INS Vikrant (R11)

History

In 1961, the first aircraft carrier to serve the Indian Navy became the INS Vikrant (R11). The ship was built by the Royal Navy's existing HMS Hercules, a Majestic-class aircraft carrier whose construction began in World War II (1939-1945) but was not completed before the end of the conflict. The incomplete warship was sold to the Indian government in 1957 and completed in 1961 as INS Vikrant (meaning "Brave" or "Brave").

The warship was officially named INS Vikrant (R11) on March 4, 1961, and was assigned to the Mumbai home port. It remained a powerful regional symbol (and deterrent) until the 1990s.

During World War II, the British Navy set out to design a new "medium" carrier, designed to bridge the gap between its large fleet and smaller, more economical escort carriers. The result was the Colossus- and Majestic-class "Light Fleet Carriers", with construction beginning in March 1942. 16 ships were planned, but 15 were eventually completed, 5 of which became Majestic-class ships. With the end of the war in 1945, the Royal Navy was scheduled for a massive withdrawal, and some of its remaining forces became the Majestic class.

In January 1957, HMS Hercules, which would eventually become such a species, was selected for sale to India.

When completed, the warship fixed the island superstructure to starboard, leaving the port, bow and stern areas unobstructed. A hangar allows the storage of various types of fighter jets under the flight deck, and two electric lifts serve them. The receiving deck slopes from aft starboard to port.

A steam-based catapult was used to propel the departing aircraft from the flight deck.

Once built, the Vikrant drained 16,000 tonnes under standard load and nearly 20,000 tonnes under full load. The overall length reaches 700 feet, the beam is 128 feet, and the draft is 24 feet.

The propulsion system consists of 4 x Admiralty boiler units feeding 2 x Parsons geared steam turbines rated at 40,000 hp and driving 2 x shafts under the stern. The maximum speed can reach 25 knots and the range is 12,000 nautical miles.

There are 1,110 souls and systems on board, including air search radar, surface search radar and various other kits. The weapon is purely defensive in nature, centred on a 16 x 40mm Bofors automatic cannon. The warship can accommodate up to twenty-three aircraft, depending on the make and model.

After commissioning in 1961, Vikrant was sent on a famous voyage to Tamil Nadu, where India went to war with neighbouring Pakistan in 1965, but Vikrant was refitted mid-service. As a result, their fighter jets were operated from land bases throughout the war -- ending with inconclusive results on both sides.

In 1971, the two countries clashed again and went to war again. This time Vikrant was able to operate her squadron as usual, launching ground attack and combat air patrols (CAPs) led primarily by her Hawker Seahawk jet fighter-bombers (details elsewhere on this site) . Anti-submarine/anti-ship sorties were carried out by Breguet Alize propeller aircraft (detailed elsewhere on this website). Unlike the 1965 war, the 1971 war ended with a decisive victory for India and Vikrant was instrumental in suppressing the ground movement/supply of the East Pakistan Army and the blockade of the entire East Pakistan.

Her crew also claimed to own several Pakistani navy and merchant ships during the unrest.

The aircraft carrier was refitted and modernized twice to ensure its survivability in the near future, the first in 1979-1981 and the second in 1987-1989. This led to an update of her propulsion scheme (new boiler), radar adaptation, air defense (AA) and operations center. She then received new equipment to support the operation of the newly acquired BAe Sea Harrier (FRS. Mk 51) jet fleet from the UK.

This resulted in the construction of an angled "jump ramp" on her bow to allow the Harrier to lift off for a short period of time (the steam catapult was removed). Another change for the Luftwaffe was the introduction of the Westland Sea King (Mk 42) helicopter, which was used to replace the Alize aircraft for the same mission - but the Alize continued to operate alongside the Sea King into the 1990s.

In 1991 and 1992-1994, the warship underwent another refit and continued to actively operate its aircraft stabilization. After her best days, it was decided in 1997 to retire the ship. From 2001 to 2012, she became a museum ship, until a lack of funding effectively ended her.

The ship was auctioned in 2013 and sold in 2014 - eventually scrapped by the latter in November.

Specification

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Performance

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