/r-vikrant.htm GlobalSecurity.org] - R 11 Vikrant] At the time, however, the ship was under refit indry dock .Despite a crack in a boiler, she saw real combat against
East Pakistan in theIndo-Pakistani War of 1971 [ [http://books.google.com/books?id=PY8CvlKC7kgC&pg=PA64&dq=Vikrant+1971&ei=ibFTSM_PMY6QtAPb4fm7Cw&sig=-dy2013FLTEJScp0xIjPhdvxN8w Aircraft Carriers: The World's Greatest Naval Vessels and Their Aircraft] By Richard Jones, Chris Bishop, Chris Chant, Christopher Chant] [ [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4UORh9__W2Y&feature=related YouTube.com] - Great battles : Liberation of Bangladesh 2 of 2] . Stationed off theAndaman & Nicobar islands along with Indian naval ships, INS Bramhaputra and INS Beas, the Vikrant redeployed towardsChittagong [ [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mj30oQuTBDU&feature=related YouTube documentary] ] at the outbreak of hostilities. The morning of December 4, 1971, the eight Sea Hawk aircraft on the Vikrant launched an air raid onCox's Bazaar from 60 nm(nautical miles) away. That evening, the air group struck Chittagong harbor. Future strikes targetedKhulna and Mongla. A PTI message is supposed to have read, "Chittagong harbor ablaze as ships and aircraft of the (Pakistan) Eastern Naval Fleet bombed and rocketed. Not a single vessel can be put to sea from Chittagong". Air strikes continued till December 10, 1971.Given naval intelligence that indicated the intent of the
Pakistan Navy to break through the Indian Naval blockade using camouflaged merchant ships, the Sea Hawks struck shipping in theChittagong andCox's Bazar harbors, sinking or incapacitating most merchant ships there.The
PNS Ghazi submarine was deployed to sink theINS Vikrant . However, she sank offVisakhapatnam harbor under mysterious circumstances [ [http://books.google.com/books?id=ZcejlMRYNAAC&pg=PA179&dq=PNS+Ghazi&ei=LKdDSKG0H4KijgGs1qG-BQ&sig=9YcFuLJttkAY3wIH965XTx6eU1Y Seapower: A Guide for the Twenty-first Century] By Geoffrey Till] . During the war the crew of "Vikrant" earned twoMahavir Chakra s and 12Vir Chakra s.ubsequent Service
"Vikrant" was given an extensive refit, including new engines and modernization between 1979 and
3 January 1982 . Between December 1982 and February 1983 she was refitted again to enable her to operateBAe Sea Harrier s which replaced the Sea Hawk. After the retirement of the Breguet Alizé from carrier service in 1989, she received a 'ski jump' for more efficient use of her Sea Harriers."Vikrant" was India's only carrier for over twenty years, but by the early 1990s she was effectively out of service because of her poor condition. Even following major overhauls she was rarely put to sea. She was formally decommissioned on
31 January 1997 and is preserved as a museum atMumbai . She is [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_aircraft_carriers_of_the_Royal_Navy the only World War II-era British-built aircraft carrier] to be preserved.Trivia
The Indian Navy band has a tune "INS Vikrant" commemorating the induction of this air craft carrier into the fleet. The tune was composed by N.M Wise, then then Director of Music, Indian Navy.
See also
*
List of aircraft carriers
*List of ship launches in 1945
*List of ship commissionings in 1961
*List of ship decommissionings in 1997
*INS Viraat
*INS Vikramaditya References
External links
* [http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/NAVY/Majestic.html Bharat Rakshak's note on the INS Vikrant]
* [http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/1971/Dec08/Art02.htm Operations aboard the INS Vikrant in the Bay of Bengal] - Article on the 1971 war ops as published in an anniversary online paper "The Liberation Times".
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YeX4-vVWmRM Video of INS Vikrant operations.]
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