'Decommissioned' INS Khukri reaches Diu, will be up for public viewing soon

INS Khukri, the first indigenously built missile corvette that was decommissioned after 32 years of service in December last year, reached Diu on Sunday.

Collector, Diu, Saloni Rai told ANI, "INS Khukri, first indigenously built missile corvette that was decommissioned after 32 years of service in December 2021, reached Diu. Diu administration will get it formally on January 26 and will be available for public viewing."

INS Khukri, the first of the indigenously built Missile Corvettes, was decommissioned after 32 years of glorious service on December 23, 2021.

The corvette was built by the Mazagaon Dock Shipbuilders on August 23, 1989 and had the distinction of being part of both the Western and Eastern Fleets. The ship was commissioned in Mumbai by Krishna Chandra Pant, the then Defence Minister and Sudha Mulla, wife of late Captain Mahendra Nath Mulla, MVC with Commander (now Vice Admiral Retired) Sanjeev Bhasin as her first Commanding Officer.

During its service, the ship was commanded by 28 Commanding Officers and traversed a distance of over 6,44,897 nautical miles, which is equivalent to navigating around the world 30 times or 3 times the distance between the Earth and the Moon.

The ship was affiliated with the Gorkha Brigade of the Indian Army and Lieutenant General PN Ananthanarayan, SM, President Gorkha Brigade, attended the solemn ceremony.