Visakhapatnam eyes INS Viraat

Fifty-seven-year-old and the oldest serving aircraft career, INS Viraat , Indian Navy’s flagship for over a decade before another aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya was commissioned in 2013, is being offered to States to be converted into a national maritime museum after it is decommissioned next year, after the International Fleet Review to be held here during February.

Andhra Pradesh is the first to approach the Defence Ministry to allot the ship to the State so that it could be converted into a tourist attraction. As the IFR is fast approaching the Institute of Development and Planning Studies urged Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu to made Visakhapatnam its base since the city coast suits the requirements well, apart from The Eastern Naval Command located here and also the country’s only submarine museum INS Kursura.

“A major factor to run the museum is the financial viability assessment and Visakhapatnam is ideally suited. It covers the Andhra Pradesh and also Odisha coast and has a large number of major industries that could support it”, Director of IDPS R.V. Rama Rao said.

Apart from the decommissioned aircraft carrier-turned National Maritime Museum attracting large number of visitors, it can inspire and educate people about the role of Defence forces, the technology involved with it, its huge flight deck would be a location worthy enough to host major National and international events, he said.

Data that may be helpful:

Important Points :-

• INS Viraat is a Centaur-class aircraft carrier in service with the Indian Navy. INS Viraat was the flagship of the Indian Navy before INS Vikramaditya was commissioned in 2013.The world's oldest aircraft carrier.
• INS Vikramaditya is a modified Kiev-class aircraft carrier which entered into service with the Indian Navy in 2013. She has been renamed in honour of Vikramaditya, a legendary 1st century BCE emperor of Ujjain, India.
• INS Kursura (S20) was a Kalvari-class diesel-electric submarine of the Indian Navy. She was India's fourth submarine. Kursura was commissioned on 18 December 1969 and was decommissioned on 27 February 2001 after 31 years of service.

Source :- The Hindu, 23-Nov-2015