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INS Brahmaputra (1994)

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For other ships with the same name, see INS Brahmaputra.

INS Brahmaputra.
INS Brahmaputra departing Portsmouth Naval Base, UK, 20 June 2009
History
India
NameINS Brahmaputra
NamesakeRiver Brahmaputra
BuilderGarden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers
Launched29 January 1994[1]
Commissioned14 April 2000
IdentificationF31
Nickname(s)The Raging Rhino
StatusTemporarily inactive, sustained severe damage in major fire
General characteristics
Class and typeBrahmaputra-class guided missile frigate
Displacement3,850 tons
Length126.4 m (414 ft 8 in)
Beam14.5 m (47 ft 7 in)
Propulsion2 steam turbines, 22,370 kW (30,000 shp), 2 shafts
Speed30 knots (56 km/h; 35 mph)+
Range4,500 nautical miles (8,300 km; 5,200 mi)
Complement440 to 450 (Including 40 officers + 13 aircrew)
Sensors and
processing systems
  • Radar
  • BEL RAWS-03 air/surface search radar
  • BEL/Signaal RAWL-02 (PLN 517) air search radar
  • Decca Bridgemaster/BEL Rashmi PIN 524 navigation radar
  • Sonar
  • BEL HUMSA (Hull Mounted Sonar Array)
  • Thales Sintra towed array sonar
  • Fire control
  • BEL Aparna radar (Kh-35 SSM)
  • Elta EL/M-2221 radar (Barak SAM)
  • BEL Shikari opto-electronic trackers (guns)
Electronic warfare
& decoys
  • BEL Ajanta Mk.2C Electronic Warfare system
  • ELLORA Electronic Support Measures system
  • BEL Radar Warning Receiver Suite
  • Countermeasures
  • 2 × chaff/flare launcher
  • Super Barricade chaff launcher
  • 2 × Graesby G738 or BEL TOTED towed torpedo decoy
Armament
  • 16 × Kh-35 (SS-N-25) SSM (4 x quadruple KT-184 launchers)
  • 24 × Barak SAM (3 x octuple VLS units)
  • 1 × OTO Melara 76 mm gun
  • 4 × AK-630 6-barreled 30 mm gatling gun
  • 2 × RBU-6000 213 mm anti-submarine rocket launcher
  • 2 × triple ILAS 3 324 mm torpedo tubes (Whitehead A244S anti-submarine torpedoes)
Aircraft carried1 Sea King

INS Brahmaputra (F31) is the lead ship of her class of guided missile frigates of the Indian Navy. She was built at the Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE), Kolkata.

On 21 July 2024, the ship listed on one side during maintenance in Mumbai dockyard after a major fire onboard. The ship could not be made upright yet. The Navy has initiated an investigation for the incident.[2]

Design and Construction

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The design and construction of the ship is entirely Indian, and is a modification of the Godavari class of frigates.[3] It is fitted with an array of modern sensor suites and matching weapon systems. INS Brahmaputra was commissioned on 14 April 2000 by Captain Pradeep 'Billoo' Chauhan, VSM.

This 3,600-tonne ship is 125 metres (410 ft) long and can reach speeds of up to 30 knots (56 km/h; 35 mph). She operates the Westland Sea King helicopter and the MATCH (Multi-Role Anti-Submarine Torpedo Carrying Helicopter) helicopter, which is an anti-submarine warfare variant of the Chetak helicopter. Brahmaputra is the second ship of the Indian Navy named for the River Brahmaputra.[4] The first vessel of the name was a Type 41 Leopard-class frigate that was commissioned in 1958. The symbol of Brahmaputra is 'The Raging Rhino', for the one-horned rhino native to the Brahmaputra valley.

Operations

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Operation Sukoon

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In July 2006, Brahmaputra, under the command of Captain Kapil Gupta, was a part of Task Force 54 on its return to India from the Mediterranean, when it was turned back to assist in Operation Sukoon. The task force consisted of three warships and a fleet tanker which were returning from a goodwill visit and were just about to cross the Suez Canal. After the evacuation, the task force remained on station in international waters off Lebanon, monitoring the conflict and ensuring the safety of remaining Indian nationals in Lebanon. The vessels left for their home ports on 10 August 2006.[5] during the 2006 Israeli-Lebanese conflict.

Task Force Europe 2009

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During May–July 2009, Brahmaputra was a part of the Indian Navy task force on deployment to Europe. During this deployment, the task force participated in joint-exercises with the Royal Navy and the French Navy. Exercise Konkan-09 with the Royal Navy, was conducted off the coast of the United Kingdom.[6] Exercise Varuna 2009 with the French Navy was off the coast of France.[7]

Fire and listing

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The ship met a major fire accident in the evening of 21 July 2024 while going through a major retrofit in Mumbai dockyard. The fire was brought under control with the help of firefighting units of the ship and that of the dockyard. The fire was doused by morning of 22 July. However, in late afternoon of 22 July, the ship had listed towards its port side and one junior sailor was reported missing for whom search operations had been initiated. The Navy is carrying out an investigation on the incident.[2][8]

The Chief of Naval Staff, Admiral Dinesh K. Tripathi visited the accident site on 23 July and was briefed on the incident as well as the steps taken to make the necessary repairs. The Navy chief directed that all necessary steps be taken to ensure that the vessel returns to operational status as soon as possible.[9] A Special Task Force, headed by an officer of rank Rear Admiral, will lead the probe to determine the exact cause of the incident and those accountable for the incident.[10][11]

The body of the missing sailor was recovered on 24 July after extensive diving operations. He has been identified as leading seaman Sitendra Singh.[9]

The ship is listed on its port side at an angle of about 40 to 45°. According to a report, it would take about 3 months to upright the vessel. The listing was most likely due to imbalance during firefighting operations. There has not been much ingress of salt water. The damage is not as severe as in the case of INS Betwa accident and the damage will be assessed soon.[12] The Navy is seeking a foreign specialist group for the salvage operation. While the process to make the ship upright and assessing the damage will take 3 months, it shall take 6 months to a year to bring the vessel back to service after the damage assessment. The Western Naval Command will operationalise the ship.[11]

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  • Brahmaputra during Exercise Malabar 2007.
    Brahmaputra during Exercise Malabar 2007.
  • Brahmaputra departing Portsmouth Naval Base, UK, 20 June 2009.
    Brahmaputra departing Portsmouth Naval Base, UK, 20 June 2009.

References

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  1. ^ "Brahmaputra (6128610)". Miramar Ship Index. Retrieved 27 October 2019.
  2. ^ a b "INS Brahmaputra Severely Damaged In Fire, Lying On Its Side; Sailor Missing". NDTV. 22 July 2024. Retrieved 22 July 2024.
  3. ^ "Type 16A Brahmaputra class". Bharat rakshak page on Brahmaputra class frigate. 5 May 2007. Archived from the original on 11 December 2007. Retrieved 28 January 2008.
  4. ^ "Indian naval ships visit to Greece". Embassy Of India, Athens. 13 July 2006. Archived from the original on 11 March 2007. Retrieved 27 July 2006.
  5. ^ "Two more warships sent to Lebanon to evacuate 850 more". IndianMuslims.info. 23 July 2006. Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 28 July 2006.
  6. ^ "Konkan 2009". Archived from the original on 16 July 2011. Retrieved 7 December 2010.
  7. ^ "Varuna 2009". Archived from the original on 16 July 2011. Retrieved 7 December 2010.
  8. ^ "INS Brahmaputra suffers damage after major fire, one sailor missing". The Times of India. 22 July 2024. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 22 July 2024.
  9. ^ a b "Fire on INS Brahmaputra: Body of missing sailor recovered". The Times of India. 24 July 2024. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 24 July 2024.
  10. ^ "Indian Navy's Rear Admiral to lead probe in INS Brahmaputra accident, accountability to be fixed". ANI. 23 July 2024. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
  11. ^ a b "Navy seeks international specialists to salvage sunken INS Brahmaputra". India Today. 5 August 2024. Retrieved 6 August 2024.
  12. ^ Peri, Dinakar (26 July 2024). "Righting INS Brahmaputra could take up to three months". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 27 July 2024.
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