Kolkata, Apr 04: India launches warship capable of carrying main battle tanks. India's state-owned Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) on Saturday (April 3) launched a warship capable of carrying main battle tanks (MBTs). The newly-built auxiliary warship was launched by Renu Bansal, wife of Vice Admiral O.P Bansal, chief of Eastern Naval Command at the docks in eastern Calcutta, capital city of West Bengal state. The ship, fitted with state-of-the-art armaments, was named INS (Indian naval ship) Shardul.
Vice Admiral O.P Bansal lauded GRSE for building the warship in a record time of 14 months.


"Today, in the launching of this ship, GRSE (Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers) has been able to achieve some major milestones...Keel laying to launching has been achieved in 14 months, which is indeed a landmark," Bansal said.


"Shardul" is fitted with remote controlled propulsion system and battle damage control systems.


The warship is 124.8 meters long and 17.5 meters wide with a deep displacement of 5600 tonnes. It can carry 11 MBTs, 10 armoured vehicles and 500 troops excluding the ship crew and achieve a speed of 15.8 knots.


The landing ships, bearing battle tanks, accompany expeditionary forces during assaults on beaches.


Bureau Report