INS Mormugao All Set To Enhance India’s Maritime Prowess

On Sunday, the stealth-guided missile destroyer INS Mormugao will be commissioned into the Indian Navy, considerably boosting the country's maritime dominance and defense capabilities in the Indian Ocean region. INS Mormugao is Project 15B's second stealth-guided missile destroyer. On November 21, last year, INS Visakhapatnam was officially commissioned into the Indian Navy. Project 15B's four ships were covered by a contract signed in 2011. The Project's four ships have the names of significant cities: Visakhapatnam, Mormugao, Imphal, and Surat. The ship, made of domestic steel, would be among one of the largest destroyers ever manufactured in India. INS Mormugao, named after a Goan city, is designed by the Warship Design Bureau, the Indian Navy’s in-house organization, and built by Mazagaon Dock Shipbuilders. A statement from the Indian Navy revealed that the ship is 163 metres long and 17 metres wide, with a displacement of 7,400 tonnes when fully loaded and has a maximum speed of 30 knots. According to the Indian Navy, the project has about 75% indigenous content overall. Major indigenous weapons like Medium Range Surface-to-Air Missiles, BrahMos, Torpedo Tube and Rocket launchers have been installed on the destroyer. Launched on September 17, 2016, the ship set off for its initial sea mission on December 19 last year on the occasion of the anniversary of Goa Liberation Day.