INS Dunagiri

History
India
Name:	INS Dunagiri
Namesake:	Dunagiri peak
Builder:	Mazgaon Docks
Launched:	9 March 1974
Commissioned:	5 May 1977
Decommissioned:	20 Oct 2010[1]
Fate:	Decommissioned
General characteristics
Class and type:	Nilgiri-class frigate
Displacement:	2682 tons (standard) 2962 tons (full load)
Length:	113 m (371 ft)
Beam:	13 m (43 ft)
Draught:	4.3 m (14 ft)
Propulsion:	2 × 550 psi boilers 2 × 30,000 hp (22,000 kW) motors
Speed:	28 knots (52 km/h; 32 mph)
Range:	4,000 nmi (7,400 km; 4,600 mi) at 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph)
Complement:	267 (incl 17 officers)[2]
Sensors and processing systems:	Signaal DA05 / BEL PFN513 radar Signaal LW08 / BEL RAWL02 surface radar Signaal ZW06 / BEL RASHMI navigation radar Signaal M-45 navigation radar Westinghouse SQS-505 / Graesby 750 sonar Type 170 active attack sonar
Armament:	2 × MK.6 Vickers 115 mm guns 4 × AK-230 30 mm guns 2 × Oerlikon 20 mm guns 2 × triple ILAS 3 324 mm torpedo tubes with Whitehead A244S or the Indian NST-58 torpedoes
Aircraft carried:	1 Westland Sea King or HAL Chetak

INS Dunagiri (F36) was a Nilgiri-class frigate of the Indian Navy that served for 33 years between its commissioning on 5 May 1977 and its decommissioning on 20 October 2010.

Name

Named after the Himalayan peak, Dunagiri, the ship was a Nilgiri-class frigate that was a part of the Navy's 14th Frigate Squadron.^[3] Dunagiri's crest had a Himalayan Osprey on it and her motto read Victory is My Profession.^[4]

Operational history

Dunagiri was the fourth of the Nilgiri-class frigates to be built at the Mazgaon Docks an it took almost 58 months from the commencement of production till her final delivery to the Navy. However, Dunagiri also had a large number of indigenously produced equipment in her although much of her firepower and radars and sensors were of British or Dutch origin.^[5] Vice-admiral S Jain who later served as flag-officer-commanding-in-chief of the Western Naval Command was the Dunagiri's first commanding officer.^[3]

Operational issues

Dunagiri underwent a medium refit in 1990 but the process took 40 months against a normal schedule of 12 months, being finally completed in February 1994. India's Comptroller and Auditor General observed that the delay in the work had not only failed to rectify the ship's main defects but had also led to corrosive damage to it on account of prolonged detention at the shipyard that necessitated a short refit in 1995 and cost overruns of ₹4.52 crores.^[6][7]

In 2006 Dunagiri was involved in a collision off the coast of Mumbai when it struck a Shipping Corporation of India merchant vessel, MV Kiti. Although there were no casualties the frigate suffered damage and required extensive repairs.^[8][9]

Commemoration

On its decommissioning a philatelic cover featuring Dunagiri and a special cancellation mark featuring the ship's crest were issued by India Post.^[10][11]

References

1. Naval ship INS Dunagiri decommissioned
3. "Naval ship INS Dunagiri decommissioned". Hindustan Times. 21 October 2010. Retrieved 16 August 2013.
4. "Leander-Class Frigate INS Vindhyagiri Damaged in Peacetime Accident". Indian Military Review. March 2011. Retrieved 16 August 2013.
5. Hiranandani, G M (2000). Transition to Triumph: History of the Indian Navy, 1965-1975. New Delhi: Lancer. pp. 85, 96. ISBN 9781897829721.
6. "Chapter IV : NAVY - 18. Naval Dockyard, Mumbai". Comptroller and Auditor General of India. Retrieved 16 August 2013.
7. "Naval refit programmes delayed". The Tribune. 22 February 2000. Retrieved 16 August 2013.
8. "Warship collides with SCI vessel off Mumbai coast". Indian Express. 28 September 2006. Retrieved 16 August 2013.
9. "A cruel blow to Navy's weakest link". Indian Express. 15 August 2013. Retrieved 16 August 2013.
10. "Special Cover – Decommissioning of INS Dunagiri – By India Post". Retrieved 16 August 2013.
11. "INS Special Covers - INS Dunagiri". Retrieved 16 August 2013.