Washington, Jan 18
India has acquired its first warship from the United States to add
punch to its maritime forces. The acquisition of what is technically
known as Landing Platform Dock (LPD)14 is viewed as a significant
event in the evolving Indo-US relationship with free and open access
to sea considered an important and critical challenge by both
navies.
The
hot-transfer of the massive amphibious loading dock, USS Trenton,
the first of its type for the Indian Navy, was accepted by Naval
Attaché, Commodore P Murugesan, at a ceremony at Norfolk Naval base
in Virginia Wednesday.
India has also purchased four Mark Eight landing craft and six H-3
Sea King helicopters to operate from the 173-metre-long vessel that
has seen action in Somalia, Liberia and Lebanon among other places,
landing US troops and rescuing American citizens.
With a displacement of 17,000 tonne, it is set to become the second
largest ship with the Indian Navy after the 28,000-tonne
Hermes-class aircraft carrier Viraat. The vessel has an unrivalled
capacity to carry close to a battalion strength troops and sustain
them over a long duration.
Expected to be formally commissioned into the Indian Navy as INS
Jalashva (Sanskrit for seahorse) sometime in May, the Trenton
flotilla will undergo retrofitting in the US before it sets sail for
Vishakapatnam to join the Eastern Naval Command.
Built by Lockheed at a cost of more than $400 million and
commissioned in 1971, the amphibious ship has been sold to India for
about $48 million under a US Foreign Military Sales (FMS) programme.
After its
formal decommissioning from the US navy Wednesday a full complement
of more than 300 Indian sailors and 27 officers led by Commodore B S
Ahluwalia took charge of the ship.
They have been in Norfolk since Oct 2006 learning the ropes about
one of US's most trusted vessels. The training in harbour and at sea
included handling flight operations, assault craft operations,
weapon firings, machinery space drills, specialist equipment
operations and safety evolutions besides two sea-sorties extending
to about 20 days.
The primary role of the ship is transportation of troops and
logistics for amphibious operations using landing craft and
aircraft, its secondary role could include logistics /technical
support for fleet operations, maritime surveillance/interdiction
operations, humanitarian assistance, disaster relief missions,
non-combatant evacuation operations and hospital ship.
The ship is equipped with good sensors, electronics and self defence
gun systems. it has a large well deck of the size of two basketball
courts that can accommodate four Mechanised Landing Craft (LCM 8)
boats. The LCM-8 can carry troops and vehicles from ship to the
shore.
Its flight deck of the size of two tennis courts is capable of
handling all types of helicopters. The flight deck can be used as
emergency recovery deck for VSTOL aircraft such as the Sea-Harrier.
When loaded with the combat cargo, the ship is designed to propel at
speeds of 20 knots with two Foster Wheeler 600 psi boilers, feeding
steam to two De Laval GT turbines, driving two propellers, providing
12,000 Shaft Horsepower (SHP) each.
Four electrical power generators are also powered by the steam from
the boilers. They can generate 3 MW of electric power, enough
electricity to power a city of 26,000 people. The ship has two
evaporators capable of 25,000 gallons of water a day, each.
The ship's upper and lower vehicle storage areas have significant
cargo space for supplies, equipment, tanks and vehicles of an army
battalion. It also has accommodation and support infrastructure for
900 troops, evacuees or personnel detachments, besides an eight bed
sickbay and dental facilities.
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