 "Quicksplained: What is INS Brahmaputra, which suffered severe damages in fire in Mumbai?")
An Indian Navy warship undergoing maintenance at the naval dockyard in Mumbai caught fire on Sunday, July 21.
A junior sailor is reported missing and a search and rescue operation is being carried out at the time of filing this report.
All other personnel have been accounted for, the navy said.
The lead vessel of the Brahmaputra-class frigates is currently resting on one side alongside her berth.
About INS Brahmaputra
Built by state-run Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Limited, INS Brahmaputra is the first of the indigenously built “Brahmaputra” class-guided missile frigate.
It was commissioned into the Indian Navy in April 2000.
The Brahmaputra class, which replaces the Talwar class, is an indigenous upgrade on the Godaviri class of frigates. The class’s next two ships, INS Betwa and INS Beas were similarly given river names; INS Brahmaputra is the class lead ship, as per The Print.
The multi-role frigate has a displacement of 5,300 tonnes, a length of 125 metres, a beam of 14.4 metres and is capable of a speed of more than 27 knots.
According to NDTV, a crew of 40 officers and 330 sailors are deployed on the warship.
The ship is fitted with medium-range, close range and anti-aircraft guns, surface-to-surface and surface-to-air missiles and torpedo launchers.
It has a wide array of sensors covering all facets of maritime warfare and is capable of operating Seaking and Chetak helicopters.
The ship’s name “Brahmaputra” has been derived from the famous river which flows through Assam.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsIts crest depicts a grey, one-horned Indian rhinoceros on a brown background over white and blue sea waves.
INS Brahmaputra, in July 2006, was part of Task Force 54 on its return to India from the Mediterranean, when it was turned back to assist in Operation Sukoon, which was launched to evacuate Indian, Sri Lankan, Lebanese and Nepalese nationals from the conflict zone during the Lebanon war, according to Military Wiki.
Also read: Why are India's warships so prone to fire in peacetime, and at home?
The fire incident
The fire broke out in the INS Brahmaputra on Sunday evening, while she was undergoing refit.
Cause of the fire and ‘sinking’ of INS Brahmaputra will be determined by an enquiry. Not clear yet about chances of salvaging the frontline ship. Below a file pix of the ship and of the actual fire and its ‘listing’ on the port side pic.twitter.com/XkBpFp2kzv
— Nitin A. Gokhale (@nitingokhale) July 22, 2024
“In the fire incident onboard the frigate INS Brahmaputra, the warship experienced severe listing to one side (port side). Despite all efforts, the ship could not be brought to an upright position,” the Indian Navy said.
The ship continued to list further alongside her berth and is presently resting on one side. All personnel have been accounted for except one junior sailor, for whom the search is in progress,” it added.
The fire was brought under control by the ship’s crew with the assistance of firefighters from Naval Dockyard, Mumbai (ND (Mbi)) and other ships in the harbour, by the morning of July 22, the Navy said, adding that further follow-on actions, including sanitisation checks for assessment of residual risk of fire, were carried out.
“An inquiry has been ordered by the Indian Navy to investigate the accident,” they said.
Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi has apprised RM Shri @rajnathsingh of the fire breakout onboard Indian Naval Ship Brahmaputra and the damages caused by the incident.
— रक्षा मंत्री कार्यालय/ RMO India (@DefenceMinIndia) July 22, 2024
RM prays for the safety of missing sailor.
Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has also directed Navy Chief Dinesh K Tripathi to take appropriate action in the incident.
With inputs from agencies
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