INS Rajput to be decommissioned on May 21
After 41 years of service, the first destroyer of the Indian Navy, INS Rajput, will be decommissioned on Friday. The Kashin-class destroyer, built by the erstwhile USSR, was commissioned on May 4, 1980. The ship participated in several key missions in the last four decades, including Operation Aman off Sri Lanka that was launched to assist the Indian Peace Keeping Forces (IPKF).
First Naval Ship to be affiliated with an Army regiment
Another key mission of the ship included Operation Cactus to resolve a hostage situation off the Maldives. The ship also participated in numerous bilateral and multi-national exercises. It was the first Indian Naval Ship to be affiliated with an Army regiment - the Rajput regiment.
The ship has had 31 Commanding Officers
"INS Rajput will now be decommissioned at a solemn ceremony at Naval Dockyard, Visakhapatnam. In her glorious 41 years, the ship had 31 Commanding Officers at her helm," Indian Navy spokesperson Commander Vivek Madhwal said. INS Rajput was constructed in the 61 Communards shipyard in Nikolaev (now Ukraine) under her original Russian name "Nadezhny," meaning hope.
The ship has served in both Eastern and Western Fleets
The ship was commissioned as INS Rajput at Poti, Georgia by IK Gujral, the then Indian Ambassador to the USSR, with Captain Gulab Mohanlal Hiranandani as her first commanding officer. "Over her four decades of glorious service to the nation, the ship has the distinction of serving in both Western and Eastern Fleets," Commander Madhwal said.
INS Rajput crew's motto was 'Raj Karega Rajput'
"With the motto, Raj Karega Rajput firmly etched in their minds and indomitable spirit, the gallant crew of INS Rajput has remained ever vigilant and always on call to protect the maritime interest and sovereignty of the nation," he added. "The Naval Ensign and Commissioning Pennant would be hauled down for the last time onboard INS Rajput, symbolizing the decommissioning," the Defense Ministry said.
