As Rough As It May Seem,It's Still Steady As You Go...
The amphibious troop carrier INS Jalashwa has arrived at its
homeport of Visakhapatnam, the headquarters of the Indian
Navy's Eastern Fleet, it was announced Thursday.
The vessel, the second largest in the navy after the aircraft
carrier INS Viraat, was accorded a warm reception when it
arrived at Visakhapatnam Wednesday afternoon.
INS Jalashwa, the name means hippopotamus in Sanskrit,
was commissioned into the Indian Navy after an extensive
refit at Norfolk in the US on June 22.
It was to have been ceremoniously received at Mumbai
Sep 10 but this was apparently dropped due to protests of
India's Left parties against the five-nation joint naval drill
Malabar-2007 staged in the Bay of Bengal Sep 4-9. The
vessel was then diverted to Visakhapatnam.
With its Motto 'The Fearless Pioneers', INS Jalashwa is an
assault ship that can embark, transport and land various
elements of an amphibious force to support operations ashore.
This is the first ship to be transferred from the US, besides
being the first Landing Platform Dock (LPD) to be acquired
by the Indian Navy.
INS Jalashwa is equipped with a Landing Craft Mechanized
(LCM-8), as also six Sea King helicopters, radars and rapid
firing guns to undertake maritime surveillance operations,
special operations, search and rescue missions, and medical
support and humanitarian relief operations.
The ship's specialty is a 'well deck' that can be flooded by
opening a hinged gate at the vessel's rear end to launch LCM-8.
The ship's cargo space enhances its equipment carrying capability.
Unlike regular warships, INS Jalashwa has a flight deck from which
four medium helicopters can operate simultaneously. This deck can
also be used to operate vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft
like the Sea Harrier in special circumstances.
Since the ship is capable of embarking over 1,000 troops, she is fully
equipped with extensive medical facilities including four operation
theatres, a 12-bed ward, a laboratory and a dental centre to take care
of the healthcare needs of the embarked personnel.
Captain B.S. Ahluwalia, a helicopter pilot, commands INS Jalashwa
that is manned by a crew of 27 officers and 380 sailors. With a length
of about 175 metres and width of 32 metres, the ship is capable of
travelling 20 knots an hour.
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