Navy to Decommission INS Rajput after 41 Glorious Years of Service

The first destroyer of the Indian Navy, INS Rajput is set to be decommissioned after 41 years of service.
As per reports from Defence Ministry, INS Rajput will be decommissioned on Friday, May 21.

INS Rajput is the first destroyer of the Indian Navy and was the ship that led the Kashin-class destroyers.
Built by the erstwhile USSR, the destroyer was first commissioned on May 4, 1980, and has rendered loyal service to the Indian Navy for over 41 years.

INS Rajput will be decommissioned at a solemn ceremony at Naval Dockyard, Visakhapatnam. Owing to the ongoing Covid 19 pandemic, the ceremony will be a low-key event.
It will be attended only by the in-station officers and sailors, with strict observance of Covid 19 protocols.
INS Rajput was constructed in the 61 Communards Shipyard in Nikolaev (present-day Ukraine) under her original Russian name ‘Nadezhny’ meaning ‘Hope’.

Over her four decades of glorious service to the nation, the ship has the distinction of serving in both Western and Eastern Fleets.
The ship has participated in several operations aimed at keeping the nation 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.
In addition, the ship participated in numerous bilateral and multi-national exercises. The ship was also the first Indian Naval Ship to be affiliated with an Indian Army regiment – the Rajput Regiment.
In the glorious 41 years of service, the ship had 31 Commanding Officers at her helm with the last CO taking charge of the ship on 14 Aug 2019.

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