Mormugao, a P15B stealth-guided missile destroyer, will be commissioned into the Indian Navy in the presence of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, at the Naval Dockyard in Mumbai on Sunday.

The event marks the formal induction into the Navy of the second of the four ‘Visakhapatnam’ class destroyers, indigenously designed by the Indian Navy’s in-house organisation, Warship Design Bureau and constructed by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited, Mumbai.

The majestic ship measures 163m in length, and 17 m in breadth with a displacement of 7400 tonnes and can rightfully be regarded as one of the most potent warships to have been constructed in India.

The ship is propelled by four powerful Gas Turbines, in a Combined Gas and Gas (COGAG) configuration, capable of achieving speeds in excess of 30 knots. The ship has enhanced stealth features resulting in a reduced Radar Cross Section (RCS).

Mormugao is packed with sophisticated state-of-the-art weapons and sensors such as Surface to Surface Missile and Surface to Air Missiles. The ship is fitted with a modern Surveillance Radar which provides target data to the gunnery weapon systems of the ship. The ship’s Anti-Submarine Warfare capabilities are provided by the indigenously developed Rocket Launchers, Torpedo Launchers and ASW helicopters. The ship is equipped to fight under Nuclear, Biological and Chemical (NBC) warfare conditions.

A unique feature of this ship is the high level of indigenisation of about 75 per cent incorporated in the production, accentuating the national objective of ‘AatmaNirbhar Bharat’. Some of the major indigenised equipment/systems onboard Mormugao include Surface to Surface and Surface to Air Missiles, Torpedo Tubes and Launchers, Anti-Submarine Rocket Launchers, Super Rapid Gun Mount besides, Combat Management System, Integrated Platform Management System, Automated Power Management System, Foldable Hangar Doors, Helo Traversing system, Close-in Weapon System and Bow mounted SONAR. Major OEMs as well as small MSMEs such as BEL, L&T, Godrej, Marine Electrical Brahmos, Technico, Kineco, Jeet & Jeet, Sushma Marine, Techno Process, etc. have all contributed to the making of the mighty Mormugao.

With a clear focus on indigenisation and self-reliance, 42 out of the 44 ships and submarines under construction are being built in Indian Shipyards, thus further enhancing the government’s efforts towards ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’.

Named after the historic port city of Goa on the West coast, Mormugao coincidentally undertook her first sea sortie on 19 December 2021, when Goa celebrated 60 years of liberation from Portuguese rule. Her commissioning on the eve of the Goa Liberation Day will further augment the Indian Navy’s mobility, reach and flexibility toward the accomplishment of its role and tasks in the Indian Ocean and beyond.