On Thursday, the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) ship ‘Kamla Devi,’ the fifth in a series of five swift patrol vessels, was commissioned in Kolkata, news agency IANS reported.
V.S. Pathania, Director General of the ICG, commissioned the ship.
Indian Coast Guard (ICG) ship ‘Kamla Devi’, the fifth in series of five fast patrol vessels, was commissioned in Kolkata.
The ship was commissioned by ICG Director General V.S. Pathania.@IndiaCoastGuard pic.twitter.com/zW99Ksgvbj
— IANS (@ians_india) January 12, 2023
Various Central and state government military and civic figures attended the occasion. With a displacement of 308 tonnes, the ICGS Kamla Devi is 48.9 metres long and 7.5 metres broad.
The ship can reach a maximum speed of 34 knots thanks to MTU 4000 Series Engines and three Rolls Royce 71S type III Kamewa waterjets. M/s Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE) Ltd, Kolkata, constructed the ship entirely in-house.
According to the Ministry of Defence, the ship can perform a variety of functions such as surveillance, interdiction, search and rescue, and medical evacuation.
The ship is outfitted with cutting-edge electronics, navigation and communication systems, sensors, and machinery. The ship also has a 30 mm 2A42 Medak cannon and a 12.7 mm SRCG (stabilised remote controlled gun) to improve its fighting efficiency.
The ICG ship Kamla Devi was named after Kamladevi Chattopadhyay, a well-known Indian social reformer and independence activist.
According to the ICG, she will be remembered for her role to the Indian Independence struggle and for being the driving force behind the revival of Indian handicrafts and handlooms.
She is the first lady in India to run in elections from the Madras seat, which paved the way for women in India.
According to the ministry, she was granted the Sangeet Natak Academy Fellowship in 1974, the highest honour bestowed by India’s national Academy of Music, Dance, and Drama.
The government awarded her the Padma Bhushan and Padma Vibhushan in 1955 and 1987, respectively. She is known as Hatkargha Maa because of her involvement in the handloom industry.
For fast boarding and Search & Rescue missions, the ship possesses one RIB (Rigid Inflatable Boat) and one Gemini Boat, according to a Ministry official.
The ship will be headquartered in Haldia and will be administratively controlled by the Commander, Coast Guard District Headquarters No. 8 (West Bengal) and operationally controlled by the Commander, Coast Guard Region (North East).
(With Inputs From IANS)