Kamal Ghorui
NEW DELHI: The Indian Navy is set to induct its shallow water craft vessel, Anjadip, to enhance its anti-submarine warfare capabilities. This would be the third vessel of the eight-ship Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft (ASW-SWC) project.The warship will be formally commissioned into the Eastern Naval Command at Chennai Port on February 27. The ceremony will be presided over by Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi, Chief of the Naval Staff.The vessel is engineered to act as a ‘Dolphin Hunter’, focused on the detection, tracking, and neutralisation of enemy submarines in coastal areas.These ships, spanning approximately 77 metres in length, are the largest Indian naval warships propelled by waterjets. They are equipped with state-of-the-art lightweight torpedoes, indigenously designed anti-submarine rockets, and shallow water sonar, enabling effective detection and engagement of underwater threats.The ship features a high-speed waterjet propulsion system, enabling it to achieve a top speed of 25 knots for rapid response and sustained operations.In addition to its primary ASW role, the agile and highly manoeuvrable warship is also equipped to undertake coastal surveillance, Low-Intensity Maritime Operations (LIMO), and Search and Rescue operations.The ASW-SWC ships have been designed and constructed as per the classification rules of the Indian Register of Shipping (IRS) under a public-private partnership (PPP) between GRSE and L&T Shipyard, Kattupalli, the Defence Ministry said in a statement.As per the contract, four ships are being built by GRSE, Kolkata, while the remaining four ships have been subcontracted to Larsen and Toubro Shipbuilding, Kattupalli.It is a reincarnation of the erstwhile INS Anjadip, a Petya-class corvette decommissioned in 2003.According to officials, the ship will strengthen the Navy’s anti-submarine, coastal surveillance, and mine-laying capabilities.
