Having served 29 years under the Indian Navy, the world’s oldest aircraft carrier INS Viraat will be decommissioned later this year. The ship will be towed back to Mumbai from Kochi, for completion of the decommissioning ceremony, where it had arrived earlier in July for Essential Repairs and Dry Docking (ERDD) which was completed on September 4, 2016.  INS Viraat, the world’s oldest aircraft carrier, was accorded a grand send-off from the port city here on Sunday, after over five decades of its service to the Indian Navy. The ship, which underwent a decommissioning refit, is being towed back by three tugs to Mumbai for the decommissioning ceremony, a Navy official said here.

Prior to being commissioned in Indian Navy on May 12, 1987, the aircraft career had also served with UK’s Royal Navy for 27 years under the name HMS Hermes. That makes a total of 56 years of operational service, making it the oldest serving warship. The final journey of the carrier began with Navy officials led by the Chief of Staff, Southern Naval Command, Rear Admiral Nadkarni bidding farewell to the carrier at Ernakulam Wharf of Cochin Port Trust on Sunday morning.  Viraat is expected to be decommissioned by end of this year, after 55 years of service, including 27 years with the Royal Navy (British Navy).

Viraat was completed and commissioned in 1959 as the Royal Navy’s HMS Hermes and was transferred to India in 1987. The AP government had shown a keen interest in getting INS Viraat, the oldest aircraft carrier operated by Indian Navy, to berth in Vizag for promotion of tourism after its decommissioning. It is to be handed over to the Andhra Pradesh government after decommissioning, and is likely to be converted into a museum.

The last operational deployment of the ship was the participation in International Fleet Review (IFR-2016) at Vishakhapatanam on February 2016. The Sea Harrier fleet was also decommissioned at Goa in May 2016. Under the Indian Flag, various aircrafts have flown more than 22,034 hours from the decks of INS Viraat.
The ship has also participated in various international joint exercises like Malabar (with US Navy), Varuna (with French Navy), Naseem-Al-Bahr (with Oman Navy) and has been an integral element of annual Theater Level Operational Exercise (TROPEX).
Many suggestions have come up regarding INS Viraat’s future, with eastern coastal states considered to be the ideal place to preserve INS Viraat after the decommissioning.

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