The Vice Admiral Girish Luthra has commissioned INS Tillanchang to the Indian Navy on Thursday afternoon in Karwar, Karnataka. INS Tillanchang is a Water Jet Fast Attack Craft (WJFAC) and will add to the firepower of the Indian Navy.This announcement has come just one day after INS Viraat was decommissioned which the Indian Navy called an end to a glorious era. INS Viraat, the second Centaur-Class aircraft carrier in service spent over 30 years in Indian Navy and 27 years in Royal Navy. It was decommissioned in a grand ceremony at Naval Dockyard, Mumbai. The decommissioning ceremony was attended by more than 1300 personnel who have served on board INS Viraat.
The ceremony was attended by top Navy official Admiral Sir Philip Jones, KCB, ADC, First Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Staff of Royal Navy, Vice Admiral Vinod Pasricha, PVSM, AVSM, NM the commissioning Commanding Officer of INS. Admiral Sunil Lanba, PVSM, AVSM, ADC, Chief of the Naval Staff, was the Chief Guest for the ceremony. To commemorate “30 years of Glorious Service to the Nation” by INS Viraat, a Special Postal Cover was released by the Chief Guest on the occasion.
Watch this exciting video of Indian Navy:
Before retiring, INS Viraat registered its name in the Guinness Book of records for being the longest serving warship of the world. It was the home of Sea Harriers of INAS 300, popularly called ‘White Tigers’, Anti-Submarine aircraft Sea king Mk 42B – also known as ‘Harpoons’ , Sea King Mk 42 C and the SAR helicopter Chetak as an integral flight. The indigenous Advance Light Helicopters ‘Dhruv’ and the Russian twin rotor Kamov-31 have also operated from the ship.
It also participated in many international joint operations like Exercise Malabar (USA), Exercise Varuna (French), Naseem-Al-Bahar (Oman Navy). Its last operation was for the International Fleet Review (IFR 2016), Vishakhapatnam in February 2016.