INS ''Pondicherry'' (M61) was a ''Pondicherry'' class minesweeper in service with the Indian Navy, built by the

Sredne-Nevskiy Shipyard The Middle Neva Shipbuilding Plant (russian: Средне-Невский судостроительный завод, Sredne-Nevskiy sudostroitelnyy zavod) was founded before the end of the 19th century in Saint Petersburg, Russia. In 1917 it emplo ...

at Saint Petersburg in Russia. She was the lead ship of this class. ''Pondicherry'' served the Indian Navy from 1978 to 2007. She was named after Puducherry, a union territory of India which at the time was known as ''Pondicherry''. On 15 February 1989 ''Pondicherry'' was painted white and used as the Presidential yacht for the Fleet Review by President

R. Venkataraman Ramaswamy Venkataraman (, 4 December 191027 January 2009) was an Indian lawyer, Indian independence activist and politician who served as a Union Minister and as the eighth president of India. Venkataraman was born in Rajamadam village in Ta ...

. She reverted to her normal role and colour on completion. She was based at Mumbai.

References

''Pondicheery'' (''Natya 1'') class at Bharat-Rakshak.
Retrieved on 2009-04-29. {{DEFAULTSORT:Pondicherry (M61), INS Pondicherry-class minesweepers Ships built in the Soviet Union India–Soviet Union relations 1978 ships Ships built at Sredne-Nevskiy Shipyard