Indian Navy Launches INS Arnala

The Indian Navy launched the indigenously-built ship INS Arnala at the shipbuilding facility of Larsen & Toubro (L&T) in Chennai’s Kattupalli.

What is ‘Arnala’?

• Arnala is the first of the 8 anti-submarine warfare shallow water craft (ASW-SWC) that are currently being built by the Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Ltd (GRSE).
• The vessel made its first contact with the water of the Bay of Bengal during a recently-held launch ceremony in Chennai. The launch ceremony is one of the four important ceremonial occasions associated with a ship’s life. The other three are keel laying, commissioning and decommissioning.
• The ship has been named Arnala to highlight the maritime significance of the Arnala island, which is situated some 13 km north of Maharashtra’s Vasai. Maratha warrior king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj bestowed strategic importance on this island during his reign.

About ‘Arnala’ class ships

The ‘Arnala’ class ships are being built to replace the Indian Navy’s ‘Abhay’ class ASW ships. The contract for building these ASW-SWC ships was signed in 2019 by GRSE and the Union Defence Ministry.
These vessels are designed to conduct anti-submarine operations in coastal waters. They will also be able to conduct low-intensity maritime operations (LIMO) like subsurface surveillance in littoral waters.
The ASW-SWC ship is 77.6-metre-long and has a displacement of 900 tonnes. The vessel can reach a maximum speed of 25 knots and can travel up to 1,800 nautical miles. The ship is powered by three diesel-powered water jets. It is made of some 80 percent of indigenous content. This has contributed to the Indian defence industry’s growth, and employment generation.

About Arnala Island

The Aranala island is situated north of Bassein, Maharashtra. It hosts a fort, which is also known as Jaldurg or Janjire-Arnala. The island belonged Sultan Mahmud Begda of Gujarat. The Portuguese conquered the island in 1530. They used it to control shipping and navigation along the northern Konkan coast. In 1737, the island was captured by the Marathas. It remained under the control of Marathas until 1817, when the British successfully captured it as the result of the Third Anglo-Maratha War.

Month: Current Affairs - December, 2022

Category: Defence Current Affairs