VISAKHAPATNAM: INS Rajput, the first destroyer of the Indian Navy, was decommissioned at Naval Dockyard here on Friday after serving the country for 41 years.The decommissioning was done in a low-key ceremony. The National Flag, naval ensign and the decommissioning pennant were lowered in the presence of Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Eastern Naval Command Vice Admiral Ajendra Bahadur Singh.Ajendra Bahadur Singh also released a special postal cover to mark the occasion.INS Rajput, the lead ship of the Kashin-class destroyers built by the erstwhile USSR, was commissioned on May 4, 1980.
It was built at the 61 Communards Shipyard in Nikolaev (now in Ukraine) under original Russian name ‘Nadezhny’ meaning ‘Hope’. The keel of the ship was laid on September 11 in 1976 and she was commissioned on September 17, 1977. The ship was commissioned as INS Rajput on May 4, 1980 at Poti in Georgia by then Ambassador of India to USSR IK Gujral.Captain Gulab Mohanlal Hiranandani was its first Commanding Officer. Over its four decades of glorious service to the nation, the ship had the distinction of serving in both Western and Eastern Fleets. Rajput was based in Mumbai till June 1988 and thereafter it was rebased at Visakhapatnam as part of the Eastern Fleet.
The ship was equipped with an array of weapons and sensors including surface-to-surface missiles, surface-to-air missiles, anti-aircraft guns, torpedoes, and anti-submarine rocket launchers. INS Rajput was also the first ship to be fitted to fire supersonic cruise and long-range BrahMos missiles. The ship was also the first Indian Naval Ship to be affiliated with an Indian Army regiment, the Rajput Regiment.
INS Rajput participated in several operations aimed at keeping the country secure. Some of these include Operation ‘Aman’ off Sri Lanka to assist IPKF, operation ‘Pawan’ for patrolling duties off the coast of Sri Lanka, operation ‘Cactus’ to resolve hostage situation off the Maldives, and operation ‘Crowsnest’ off Lakshadweep. The ship also participated in various relief operations which include cyclone relief operations off Odisha Coast in 1999, relief operations post Tsunami in Andaman and Nicobar Islands in 2004 and HADR mission after the earthquake at Jakarta.In 41 years of service, the ship had 31 commanding officers.