Indian Navy Inducts indigenous diving support craft DSC A23

The Indian Navy commissioned DSC A23, an indigenously built diving support craft at Kolkata, enhancing underwater operations, salvage, and coastal capabilities under the Ministry of Defence’s Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiative

New Delhi/Kolkata: The Indian Navy commissioned DSC A23, the fourth of the five Diving Support Craft (DSC), built indigenously, during a ceremony at Titagarh, Kolkata, led by Deepa Sivakumar, in the presence of Vice Admiral B Sivakumar, Chief of Materiel, an official said Monday.

The event on Sunday was conducted with full naval traditions and ceremonial splendour, in the presence of senior officials from the Indian Navy and Titagarh Rail Systems Limited (TRSL), said an official statement issued by the Ministry of Defence.

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Featuring a 30 m long catamaran-hull form and an approximate displacement of 380 tons, these ships offer superior stability, enhanced deck area and improved sea-keeping characteristics, which make them suitable for undertaking diving operations in coastal waters and harbours.

Designed and built in accordance with the Naval Rules and Regulations of the Indian Register of Shipping (IRS), the project underwent extensive Model Testing and Hydrodynamic Analysis at the Naval Science and Technological Laboratory (NSTL), Visakhapatnam, said the statement.

With the induction of these ships, the Navy’s capabilities in diving support, underwater inspection, salvage assistance, and coastal operational deployment will be augmented.

With 70 per cent of main and auxiliary equipment sourced from indigenous manufacturers, Diving Support Craft is a proud flag bearer of Aatmanirbhar Bharat and Make in India initiatives of the Government of India (GoI) and the Ministry of Defence (MoD), said the statement.

In December last year, the Navy commissioned DSC A20, the first of the five Diving Support Craft (DSC), built indigenously, and based at Kochi, an official said.

The event was presided over by Vice Admiral Sameer Saxena, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Southern Naval Command and hosted by Vice Admiral Sanjay Sadhu, Controller of Warship Production and Acquisition, with senior naval officers, representatives of Titagarh Rail System Limited (TRSL), Kolkata, which built the craft.

The contract for building five Diving Support Craft was signed between the Ministry of Defence and TRSL on February 12, 2021, said a statement.