INS Viraat Decommissioned

A glorious era of INS Viraat being the flagship of the Indian Navy came to an end on March 6, 2017.

INS Viraat, the second Centaur class aircraft carrier in ser-vice which has spent 30 years in the Indian Navy and 27 years in the Royal Navy, was decommissioned, in a solemn yet grand ceremony at the Naval Dockyard in Mumbai. The decommissioning ceremony was attended by over 1,300 personnel who have served onboard INS Viraat.

Admiral Sir Philip Jones, KCB, ADC, First Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Staff of Royal Navy; Vice Admiral Vinod Pasricha, PVSM, AVSM, NM the commissioning Commanding Officer of INS Viraat, were the guests of honour, while Admiral Sunil Lanba, PVSM, AVSM, ADC, Chief of the Naval Staff, was the chief guest for the ceremony.

To commemorate “30 years of Glorious Service to the Nation” by INS Viraat, a special postal cover was released by the chief guest on the occasion.