Day of the Destroyers
1st October 2017
Tiger Gate, Ballard Pier.
Fort.
High on Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk & much excited to
simply experience our nation’s naval fleet;
I rushed myself to the prestigious celebrations of Navy week happening in Mumbai.
I rushed myself to the prestigious celebrations of Navy week happening in Mumbai.
I had no idea whatsoever as to exactly what I was going to
see.
No idea at all.
No idea at all.
We began by passing through a series of High security gates,
and for a moment i thought we were the only ones to pay them a visit, later
did I realize there was very little public inside. Of course, it was the 1st
day.
And so we made our way pass security checks proving our
identity as Indians as we produced our Adhars
*Yes only Indians allowed*
*Yes only Indians allowed*
Following which We were strictly But politely asked to
switch off our cell phones and put them inside those white opaque plastics they
handed out to us.
Upon obliging I walked further until a guard asked me to hand over my phone, I did – He quickly sealed it and gave it back.
Upon obliging I walked further until a guard asked me to hand over my phone, I did – He quickly sealed it and gave it back.
*The tough to tear* plastic was a major security concern as
to nobody was Allowed to use their cellular devices once inside.
At This point I had a feeling
- Shit was about to get Real.
At This point I had a feeling
- Shit was about to get Real.
& for those few Idiots who Attempted to use their cell
phones Despite Several Warnings - by forcefully breaking the seal open once
they were inside..
– Wait to find out at the End of This Blog.
– Wait to find out at the End of This Blog.
Devices sealed, Security checks cleared, we walked up the little steep that blocked our view for what lay ahead.
Slowly as we made it to the top, before us was a scenic painting like beauty..
– The open sea, Sun kissed at the horizon..
It’s Perfect orange hitting the Hulls of our Naval Frigates, reflecting sea waves – like dancing snakes.
Slowly as we made it to the top, before us was a scenic painting like beauty..
– The open sea, Sun kissed at the horizon..
It’s Perfect orange hitting the Hulls of our Naval Frigates, reflecting sea waves – like dancing snakes.
Mesmerized by the view,
I felt butterflies and bees doing Ooompa-Loompa inside me..
I can never forget that feeling!
I was literally jumping with excitement..
Uttering loudly
– ‘Now that’s what I’m talking about!’ we quickly neared One of two standing Frigate ships.
I felt butterflies and bees doing Ooompa-Loompa inside me..
I can never forget that feeling!
I was literally jumping with excitement..
Uttering loudly
– ‘Now that’s what I’m talking about!’ we quickly neared One of two standing Frigate ships.
We step aboard our 1st
vessel :
Pennant F50
- INS TARKASH.
As we climbed our way up over the sloping bridge, a naval guard standing by welcomed us with a salute.
This gesture took me back to my age old Sea Cadet days when we would momentarily halt & Salute the ships officer before entering any major ship, and so I responded back
– with a Salute!
*only this time I was in my casuals*
Pennant F50
- INS TARKASH.
As we climbed our way up over the sloping bridge, a naval guard standing by welcomed us with a salute.
This gesture took me back to my age old Sea Cadet days when we would momentarily halt & Salute the ships officer before entering any major ship, and so I responded back
– with a Salute!
*only this time I was in my casuals*
It was only aboard we were made to understand that Our Naval
fleet hosted 4 major categories of stealth
warfare ships..
– The Corvettes, Frigates, Destroyers & The Aircraft carriers.
– The Corvettes, Frigates, Destroyers & The Aircraft carriers.
As per size and capacity – The Aircraft carriers are
obviously the Largest, followed by The Destroyers, The Frigates and lastly The
Corvettes.
We at the moment were On a Frigate class vessel.
INS TARKASH
The 5th of its Talwar-class
- meaning it’s one of the Six Talwar-class frigates
- a class of guided missile frigates designed and built by Russia for the Indian Navy.
Built at the Yantar shipyard in Kaliningrad, Russia.
She
joined the Western Naval Command on 27 December 2012.
Much of the equipment on the ship is Russian-made, but a
significant number of systems of Indian origin have also been incorporated.
The
main difference between Tarkash and the earlier Talwar-class ships is the use
of BrahMos missiles in place of the Klub-N missiles in the earlier ships.
Frigate. This term was used for any warship built for speed
and maneuverability, the description often used being
"frigate-built".
Today the line-of-battle ships frequently referred to as
frigates are the ones built especially for speed & to protect other warships.
In March 2015, Tarkash was deployed with INS Mumbai and INS Sumitra as part of Operation Raahat to provide protection and support to Indian ships and aircraft involved in the evacuation of Indian citizens from Yemen during the military intervention.
With a Top speed of
30 knots (56 Kmph)
INS TARKASH displaces a cubic capacity of
3,678 tons
@ standard load
& 4,100 tons @ full load.
It’s Armament??
24 x Surface to Air / Anti-air strike Medium range missiles
Plus 8 x Igla-1E (SA-16)
- Infrared Homing
Surface to Air missiles,
(Including an optional Identification Friend or Foe system)
Anti-ship/Land-attack missiles :
8 × Vertical Launch System powered
Klub; Anti-ship cruise missiles
Plus 8 x Igla-1E (SA-16)
- Infrared Homing
Surface to Air missiles,
(Including an optional Identification Friend or Foe system)
Anti-ship/Land-attack missiles :
8 × Vertical Launch System powered
Klub; Anti-ship cruise missiles
It’s Guns if You may ask??
1 × 100 mm A-190E, naval gun
2 × Kashtan Close In Weapon System Guns
Moving onto
Anti –Submarine warfare armament;
Moving onto
Anti –Submarine warfare armament;
2 × 2 533 mm torpedo tubes
1 × RBU-6000
(RPK-8)
Anti-submarine rocket launcher
1 × RBU-6000
(RPK-8)
Anti-submarine rocket launcher
& The capacity to carry
1 × Ka-28 Helix-A,
Ka-31 Helix B
or HAL Dhruv helicopter.
While one of the naval officers explained it,
We was Simply at Awe trying to process everything.
We was Simply at Awe trying to process everything.
& then it occurred to me that if The Officers in charge are
So freely Revealing in such detail So much Vital information about the weapons
and contents of the Ship,
I wonder how much MORE this ship could secretly do.
- What all & How much more the ship could actually achieve as confidential information kept secret!
I wonder how much MORE this ship could secretly do.
- What all & How much more the ship could actually achieve as confidential information kept secret!
In short, i concluded that
INS TARKASH MEANS PURE BUSINESS!
Weapons in Action
(No Sound) :
INS TARKASH MEANS PURE BUSINESS!
Weapons in Action
(No Sound) :
After an overwhelming session of Thrill-filled exploration
We still had The Biggie to Go aboard, I asked myself What could be more better
than the Russian made Frigate we just experienced – The Answer..
– INS KOLKATA.
‘The Biggie’ – it was the first thing I noticed the moment I entered those gates – Definitely a thing of Beauty.
The Destroyer ship INS KOLKATA stood alongside INS Chennai - another one of the Destroyers we were fortunate to visit the next day.
We walked into the Sun, past Tarkash to be greeted by a Hundred and Sixty three meter long Stealth machine.
Almost 50 meter longer than the Frigate..
- The Destroyer ship INS Kolkata beamed over Almost every other smaller vessel around it.
Once again making our way up via the sloping bridge, with it's one end on the dock & the other reaching out on the destroyer's Lower deck,
This one *Obviously* was a much steeper and a longer climb than before.
The lead ship of the Kolkata-class stealth guided-missile destroyers constructed at Mazagon Dock Limited (MDL) INS Kolkata was handed over to the navy on the 10 July 2014, having completed her sea trials.
The Destroyer was officially commissioned by Our Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a ceremony held on 16 August 2014.
Once on deck we were asked to assemble before the ships 76 mm Oto Melara Super Rapid Gun.
A Magnificent beauty that Will destroy targets as far as
40 Kilometers away.
Damn ! that's like from South Mumbai to Borivali, almost the entire length of Bombay..
& We were standing right in Front of it.
Next we were introduced to the ships Sensors and processing systems.
The INS KOLKATA boasts ; an Israel Aerospace Industries manufactured multi function, active electronically scanned array naval radar..
Thales group manufactured LW-08
D-band Air search radar, a BEL HUMSA bow sonar,
a BEL Nagin active array sonar
(SONAR - Sound of Navigation & Ranging)
All used to detect under water threats like incoming enemy submarines & Torpedo missiles..
Last but Not the least a BEL Electronic Modular Commanded combat management system
- a system to coordinate & manage everything.
Phewww!! Gods be good.
And now as if we aren't already impressed by the things seen so far, the naval officer humbly introduces us to the armaments of the ship, Not just by words but by actually taking us to them.
First up; The 4 x 8 cells of Vertical launching Anti-air strike missile systems.
Built for a Total of 32 missiles capable of hitting targets 90 Kilometers away.
Holy Fuck ! - as if the 40 km ranged Gun wasn't enough.
Well, that's Not it. Here's the LEGENDARY part.
Add a 2 x 8 cells of Universal Vertical Launcher Module for launching a whooping total of 16 BrahMos
Anti-ship / Land-attack missiles.
BrahMos.
One of The Top Most Powerful missiles in the entire world
*certainly the BEST One We posses*
Hallelujah!! *This was the Best day of my Life*
Till date I am Still Not over the sight of BrahMos missiles standing right before me.
(Below: BrahMos missiles during the Republic day parade at Rajpath, New Delhi)
Literally trying to Calm myself down I was like
- Its Okay!..
Calm down.. Calm down..
There's more.. There's A Lot more..
Yes, i wasn't wrong. There was indeed a lot more.
Next we were shown the
4 AK - 630's Close in weapon systems.
A combination of radars, computers and Rotatory / Revolver cannons placed on a rotating, automatically aimed gun mount for detecting and destroying short - range incoming missiles and enemy aircraft which have penetrated the outer defenses.
Rightly termed as The Destroyer ship..
To the enemies
INS KOLKATA is
a Hell bringing Machine.
Enough Armaments Eh?
You sure??
Naah!!
It's INS KOLKATA BABY!
A Giant, Displacing
7,500 tons of Cubic capacity.
Yes. There's Always more..
& So Finally after an exhausting session of Weaponry explanations we had reached
- The Final One.
The 4 Mark 46 Torpedo tubes, followed by 2 x RBU - 6000 anti submarine rockets, which were also upon INS TARKASH.
(Russian made - RBU's : Reaktivno-Bombovaja Ustanovka)
Later we were guided through the ships
*pretty claustrophobic* lower decks to the stern area
- back of the ship.
The stern area served for aviation facilities with a landing pad & 2 enclosed Helicopter hangars.
Our Incredible experience of a tour ended at this point along with the Sun setting over the far horizon.
As we parted ways with Pennant D63 -
aka INS Kolkata, i realized The Destroyer absolutely stood True to it's motto.
'Always Prepared for Battle.'
The Next day we made our way back to This Heaven of a place & visited ;
INS CHENNAI - another similar Destroyer ship
& later a Corvette vessel INS Nishank.
Those 2 Days of closely witnessing, touching and feeling the Pure Stealth of world class Marvels belonging to our Naval fleet truly felt like a whole new Paradise.
Honestly, I had the Best time of my Life.
(In Pic : INS GOMATI - another one of our Naval Frigates)
Making it BACK to the Civilian world On our way out.. Our cell phones were once again checked to see if the plastic seals we were made to put (on our way in) were still intact (or Not)
Those idiots who tore it, fishing out their cell phones for calls and pictures While On the tour..
- their Cell phones were straightaway confiscated.
No questions asked. No answers given.
HAPPY 69th REPUBLIC DAY !
Thank you for reading
We walked into the Sun, past Tarkash to be greeted by a Hundred and Sixty three meter long Stealth machine.
Almost 50 meter longer than the Frigate..
- The Destroyer ship INS Kolkata beamed over Almost every other smaller vessel around it.
Once again making our way up via the sloping bridge, with it's one end on the dock & the other reaching out on the destroyer's Lower deck,
This one *Obviously* was a much steeper and a longer climb than before.
The lead ship of the Kolkata-class stealth guided-missile destroyers constructed at Mazagon Dock Limited (MDL) INS Kolkata was handed over to the navy on the 10 July 2014, having completed her sea trials.
The Destroyer was officially commissioned by Our Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a ceremony held on 16 August 2014.
Once on deck we were asked to assemble before the ships 76 mm Oto Melara Super Rapid Gun.
A Magnificent beauty that Will destroy targets as far as
40 Kilometers away.
Damn ! that's like from South Mumbai to Borivali, almost the entire length of Bombay..
& We were standing right in Front of it.
Next we were introduced to the ships Sensors and processing systems.
The INS KOLKATA boasts ; an Israel Aerospace Industries manufactured multi function, active electronically scanned array naval radar..
Thales group manufactured LW-08
D-band Air search radar, a BEL HUMSA bow sonar,
a BEL Nagin active array sonar
(SONAR - Sound of Navigation & Ranging)
All used to detect under water threats like incoming enemy submarines & Torpedo missiles..
Last but Not the least a BEL Electronic Modular Commanded combat management system
- a system to coordinate & manage everything.
Phewww!! Gods be good.
And now as if we aren't already impressed by the things seen so far, the naval officer humbly introduces us to the armaments of the ship, Not just by words but by actually taking us to them.
First up; The 4 x 8 cells of Vertical launching Anti-air strike missile systems.
Built for a Total of 32 missiles capable of hitting targets 90 Kilometers away.
Holy Fuck ! - as if the 40 km ranged Gun wasn't enough.
Well, that's Not it. Here's the LEGENDARY part.
Add a 2 x 8 cells of Universal Vertical Launcher Module for launching a whooping total of 16 BrahMos
Anti-ship / Land-attack missiles.
BrahMos.
One of The Top Most Powerful missiles in the entire world
*certainly the BEST One We posses*
Hallelujah!! *This was the Best day of my Life*
Till date I am Still Not over the sight of BrahMos missiles standing right before me.
(Below: BrahMos missiles during the Republic day parade at Rajpath, New Delhi)
Literally trying to Calm myself down I was like
- Its Okay!..
Calm down.. Calm down..
There's more.. There's A Lot more..
Yes, i wasn't wrong. There was indeed a lot more.
Next we were shown the
4 AK - 630's Close in weapon systems.
A combination of radars, computers and Rotatory / Revolver cannons placed on a rotating, automatically aimed gun mount for detecting and destroying short - range incoming missiles and enemy aircraft which have penetrated the outer defenses.
Rightly termed as The Destroyer ship..
To the enemies
INS KOLKATA is
a Hell bringing Machine.
Enough Armaments Eh?
You sure??
Naah!!
It's INS KOLKATA BABY!
A Giant, Displacing
7,500 tons of Cubic capacity.
Yes. There's Always more..
& So Finally after an exhausting session of Weaponry explanations we had reached
- The Final One.
The 4 Mark 46 Torpedo tubes, followed by 2 x RBU - 6000 anti submarine rockets, which were also upon INS TARKASH.
(Russian made - RBU's : Reaktivno-Bombovaja Ustanovka)
Later we were guided through the ships
*pretty claustrophobic* lower decks to the stern area
- back of the ship.
The stern area served for aviation facilities with a landing pad & 2 enclosed Helicopter hangars.
Our Incredible experience of a tour ended at this point along with the Sun setting over the far horizon.
As we parted ways with Pennant D63 -
aka INS Kolkata, i realized The Destroyer absolutely stood True to it's motto.
'Always Prepared for Battle.'
Brahmos Missile Firing - INS Kolkata
The Next day we made our way back to This Heaven of a place & visited ;
INS CHENNAI - another similar Destroyer ship
& later a Corvette vessel INS Nishank.
Those 2 Days of closely witnessing, touching and feeling the Pure Stealth of world class Marvels belonging to our Naval fleet truly felt like a whole new Paradise.
Honestly, I had the Best time of my Life.
(In Pic : INS GOMATI - another one of our Naval Frigates)
Making it BACK to the Civilian world On our way out.. Our cell phones were once again checked to see if the plastic seals we were made to put (on our way in) were still intact (or Not)
Those idiots who tore it, fishing out their cell phones for calls and pictures While On the tour..
- their Cell phones were straightaway confiscated.
No questions asked. No answers given.
HAPPY 69th REPUBLIC DAY !
Thank you for reading
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This was a breathtaking experience... I am glad I shared this experience with you 😍😍
ReplyDeleteThank so much ✌ What an experience we shared!❤
DeleteTrue to last words amigos!! This day was really something else. Really proud of our Navy's strength!! And just as we might start thinking this could be all there will always be more...Do looking forward to it all!! Enemies beware!!!!
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely! Couldn't agree much 💪💪 They (enemy) Will never know what Just hit em 😎😎
Delete