The ''Pondicherry'' class are a class of
minesweeper
A minesweeper is a small warship designed to remove or detonate naval mines. Using various mechanisms intended to counter the threat posed by naval mines, minesweepers keep waterways clear for safe shipping.
History
The earliest known usage of ...
s built for the
Indian Navy
The Indian Navy is the maritime branch of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Navy. The Chief of Naval Staff, a four-star admiral, commands the navy. As a blue-water navy, it operates si ...
by the
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
. They are modified versions of the . The vessels were acquired in two batches. The first were purchased from 1977 to 1980 and the second from 1986 to 1988. Technically, the second batch is referred to as the ''Karwar'' class but are physically identical to the first batch with the exception of additional
surface-to-air missiles. As minesweepers, they are large and heavily armed. They can serve a dual purpose as an
anti-submarine warfare
Anti-submarine warfare (ASW, or in older form A/S) is a branch of underwater warfare that uses surface warships, aircraft, submarines, or other platforms, to find, track, and deter, damage, or destroy enemy submarines. Such operations are t ...
escort. Their hulls are constructed of U3 low magnetic signature steel.
M61–M66 were based at
Mumbai
Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' fin ...
formed the 19 Mine Countermeasures Squadron (MCMS) and were decommissioned by the March 2015.
M67–M72 are based at
Visakhapatnam
, image_alt =
, image_caption = From top, left to right: Visakhapatnam aerial view, Vizag seaport, Simhachalam Temple, Aerial view of Rushikonda Beach, Beach road, Novotel Visakhapatnam, INS Kursura submarine museu ...
and form the 21 Mine Countermeasures Squadron (MCMS).
INS ''Konkan'' suffered minor fire accident in
Vizag
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, image_caption = From top, left to right: Visakhapatnam aerial view, Vizag seaport, Simhachalam Temple, Aerial view of Rushikonda Beach, Beach road, Novotel Visakhapatnam, INS Kursura submarine museu ...
dry dock on 4 December 2013. She was operational by January 2014.
INS ''Kozhikode'' was the last ship in the series to be decommissioned on 13 April 2019.
Ships
See also
*
List of Indian Navy ships
References
https://www.indiannavy.nic.in/content/decommissioning-indian-naval-ships-konkan-cannanore-and-cuddalore
External links
Pondicherry Class - Bharat Rakshak* http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/india/m-pondicherry.htm
* http://www.hazegray.org/worldnav/asiapac/india.htm#6
*
{{Ship classes of the Indian Navy
Mine warfare vessel classes
India–Soviet Union relations