Deepak-class fleet tanker
| File:INS Shakti, Deepak Class Fleet Tanker, Indian Navy.jpg INS Shakti en-route to Qingdao, China. | |
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Builders | Fincantieri |
| Operators | File:Naval Ensign of India.svg Indian Navy |
| Preceded by | Aditya class |
| Succeeded by | HSL class |
| In commission | 2011–present |
| Planned | 2 |
| Completed | 2 |
| Active | 2 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Replenishment fleet tanker |
| Displacement | 27,500 tons full load |
| Length | 175 m (574 ft 2 in) |
| Beam | 25 m (82 ft 0 in) |
| Draught | 9.1 m (29 ft 10 in) |
| Propulsion | 10,000 kW (13,000 hp) diesel engine |
| Speed | 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph) |
| Range | 12,000 nmi (22,000 km; 14,000 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph) |
| Complement | 248[1] |
| Armament | 4 × AK-630[2] |
| Aircraft carried | Sea King or HAL Chetak |
| Aviation facilities | Flight deck for helicopter operations |
The Deepak class is a class of fleet replenishment tankers of the Indian Navy built by Fincantieri. Two ships were ordered and the first one joined the fleet on 21 January 2011, while the second joined on 1 October 2011.[3]
History
[edit | edit source]INS Deepak's construction programme by Muggiano Shipyard of Fincantieri, involved three different shipyards of Fincantieri, in a challenging time frame of two years. The ship is double hulled which provides greater safety against oil spillages in accordance with latest MARPOL regulations.
Costs and offset clause
[edit | edit source]Fincantieri announced in October 2008 that it won an order to build a fleet tanker, with an option for another, against competitive bidding from leading international players, especially from Russia and Korea. The contract, worth about 139 million euros includes a second vessel under an option clause which was signed in March 2009. According to an interview published in Defenseworld.net in May 2009, senior BEL executives stated that as part of the offsets for the first fleet tanker, Fincantieri, in 2008, placed an order worth 14.3 million euros for the supply of Composite Communication System, Versatile Communication System, ESM System, Electric Opto Fire Control System and their integration on board the fleet tanker. Bharat Electronics (BEL) will implement this order in 2009.
Ships of the class
[edit | edit source]| Name | Pennant | Homeport | Launched | Commissioned |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| INS Deepak | A50 | Karwar | 12 February 2010 | 21 January 2011[4] |
| INS Shakti | A57 | Visakhapatnam | 11 October 2010 | 1 October 2011[5] |
On 12 February 2010, the first ship of the class INS Deepak was launched. The CAG (Comptroller and Auditor General) reported that substandard steel was chosen which helped Fincantieri to bag the contract quoting lower cost.[6] On 21 January 2011, Deepak was commissioned in a ceremony at the Naval Dockyard, Mumbai by the Defence Minister of India.[7]
INS Shakti is the second Deepak-class fleet tanker. The vessel was launched on 11 October 2010 and commissioned on 1 October 2011.[4][8][9]
Gallery
[edit | edit source]-
INS Viraat approaches the fleet tanker INS Deepak for replenishment at sea.
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The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson and the Indian Navy replenishment oiler INS Shakti conduct a refueling-at-sea exercise
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Yoga onboard Shakti
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Deepak near the Mumbai coast.
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Shakti entering Sattahip, Thailand
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_Replenishment_oiler_27,500_tonnes,_Indian_Navy._(14105281345).jpg){kind=link}
See also
[edit | edit source]References
[edit | edit source]- ^ Bharat-Rakshak.com Fleet Tanker
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
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- ^ a b INS Shakti inducted into the Indian navy
- ^ Shakti for Indian Navy launched at Sestri Ponenete (Genova)
- ^ CAG pokes finger at inferior steel in navy tankers
- ^ 2 new fleet tankers to boost naval presence
- ^ Fleet tanker INS Shakti inducted into Indian Navy
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
