List of destroyer classes of the Indian Navy
![Smaller ships escorting two large ones](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2a/Indian_Navy_flotilla_during_Tropex_2023_Exercise.jpg/350px-Indian_Navy_flotilla_during_Tropex_2023_Exercise.jpg)
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, manoueverable, long-distance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, short-range attackers.[1][2] Seventeen destroyers have served, or currently serve, in the Indian Navy. The navy operates 11 guided-missile destroyers from three classes: Kolkata class, Delhi class, and Rajput class.[3] Six other destroyers (three R class and three Hunt class) have been decommissioned and scrapped.[4][5]
India did not have any destroyers of its own until 1949.[4] The R-class INS Ranjit, built in the United Kingdom, was the first destroyer commissioned in the Indian Navy.[6] Two more of the R-class were later commissioned.[4] Three Hunt-class destroyers were commissioned in 1953 to succeed the R-class destroyers.[5] These ships (all of which were built in the United Kingdom) were decommissioned by 1976, with the Hunt-class INS Godavari the last.[7][8][9]
During the 1980s, India signed an agreement with the Soviet Union for five guided-missile destroyers, built as the Rajput class.[10] The first ship -(INS Rajput - was commissioned on 30 September 1980. Four of the five Rajput-class are still in active service, Ranjit was decommissioned in 2019.[11][12] The Rajput class was succeeded by the Delhi class, with INS Delhi, Mysore and Mumbai commissioned in 1997, 1999 and 2001 respectively.[13] The Delhi-class destroyers, built in India,[13] were succeeded by the Kolkata-class in 2014.[14] The three Kolkata-class ships were commissioned in 2014–2016, with INS Chennai being the last.[15] An improvement of the Kolkata-class, INS Visakhapatnam (part of the Visakhapatnam class), was commissioned in 2021. The second ship, INS Mormugao was commissioned in 2022. Two more vessels are planned as part of the Visakhapatnam class, and are under various stages of construction.[16]
Commissioned ships
Ten destroyers from three classes are in active service.[17] INS Kolkata, the lead ship of the Kolkata-class destroyer with about 7,500 tonnes of displacement, is the largest.[15] A total of three Kolkata-class ships are currently in service with the Indian Navy. The Kolkata-class destroyers were preceded by the Delhi-class destroyer which entered service with the 1997 of its lead ship, INS Delhi. The Delhi class were the first destroyers built in India. The Rajput-class destroyers, which preceded the Delhi class, consists of five ships built in the Soviet Union and were commissioned from 1980 to 1990.[10]
Visakhapatnam-class
The Visakhapatnam class (Project 15B) is a class of stealth
Ship | Picture | Armament | VLS | Displacement | Service | Origin | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Laid down | Commissioned | ||||||
Visakhapatnam | ![]() |
48 | 7,500 tonnes[24] | 12 October 2013[25][26] | 21 November 2021[27][28] | ![]() | |
Mormugao | ![]() |
48 | 4 June 2015 | 18 December 2022 | |||
Imphal | ![]() |
48 | 19 May 2017 | 26 December 2023[29] |
Kolkata class
The Kolkata class (Project 15A) is a class of
Although the dimensions of Kolkata-class ships are similar to the previous Delhi class, their weaponry, sensors and helicopter systems have been upgraded.[32] With a standard displacement of 6,800 t (6,700 long tons; 7,500 short tons) and a full-load displacement of 7,400 t (7,300 long tons; 8,200 short tons) (two sources reported a full-load displacement of 7,500 t (7,400 long tons; 8,300 short tons)),[15][33] they are the navy's largest destroyers.[34]
The ships' main air-defence armament is two 4 × 8-cell
The Kolkata-class ships' primary offensive armament is supersonic
Ship | Picture | Armament | VLS | Displacement | Service | Origin | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Laid down | Commissioned | ||||||
Kolkata[34] | ![]() |
48 | 7,400 tonnes[40] | 26 September 2003[41] | 16 August 2014[34] | ![]() | |
Kochi[42][43] | ![]() |
48 | 7,500 tonnes[42] | 25 October 2005[42] | 30 September 2015[42] | ||
Chennai[44] | ![]() |
48 | 21 February 2006[41] | 21 November 2016[44][45] |
Delhi class
The Delhi-class vessels are the third-largest warships designed and built in India, after the Kolkata-class destroyers and the Shivalik-class frigates. They were built by Mazagon Dock Limited in Mumbai.[17] Delhi-class design has Soviet and Western influences, incorporating elements of the Sovremenny, Rajput and Kashin-II-class destroyers and the Godavari-class frigate.[46]
Delhi-class vessels are fitted with flag facilities, enabling them to act as command unit in task groups.
The ships have a five 533 mm (21 in) torpedo tubes, which can be used to launch SET 65E active/passive homing torpedo and Type 53-65 wake homing torpedo, and is capable of hitting targets ranging from 15 km (9.3 mi) to 19 km (12 mi). They are equipped with two RBU-6000 anti-submarine rocket launchers with 12 tubes. They carry a 31 kg (68 lb) warhead and have a range of 6 km (3.7 mi).[13]
Ship | Picture | Armament | VLS | Displacement | Service | Origin | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Laid down | Commissioned | ||||||
Delhi |
|
16 | 6,200 tonnes[49] | 14 November 1987[13] | 15 November 1997[13] | ![]() | |
Mysore | ![]() |
16 | 2 February 1991[13] | 2 June 1999[13] | |||
Mumbai | ![]() |
16 | 14 December 1992[13] | 22 January 2001[13] |
Rajput class
The Rajput-class
The Rajput class inherited its
Ship | Picture | Armament | Displacement | Commissioned | Origin |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Rana | ![]() |
4,974 tonnes[12] | 28 June 1982[12] | ![]() [12] | |
Ranvir | ![]() |
|
28 August 1986[12] | ||
Ranvijay | ![]() |
21 December 1987[52] |
Decommissioned ships
All presently decommissioned Indian Navy destroyers were built in the United Kingdom and Soviet Union. The R-class INS Ranjit was the first destroyer commissioned by the navy; two more R-class ships were later commissioned.[4] Three Hunt-class destroyers were commissioned in 1953 to succeed the R-class destroyers.[5] The R-class INS Rana was decommissioned on 30 June 1973, the first decommissioned destroyer. It was followed by INS Rajput in 1973, INS Ranjit, INS Gomati and INS Ganga in 1975 and INS Godavari in 1976. All the British-built ships were decommissioned by 1976.[4][5] INS Ranjit became the first ship from the Rajput-class to be decommissioned. The ship was decommissioned on 6 May 2019.[11]
Rajput class
The Rajput-class
Ship | Picture | Armament | Displacement | Commissioned | Decommissioned | Origin | Fate |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
INS Ranjit (D53) | ![]() |
|
4,974 tonnes[12] | 24 September 1983[53] | 6 May 2019[11] | ![]() |
Decommissioned |
INS Rajput (D51) | ![]() |
4 May 1980 [12] | 21 May 2021[54] |
R class
The R class was a
Ship | Picture | Armament | Displacement | Service | Origin | Fate | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Laid down | Commissioned (Royal Navy) |
Commissioned (Indian Navy) |
Decommissioned | ||||||
INS Rajput (D141)
Formerly HMS Rotherham (H09)[6] |
![]() |
|
2,449 tonnes[55][57] | 10 April 1941[55][57] | August 1942[55][57] | 27 July 1949[55][57] | 1976[55][57] | ![]() |
scrapped[4][58] |
INS Ranjit Formerly HMS Redoubt (H41)[59] |
![]() |
19 June 1941[55][57] | 1 October 1942[55][57] | 1949[55][57] | 1979[55][57] | ||||
INS Rana (D115) Formerly HMS Raider (H15)[60] |
![]() |
1941[55][57] | 16 November 1942[55][57] | 1949[55][57] | 1976[55][57] |
Hunt class
The Hunt class was a class of Royal Navy
Ship | Picture | Armament | Displacement | Service | Fate | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Laid down | Commissioned (Royal Navy) |
Commissioned (Indian Navy) |
Decommissioned | |||||
INS Godavari (D92) (Formerly HMS Bedale) |
![]() |
|
1,450 tonnes[citation needed] | 25 May 1940[7] | 27 July 1946[7] | 27 April 1953[7] | 1976[7] | damaged beyond repair 1976. scrapped 1979 [58][63] |
INS Gomati (D93) Formerly HMS Lamerton (L88) |
![]() |
|
10 April 1940[8] | 16 August 1941[8] | 24 April 1953[8] | 1975[8] | struck from active in 1975 scrapped [8][63] | |
INS Ganga (D94)[Note 1] | ![]() |
1 March 1940[9] | October 1941[9] | 18 June 1953[9] | 1975[9] | struck from active in 1975. scrapped [58][9][63] |
Future ships
Visakhapatnam-class
The Visakhapatnam class (Project 15B) is a class of stealth
Ship | Armament | Displacement | Laid down | Launched | Commission | Status | Origin |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Surat
|
7,500 tonnes[24] | 19 July 2018[64] | 17 May 2022[65] | Launched | ![]() |
See also
- List of active Indian Navy ships
- Future of the Indian Navy
- List of ships of the Indian Navy
- List of submarines of the Indian Navy
- List of frigates of the Indian Navy
Notes
Footnotes
- ^ Formerly HMS Chiddingfold (L31).
Citations
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- ^ "Definition of Destroyer". Merriam Webster. Archived from the original on 9 August 2016. Retrieved 24 July 2016.
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- ^ a b c d Mason, Geoffrey B (12 August 2011). "Hunt class Escort Destroyers - General Information". Service Histories of Royal Navy Warships in World War 2. Naval-History.net. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 16 October 2016.
- ^ a b Mason, Geoffrey B. "HMS Rotherham (H 09) - R-class Flotilla Leader". Service Histories of Royal Navy Warships in World War 2. Naval-history.net. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 10 July 2016.
- ^ a b c d e f Mason, Geoffrey B (2004). "ORP Slazak, Polish escort destroyer, ex-HMS Bedale". Service Histories of Royal Navy Warships in World War 2. Naval-History.net. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 10 July 2016.
- ^ a b c d e f g Mason, Geoffrey B (2004). "HMS Lamerton, escort destroyer". Service Histories of Royal Navy Warships in World War 2. Naval-History.net. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 10 July 2016.
- ^ a b c d e f g Mason, Geoffrey B (2004). "HMS Chiddingfold (L 31) - Type II, Hunt-class Escort Destroyer". Service Histories of Royal Navy Warships in World War 2. Naval-History.net. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 10 July 2016.
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- ^ a b c "INS Ranjit Sails into Sunset Culminating 36 years of Glorious Era". PIB. Retrieved 6 May 2019.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Pike, John. "D 51 Rajput Class". GlobalSecurity.org. Archived from the original on 11 October 2016. Retrieved 10 July 2016.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Saunders 2016, p. 344.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Kolkata Class Guided Missile Destroyers". Naval Technology. Archived from the original on 25 February 2018. Retrieved 10 July 2016.
- ^ "Project 15B Improved Kolkata Class Destroyer". GlobalSecurity.org. Archived from the original on 3 October 2016. Retrieved 16 October 2016.
- ^ a b "Navy's Next Destroyer Line Christened Visakhapatnam-class, 1st Launch Next Week". LiveFist defence. 15 April 2015. Archived from the original on 15 April 2015. Retrieved 16 April 2015.
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- ^ a b Pandit, Rajit (28 November 2015). "Gen Next missile defence shield built by Israel and India clears first hurdle". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 1 December 2015. Retrieved 16 October 2016.
- ^ a b c d "INS Visakhapatnam: 11 things you need to know about India's latest destroyer warship". Daily News and Analysis. 20 April 2015. Archived from the original on 28 January 2017. Retrieved 17 October 2016.
- ^ "Keel Laid for P15 Bravo Ships". The Times of India. Mumbai. 25 October 2013. Archived from the original on 22 February 2018.
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- ^ Ghaswalla, Amrita Nair (27 December 2017). "Advanced guided missile destroyers delayed by 3 years". The Hindu Business Line. Mumbai: The Hindu Group.
- ^ Gupta, Shishir (1 November 2021). "INS Visakhapatnam to be commissioned on Nov 18, followed by INS Vela sub". Hindustan Times. New Delhi. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
- ^ "New stealth destroyer INS Imphal joins fleet". Hindustan Times. 27 December 2023. Retrieved 27 December 2023.
- ^ Shukla, Ajai. "World-class warships at Indian prices". Business Standard. Archived from the original on 7 June 2011. Retrieved 9 September 2016.
- ^ "Navy's ongoing hunt for heavy torpedoes leads to delay in modernisation process". India Today. 10 June 2013. Archived from the original on 17 July 2013. Retrieved 20 July 2013.
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- ^ "Largest destroyer project of Navy hit by delay". Defence Express. 6 June 2013. Archived from the original on 10 August 2014. Retrieved 15 July 2014.
- ^ a b c "INS Kolkata". Indian Navy. Archived from the original on 19 August 2016. Retrieved 10 July 2016.
- ^ "On INS Kolkata, PM is Only Partially Correct". NDTV. Archived from the original on 8 June 2016. Retrieved 29 July 2016.
- ^ "First test of BrahMos land-attack variant from the sea". India Today. 5 March 2008. Archived from the original on 5 November 2013. Retrieved 17 July 2013.
- ^ "BrahMos missile test-fired from warship INS Kolkata". The Times of India. 9 June 2014. Archived from the original on 9 June 2014. Retrieved 9 June 2014.
- ^ "Project 15-A Improved Delhi / VIshakhapattanam / DDGHM Kolkata". GlobalSecurity.org. Archived from the original on 4 April 2013. Retrieved 16 June 2013.
- ^ a b Saunders 2016, p. 346.
- ^ a b "Largest-ever 'Made-in-India' warship INS Chennai commissioned". The Times of India. 21 November 2016. Archived from the original on 21 November 2016. Retrieved 21 November 2016.
- ^ ISSN 0722-3226.
- ISSN 0265-3818.
- ISSN 0722-3226.
- ^ "IN Ships-Destroyers-Delhi Class". Indian Navy. Archived from the original on 27 January 2013. Retrieved 28 December 2011.
- ^ Makiyenko, Konstantin (22 August 2011). "BrahMos sets the 'gold standard' for Russian-Indian defence projects". Russia & India Report. Retrieved 1 August 2016.
- ^ Shankar 2005, p. 236.
- ^ Muhammad 1999, p. 276.
- ^ @ANI (21 May 2021). "INS Rajput, first destroyer of the Indian Navy, which was commissioned on 4th May 1980 will be decommissioned on 21st May during a ceremony at Naval Dockyard, Visakhapatnam: Indian Navy" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Friedman 2012, pp. 88–90, 94, 98–99, 107, 138.
- ^ Hodges 1979, p. 15.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Friedman 2011, p. 102.
- ^ a b c Singh 1992, p. 56.
- ^ Mason, Geoffrey B (7 August 2011). "HMS Redoubt (H 41) - R-class Destroyer". Service Histories of Royal Navy Warships in World War 2. Naval-History.net. Archived from the original on 13 June 2017. Retrieved 10 July 2016.
- ^ Mason, Geoffrey B (7 August 2011). "HMS Raider (H 15) - R-class Destroyer". Service Histories of Royal Navy Warships in World War 2. Naval-History.net. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 10 July 2016.
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- ^ @ANI (16 November 2021). "Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will formally Commission INS Vishakhapatnam on Nov 21 in Mumbai. The next warships of the class would be named after important cities in the country including Mormogao, Imphal, and Surat: Navy Vice Admiral SN Ghormade" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ "Raksha Mantri launches two indigenous frontline warships - Surat (Guided Missile Destroyer) & Udaygiri (Stealth Frigate) - in Mumbai". PIB. 17 May 2022.
References
- Friedman, Norman (2012). British Destroyers & Frigates: The Second World War & After. Barnsley, United Kingdom: Seaforth Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84832-015-4.
- Friedman, Norman (2011). Naval Weapons of World War One. Barnsley, United Kingdom: Seaforth Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84832-100-7.
- Gove, Philip Babock, ed. (2002). Webster's Third New International Dictionary of the English Language. Merriam-Webster.
- Hodges, Peter (1979). Destroyer Weapons of World War 2, Volume 3 of Warship Special. Greenwich, United Kingdom: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 978-0-85177-137-3.
- Muhammad, Mahmood bin (1999). A Policeman Ponders: Memories and Melodies of a Varied Life. New Delhi, India: APH Publishing. ISBN 978-81-7648-026-0.
- Shankar, Prasad (2005). The Gallant Dogras: An Illustrated History of the Dogra Regiment. New Delhi, India: Lancer Publishers. ISBN 978-81-7062-268-0.
- Singh, Satyindra (1992). Blueprint to Bluewater: The Indian Navy, 1951–65. New Delhi, India: Lancer International. ISBN 978-81-7062-148-5.
- Commodore Stephen Saunders, ed. (2016). "India". Jane's Fighting Ships 2016–2017 (119th ed.). Coulsdon: Jane's Information Group. ISBN 978-0710631855.
Further reading
- Lenton, H.T. (1998). British & Empire Warships of the Second World War. London, United Kingdom: Greenhill Books. ISBN 978-1-55750-048-9.
- Lyon, David (1996). The First Destroyers. London, United Kingdom: Chatham Publishing. ISBN 978-1-55750-271-1.
External links