Navy’s latest indigenous destroyer INS Mormugao, named after Goa’s port

Navy’s latest indigenous destroyer INS Mormugao, named after Goa’s port

The destroyer to be commissioned into the Indian Navy on December 18; ‘tribute’ to linkages between Goa and Indian Navy

SHASHWAT GUPTA RAY

VASCO/MUMBAI: The Indian Navy is all set to commission its most lethal warship ‘INS Mormugao’, named after the ‘Mormugao’ port, as a “befitting tribute” to the nautical linkages between the State of Goa and the Indian Navy.

“The commissioning of INS Mormugao, on December 18, coinciding with the 61st anniversary of the start of Operation Vijay, the tri-service operation that led to Goa becoming independent, as also ending colonisation in India, further adds to the historic significance of the commissioning event,” a senior official posted on INS Mormugao told Herald.

The senior Navy official said that Goa has a rich history and heritage. “Empires rose and fell in Goa, but in its long history, the port city of Goa — and later the port of Mormugao, has withstood the test of time – revitalising its bonds with every new generation. For Goa, its integration with India is owed, in significant measure, to the daring action at sea by the Indian Navy,” along with other Armed Forces.

Designed by the Indian Navy’s Directorate of Warship Design Bureau, P15B destroyers incorporate new design concepts for improved survivability, sea-keeping, stealth and ship manoeuvrability.

“Enhanced stealth features have been achieved through shaping of hull and use of radar transparent deck fittings, which make these ships difficult to detect. With significant indigenous content, these ships are a true hallmark of self-reliance attained by India in warship design and shipbuilding, and a shining example of ‘Make in India’,” the Navy official said.

Naming a man-of-war after a city is a centuries old nautical tradition and that’s how, the ship derives its name from the eponymous historic port city of Mormugao, in the State of Goa. Mormugao – by its geographical position and the privilege of being one of the most gifted natural harbours of peninsular India, including its rich nautical connections, is an apt name for a new warship.