Viraat departs for Alang on her final journey from Mumbai

The world’s longest serving aircraft carrier INS Viraat, which was decommissioned from naval service in March 2017, set on its final journey on Saturday from naval dockyard Mumbai to Ship breaking yard in Alang, Gujarat.

The world’s oldest aircraft carrier, INS Viraat, which was in service with the Indian Navy was decommissioned at the Naval Dockyard in Mumbai in March 2017. The Centaur-class carrier, spent 30 years in the Indian Navy as it’s flag ship after 27 years in the Royal Navy as HMS Hermes.

After decommissioning, the ship was berthed in naval dockyard Mumbai for last three years. She was auctioned in an e-auction for 38.54 crores to a Gujarat based firm Shree Ram Shipping company.

The carrier commissioned on 12 May 1987 and decommissioned on 06 March 2017 after serving for nearly three decades. It has been at sea for 2258 days covering 590000 Nm and 22622 hrs of flying operations.

Some related info on Viraat:-

Op Parakram Oct 2001- Jul2002

Crew 1500 , Aircrafts 25

Fighter Air Craft- Sea Harrier, Helicopter- Sea King 42 B/C, Chetak, Kamov 31, ALH

Op Pawan at Sri Lanka from 18 Jul- 17 Aug 1989.