INS Vindhyagiri (F42)


INS Vindhyagiri
Career  Indian Navy
Name: INS Vindhyagiri
Commissioned: 8 July 1981
Fate: Capsized after collision on 31 Jan 2011
General characteristics
Class and type: Nilgiri class frigate
Displacement: 2682 tons (standard)
2962 tons (full load)
Length: 113 m
Beam: 13 m
Draught: 4.3 m
Propulsion: 2 x 550 psi boilers
2 x 30,000 hp motors
Speed: 28 knots
Range: 4000 miles @ 12 knots
Complement: 267 (incl 17 officers)[1]
Sensors and
processing systems:
Signaal DA05 / BEL PFN513 radar
Signaal LW08 / BEL RAWL02 surface radar
Signaal ZW06 / BEL RASHMI navigation radar
Signaal M-45 navigation radar
Westinghouse SQS-505 / Graesby 750 sonar
Type 170 active attack sonar
Armament: 2 x MK.6 Vickers 115mm guns
4 x AK-230 30mm guns
2 x Oerlikon 20mm guns
2 x triple ILAS 3 324 mm torpedo tubes with Whitehead A244S or the Indian NST-58 torpedoes
Aircraft carried: 1 Westland Sea King or HAL Chetak

INS Vindhyagiri (F42) is a Nilgiri class frigate of the Indian Navy. Vindhyagiri was commissioned on 8 July 1981, but capsized after colliding with a merchant vessel on 30 January 2011.

January 2011 collision

On 30 January 2011, it collided with a Cyprus flag merchant ship MV Nordlake near Sunk Rock lighthouse at the entrance of Mumbai harbour at 3:30 pm. It is reported that several civilians including family members of the crew were on board at the time of the incident. No casualties were reported. [2] A major fire broke out due to the collision which took more than 15 hours to control. It also caused a major crack in the hull of the ship.

On 31 January 2011, the ship sank due to the damage caused by the fire.[3]

INS Vindhyagiri settled on the sea bed at the Mumbai Naval Dockyard due to flooding in some of its compartments. "The place where the ship is berthed hardly has enough water. It is just seven metres deep. The ship touched the bottom because of flooding in some compartments. She is on the sea bed. Of course, she can be recovered," Chief Public Relations Officer (Defence) Captain M. Nambiar told The Hindu.[4]

June 2011

After nearly five months under water below Berth No 5 in South Breakwater at the Naval Dockyard, warship INS Vindhyagiri was hauled up almost completely by late Tuesday, thanks to the painstaking efforts of a large team of salvors and a giant floating crane.

References