INS Vikrant
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The INS Vikrant (formerly the HMS Hercules (R49)) was a Majestic-class light aircraft carrier of the Royal Navy. Her keel was laid down November 12, 1943 by Vickers-Armstrong of Tyne, England, and she was launched on September 22, 1945. Construction was suspended after World War II and she was laid up for possible future use. In January 1957 she was sold to India, and construction was completed at Harland and Wolff with an extensively modernized design, including an angled deck with steam catapults, a modified island, and many other improvements.
The Indian high commissioner to the United Kingdom, Vijayalakshmi Pandit, commissioned her as INS Vikrant on 4 March 1961 while she was still at Belfast, Northern Ireland. Captain Pritam Singh was the first commanding officer of the carrier. She formally joined the Indian fleet at Bombay on November 3, 1961, when she was received at Ballard Pier by Prime Minister Jawaharlal 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. On May 18, 1961, the first jet landed on board, piloted by Lieutenant (later Admiral) R H Tahiliani.
In 1965, Pakistan claimed that it had sunk the Vikrant. At the time, however, the ship was under refit in dry dock. Despite a crack in a boiler, she saw real combat against Pakistan in the 1971 Liberation War of Bangladesh. She was considered important enough by the Pakistanis that they sent the submarine Ghazi all the way to the Bay of Bengal to mine the Visakhapatnam harbor in an attempt to sink the aircraft carrier when she put to sea. During the war the crew of Vikrant earned two Mahavir Chakras and 12 Vir Chakras.
Vikrant was given an extensive refit, including new engines and modernization between 1979 and January 3, 1982. Between December 1982 and February 1983 she was refitted again to enable her to operate Sea Harriers. After the retirement of the Alize propeller-driven anti-submarine planes from carrier service in 1989, she received a 'ski jump' for more efficient use of her Harriers.
Vikrant was India's only carrier for over 20 years, but by the early 1990s she was effectively out of service because of her poor condition. Even following major overhauls she rarely put to sea. She was formally decommissioned January 31, 1997 and is preserved as a museum at Mumbai.
General characteristics
- Displacement: 15,700 tons standard, 19,500 tons full load
- Length: 192 m (630 ft) waterline, 213.3 m (700 ft) extreme
- Beam: 24.4 m (80 ft) waterline, 39 m (128 ft) extreme
- Draft: 7.3 m (24 ft)
- Propulsion: Parsons geared steam turbines, 4 Admiralty three-drum boilers, 2 shafts, 40,000 hp (30 MW), 23 knots (43 km/h)
- Range 12,000 miles (19,000 km) at 14 knots (26 km/h)
- Crew: 1075 usual, 1340 wartime
- Armor: none
- Armament: 16 x 40 mm Bofors antiaircraft guns, later reduced to eight
- Aircraft:
- 6 Westland Sea King Mk42B
- 3 Westland Sea King Mk42C
- Fixed Wing 6 BAe Sea Harriers FRS.51