Andhra Pradesh - Visakhapatnam   

Two missile boats decommissioned

Staff Reporter

Officers, families attend function; boats had served the Indian Navy for 29 years

END OF AN ERA: Naval officers and their family members watch photographs of the operations of INS Chapal and INS Chamak at the decommissioning ceremony in Visakhapatnam on Thursday. Photo: K.R. Deepak

VISAKHAPATNAM: Two missile boats of the Indian Navy, INS Chapal and INS Chamak, were decommissioned at a solemn ceremony here on Thursday evening bringing to an end the era of OSA class Missile Boats.

Brief spells of the Naval Band's music and reverential silence marked the ceremony at the Naval Jetty at sunset. The two boats had served the Navy for 29 years.

The decommissioning was done by the Chief of Staff of the Eastern Naval Command, R.P. Suthan, who himself had commanded the same class of boats, INS Charag and INS Nirghat, in 1983-84.

As a good number of Navy personnel and their family members fondly watched, the ensigns were lowered from the two boats and along with the paying off pennants was presented to Rear Admiral Suthan.

Acquired from USSR

Chapal and Champak formed part of eight missile boats that were acquired from the erstwhile USSR after their deadly efficacy in the offensive against Karachi proving decisive in winning the 1971 war.

The gallant actions of the OSA class missile boats, is also celebrated as Navy Day on December 4 every year.

The two boats had arrived in Kolkata by the carrier ship Pripneprovsk on October 24, 1976. They formed part of 254 killer division to be integrated into 25th Killer Squadron and were based at Mumbai. After serving for 15 fulfilling years in the Western Fleet, they joined the Eastern seaboard in 1991. In the last year of their commissioning, the two participated in the historic firing on December 4, 2004, on the Ramakrishna Beach in an awesome display of their power.

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