Mumbai: After three decades of service, two naval warships to be decommissioned tomorrow

They will be decommissioned after 32 years of being at the forefront of safeguarding the maritime interests of the nation. Chief of the Naval Staff, Admiral R Hari Kumar, will be the chief guest at the event.

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During decommissioning ceremony, the ship’s decommissioning pennant, which is flown by the ship on the Sunday prior to the decommissioning date, is hauled down. The pennant is the mark of a ship being in commission. The hauling down of the pennant takes place during sunset, signifying the end of the commissioned service of the ship.

The decommissioning pennant is equal to the ship’s length and post decommissioning, it is preserved as part of naval history, said a Navy spokesperson.

INS Nishank, the fourth of the Veer Class Missile Corvette, has been an integral part of the Killer Squadron, renowned for its heroics in the 1971 India-Pakistan War.

It holds the distinction of having operated on both the eastern as well as western seaboards. The ship is armed with surface-to-surface missile. It has been earmarked to be displayed as a war relic at a suitable historic location.

INS Akshay is part of the 23rd Patrol Vessel Squadron, whose primary role is anti-submarine warfare and coastal patrol. With a formidable armament of long-range torpedoes and anti-submarine rockets, the ‘submarine hunter’ was perennially on petrol, keeping enemy submarines at bay, said the spokesperson.

During their illustrious career spanning more than three decades, these ships have been deployed on numerous occasions during heightened security situations, like Operation Talwar during the Kargil War in 1999, Operation Parakram in 2001 and post the terrorist attack in Uri in 2016.