Kolkata: One of them is past her prime, but with a lot of steam still left in her before she finally calls it quits. The other is a youngster, raring to break free and make a name for herself.
This is the tale of two ships, berthed next to each other at the Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) Ltd in Kolkata.
One of them is INS Sagardhwani, a Marine Acoustic Research Vessel built and delivered to the Indian Navy by the GRSE in 1994. She is back to her birthplace for a well-deserved refit.
The other is INS Nirdeshak, a Survey Vessel (Large) at an advanced completion stage. Seldom does it happen that two ships of a similar class, though generations apart, get worked upon together at a shipyard.
The INS Sagardhwani’s enviable career graph speaks volumes about GRSE’s shipbuilding capabilities even 30 years ago.
In her first 23 years of service, the INS Sagardhwani completed 200 scientific missions that helped ocean scientists develop indigenous, state-of-the-art underwater sensors for the Indian Navy.
In 2017, she was feted by the Navy for this at a special event.
On October 11, 2023, even while nearing the age of 30, she set out on the two-month-long Sagar Maitri Mission IV, retracing the path of INS Kistna, which participated in the International Indian Ocean Expedition between 1962 and 1965.
Over the next 60 days, INS Sagardhwani sailed extensively in the northern Arabian Sea and initiated collaborative research with Oman, enabling Indian scientists to cooperate and build strong working relationships with their Indian Ocean Region counterparts studying the oceans.
The INS Nirdeshak (110m) is a larger platform than the 85.1m long INS Sagardhwani and will have far more advanced sensors and other equipment on board when she is finally delivered.
By working on these two platforms simultaneously, GRSE claims to display not only its capability to build some of the most advanced and potent warships for the Indian Navy, but also the shipyard’s commitment towards the refit and upgradation of older assets.
While INS Nirdeshak is being built with cutting-edge technology and modern design principles, INS Sagardhwani will undergo systems upgrades to meet contemporary standards that will help it serve the Navy for several more years.
“While the refit team breathes new life into INS Sagardhwani by integrating modern systems, the production team meticulously assembles the INS Nirdeshak with state-of-the-art components, turning the phrase ‘Refit and Production Working in Tandem’ into reality. This highlights GRSE’s role as a pioneer and leader in maritime engineering and tells a powerful story of continuity, evolution, and unwavering pursuit of maritime excellence,” a senior GRSE official said.
–IANS