INS Imphal to have separate accommodation, facilities as women sailors to serve on warship

The Indian Navy is set to assign women sailors to its newest guided-missile destroyer, INS Imphal, in February-March 2024 as the country’s first warship with separate accommodation for women officers and sailors prepares for its operational deployment on the high seas, boosting the navy’s ability to secure India’s economic and military interests, officials aware of the matter said.

- Rahul Singh

INS Imphal, which was commissioned into the navy on December 26, has separate messes (accommodation) for males and females for privacy, and the indigenous warship can carry a crew of 360, including 20 women, the officials said. It has berthing facilities for eight women officers and 12 Agniveers with attached washrooms.

Sub Lieutenant Anjali Mohapatra, the destroyer’s deputy logistics officer, is currently the only woman serving on board. The 24-year-old officer is the first woman to be part of a warship’s commissioning crew in the navy’s history.

“We have designated messes for women officers and sailors. The warship’s layout is such that extra accommodation can be created for them as their numbers will only increase in service. We can convert nearby messes into berthing areas for women if need be,” said the warship’s commanding officer Captain Kamal Kumar Choudhury.