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INS Sumitra during an exercise.
History
India
NameINS Sumitra
NamesakeSumitra
Operator Indian Navy
BuilderGoa Shipyard Limited
Laid down28 April 2010
Launched6 December 2010
Commissioned4 September 2014
Identification
Statusin active service
General characteristics
Class and typeSaryu-class patrol vessel
Tonnage2,200 tonnes (2,200 long tons; 2,400 short tons)
Length105 m (344 ft)
Beam13 m (43 ft)
PropulsionTwo KOEL/Pielstick Diesel engines
Speed25 knots (46 km/h; 29 mph)
Range6,000 nautical miles (11,000 km; 6,900 mi) at 16 knots (30 km/h; 18 mph)
ComplementEight officers and 108 sailors
Armament
  • 76-mm SRGM (Super Rapid Gun Mount)
  • close-in weapon system
  • CHAFF launchers[1]
Aircraft carried1 × HAL Dhruv or 1 × HAL Chetak

INS Sumitra is the fourth and last Saryu-class patrol vessel of the Indian Navy, designed and constructed by Goa Shipyard Limited.[2] It is also the presidential yacht of India.[3] It is designed to undertake fleet support operations, coastal and offshore patrolling, ocean surveillance and monitoring of sea lines of communications and offshore assets and escort duties.[4][5]

Construction

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The keel of INS Sumitra was laid at Goa Shipyard Ltd (GSL) on 28 April 2010, and she was launched on 6 December 2010. During her construction at GSL, she was known as Yard 1211.[6][7]

Service history

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INS Sumitra completed her sea trials and was handed over to the Indian Navy on 18 July 2014,[2] and was commissioned into the fleet by the Chief of Naval Staff Admiral RK Dhowan on 4 September 2014 in Chennai. She will operate under the Eastern Naval Command and conduct maritime surveillance and coastal security missions. Her first Commanding Officer is Commander Milind Mokashi.[8]

Operation Raahat

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This section is an excerpt from Operation Raahat § Response.[edit]
Indian evacuees lining up for embarkation on INS Sumitra.
Indian evacuees along with their belongings at jetty before embarking on INS Sumitra.

As Yemen was not accessible by air due to a no-fly zone, India chose Djibouti as a centre for initial evacuation by sea. Indians in Yemen were advised to reach Sana'a and Aden. The Indian Navy redeployed the patrol vessel INS Sumitra (P59) from anti-piracy operations off the coast of Lakshadweep to the Yemeni port of Aden. In addition, it dispatched the destroyer INS Mumbai (D62) (Captain Rajesh Dhankhar) and frigate INS Tarkash (F50) (Captain Pradeep Singh) from Mumbai to provide protection and support to Indian ships and aircraft in the conflict zone. Both sailed 1,350 nautical miles (2,500 km; 1,550 mi) in four days to reach Yemen. The Indian Air Force deployed two C-17 Globemaster cargo aircraft with a capacity of 600 passengers to Djibouti.[9][10]

Two ferries belonging to the Lakshadweep administration, MV Kavaratti and MV Corals, with a capacity of 1,500 passengers were dispatched to Aden.[11][12] In addition, two Air India Airbus A320 aircraft were also deployed to Muscat in neighboring Oman.[13]

On 1 April 2015, INS Sumitra reached Aden to evacuate 349 Indians. When Air India was permitted to fly to Yemen on 3 April 2015, it began evacuating people from Sana'a to Djibouti and Djibouti to Mumbai or Kochi. Two C-17 Globemasters flew nine sorties to Mumbai and two to Kochi from Djibouti. On 4 April 2015, INS Mumbai reached Aden but was unable to dock due to shelling, so the people were ferried to the ship in small boats.[9]

Indian Navy personnel registering Indian citizens evacuating from Yemen.

Over the days more than 4,640 overseas Indians were evacuated along with 960 foreign nationals from more than 41 countries.[14][15] Some of them did not have the operational capability to carry out a rescue operation, so they sought India's help. These countries included: Bahrain, Bangladesh, Canada, Cuba, Czech Republic, Djibouti, Egypt, France, Hungary, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Jordan, Kenya, Lebanon, Maldives, Morocco, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, Romania, Russia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Slovenia, Sweden, Syria, Turkey, Thailand, Uganda, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Of a total of 5,600 people, 2,900 Indians were evacuated by 18 special flights from Sana'a and 1,670 Indians by Indian Navy ships from four ports.[9][16][17] 11 Indians were evacuated by the Pakistan Navy frigate PNS Aslat from Mukalla, reached Karachi, and were flown back to India on 8 April 2015.[18][19][16][20] The air evacuation ended on 9 April 2015 while the sea evacuation ended on 11 April 2015.[21] 200 Indians refused to leave Yemen for various reasons.[22]

The following table gives details of evacuations carried out by the Indian Navy, but does not include air evacuations:[23]

Date of evacuation Port of evacuation Ship Arrival at Djibouti Evacuees
Indians Foreigners Total
31 March Aden Sumitra 1 April 349 0 349
2 April Al Hudaydah Sumitra 3 April 306 11 317
4 April Aden Mumbai 4 April 265 176 441
5 April Ash Shihr Sumitra 5 April 182 21 203
6 April Al Hudaydah Mumbai 6 April 463 11 474
7 April Al Hudaydah Tarkash 8 April 54 20 74
9 April Al Hudaydah Sumitra 10 April 46 303 349
10 April Aden Tarkash 11 April 42 422 464
15 April Al Hudaydah Sumitra 16 April 76 327 403
Total 1783 1291 3074

INS Mumbai and INS Tarkash returned to Mumbai harbour on 16 and 18 April 2015, respectively, after completing Operation Raahat.

MV Kavaratti and MV Corals arrived in Kochi on 18 April. The ships had helped evacuate 475 passengers including 73 Indians, 337 Bangladeshis, and 65 Yemeni citizens of Indian origin.[24]

Naseem Al Bahr maritime exercise 2022

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INS Sumitra took part in the 13th edition of Indo-Oman maritime exercise ‘Naseem Al Bahr’ (Sea Breeze) along with the Indian Navy's INS Trikand and Dornier 228 MPA and RNOS Al-Seeb and Al-Shinas from 19–24 November 2022. BAE Systems Hawk of the Royal Air Force of Oman also participated in the exercise.[25]

Operation Sankalp: 2023-24 Anti-piracy patrols

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Main article: Operation Sankalp

On 29 January 2024, INS Sumitra successfully rescued fishermen hijacked by pirates along the East coast of Somalia and the Gulf of Aden. The naval warship was responding to a distress message regarding hijacking of an Iranian-flagged Fishing Vessel (FV) Iman. The fishing boat had been boarded by pirates and its 17-member crew was taken hostage. Acting in accordance with the established Standard Operation Procedures (SOPs) the crew successfully coerced the pirates for the safe release of the crew along with the boat & ensured the successful release of all 17 crew members along with the boat. The FV was subsequently sanitised and released for onward transit.[26][27]

Less than 24 hours later, INS Sumitra rescued 19 Pakistani sailors after pirates hijacked their fishing vessel off the east coast of Somalia the previous day. Eleven armed pirates climbed onto another Iranian-flagged fishing vessel FV Al Naeemi and took 19 crew members, all Pakistanis, as hostage. The Navy warship intercepted the fishing vessel and coerced the pirates to release the hostages. The Navy warship intercepted the fishing vessel and forced the pirates to release the hostages with the help of MARCOS, a special forces unit of the Indian Navy, onboard. The warship intercepted the vessel on January 29 and surrounded it. The aggressive posturing by INS Sumitra aimed to compel pirates to surrender and leave the ship. Warning shots were then fired in the water to pressurise the Somali pirates who had taken control of the vessel the Indian Navy deployed its Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) Dhruv, which flew over the ship, a psychological tactic used by the Navy to create fear in the mind of the enemy to force a surrender. The Somali pirates were scared to see the Indian Navy and dumped their weapons when INS Sumitra approached closer. Armed with Tavor TAR-21, an Israeli assault rifle and other combat gear, the MARCOS brought the pirates and were disarmed. No injuries were reported in the swift operation conducted by the Navy, which captured Kalashnikovs and several mobile and satellite phones from their possession.[28] The incident took place in Southern Arabian Sea approximately 850 nautical miles west of Kochi, and prevented misuse of these fishing vessels as mother ships for further acts of piracy on Merchant Vessels.[29][30][31][32][33]

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  • Admiral RK Dhowan, Chief of the Naval Staff, unveiling the plaque of INS Sumitra along with Vice Admiral Satish Soni, FOC-in-C, East and Ships Commanding officer Commander MM Mokashi
    Admiral RK Dhowan, Chief of the Naval Staff, unveiling the plaque of INS Sumitra along with Vice Admiral Satish Soni, FOC-in-C, East and Ships Commanding officer Commander MM Mokashi
  • USS Russell (DDG-59) with INS Sumitra during a passex exercise
    USS Russell (DDG-59) with INS Sumitra during a passex exercise
  • INS Sumitra during her trials
    INS Sumitra during her trials

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "INS Sunayna to Extend SNC's Reach". Press Information Bureau. 15 October 2013. Retrieved 16 October 2013.
  2. ^ a b "Goa Shipyard Limited delivers INS Sumitra to Indian Navy". The Times of India. 18 July 2014. Retrieved 18 July 2014.
  3. ^ IANS (4 February 2016). "Offshore patrol vessel INS Sumitra to serve as presidential yacht". GulfNews. Retrieved 29 March 2018.
  4. ^ "INS Sunayna commissioned to enhance Indian navy's prowess". The Indian Express. 16 October 2013. Archived from the original on 17 October 2013. Retrieved 16 October 2013.
  5. ^ "Goa Shipyard Ltd delivers offshore patrol vessel to Navy". Business Standard. 16 January 2014. Retrieved 16 January 2014.
  6. ^ "INS Sumitra: Goa Shipyard Launches Naval Offshore Patrol Vessel (NOPV)". Marine Buzz. 8 December 2010. Archived from the original on 26 July 2014. Retrieved 18 July 2014.
  7. ^ "'Sumitra' inducted into navy". The Hindu. 7 December 2010. Retrieved 18 July 2014.
  8. ^ "Navy's largest patrolling vessel INS Sumitra commissioned". The Economic Times. 4 September 2014. Archived from the original on 5 September 2014. Retrieved 5 September 2014.
  9. ^ a b c "Explained: How India evacuated 5000 stranded in Yemen". The Indian Express. 10 April 2015. Archived from the original on 12 April 2015. Retrieved 11 April 2015.
  10. ^ "Indian ship in periphery of Yemen waters, awaits local clearance". First Post. 31 March 2015. Archived from the original on 3 April 2015. Retrieved 31 March 2015.
  11. ^ "New Delhi will send two ships to Yemen to evacuate stranded Indians". The Times of India. 27 March 2015. Archived from the original on 30 March 2015. Retrieved 31 March 2015.
  12. ^ "Delhi sends 2 ships to conflict-hit Yemen to evacuate Indians". The Times of India. 30 March 2015. Archived from the original on 7 April 2015. Retrieved 31 March 2015.
  13. ^ Oman, Times of (7 April 2015). "Salalah transit for Indian rescue flight from Yemen". Times of Oman. Archived from the original on 7 April 2015. Retrieved 7 April 2015.
  14. ^ "India evacuates 4,640 nationals, 960 others from Yemen". www.oneindia.com. 10 April 2015. Archived from the original on 29 April 2015. Retrieved 11 April 2015.
  15. ^ Kumar, Hari (10 April 2015). "India Concludes Evacuation of Its Citizens From Yemen". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 20 April 2015. Retrieved 11 April 2015.
  16. ^ a b "India evacuates 232 foreigners including Americans, Europeans from Yemen". The Times of India. 7 April 2015. Archived from the original on 7 April 2015. Retrieved 7 April 2015.
  17. ^ "Czechs seek help from India in Yemen". Prague Post & The Voice of Prague. 7 April 2015. Archived from the original on 8 April 2015. Retrieved 8 April 2015.
  18. ^ "India appreciates Pakistan's gesture of evacuating its nationals from Yemen". The Times of India. 8 April 2015. Archived from the original on 12 April 2015. Retrieved 8 April 2015.
  19. ^ "Yemen crisis: Number of Indian evacuees reach 4000 mark". Zee News. 7 April 2015. Archived from the original on 13 April 2015. Retrieved 7 April 2015.
  20. ^ "4,000 Indians rescued so far, Yemen air evacuation op to end on Wed". hindustantimes.com. 7 April 2015. Archived from the original on 7 April 2015. Retrieved 7 April 2015.
  21. ^ "India Pulls Off Great Escape in Yemen, 4000 Evacuated From War Zone". NDTV. 8 April 2015. Archived from the original on 8 April 2015. Retrieved 8 April 2015.
  22. ^ "Yemen: India ends Operation 'Rahat', 200 refuse to leave". Sify. 11 April 2015. Archived from the original on 15 April 2015. Retrieved 11 April 2015.
  23. ^ "IN Ships return to Hero's Welcome". indiannavy.nic.in. Indian Navy. 18 April 2015. Archived from the original on 24 April 2015. Retrieved 20 April 2015.
  24. ^ "MV Kavararatti and MV Corals arrive at Kochi". indiannavy.nic.in. Indian Navy. 18 April 2015. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 20 April 2015.
  25. ^ "EXERCISE NASEEM AL BAHR - 2022 SEA PHASE". Press Information Bureau. 24 November 2022. Retrieved 21 October 2024.
  26. ^ "Indian Navy rescues Iranian vessel hijacked by pirates". Hindustan Times. 29 January 2024. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
  27. ^ "In swift response, Indian Navy saves another hijacked vessel off Somalia". The Times of India. 29 January 2024. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
  28. ^ "Warning Shots, Aerial Dominance: How Navy Rescued Vessels From Pirates". NDTV.com. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
  29. ^ "Indian Naval ship Sumitra rescues Pakistani crew from Somali pirates - India News". www.wionews.com. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
  30. ^ "Indian Navy foils second hijacking bid in Arabian Sea in 24 hours". Hindustan Times. 30 January 2024. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
  31. ^ "India news updates LIVE: Indian naval ship rescues 19 Pakistani nationals from Somali Pirates". Moneycontrol. 30 January 2024. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
  32. ^ "Indian Navy Rescues 19 Pakistan Nationals In Another Operation Against Somali Pirates In Arabian Sea". Free Press Journal. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
  33. ^ "Navy Rescues 19 Pak Sailors Kidnapped By Pirates, Second Op In 2 Days". NDTV.com. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
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