The Indian Navy commissioned a new anti-submarine corvette into service in a ceremony in Visakhapatnam on Monday, October 6.
INS Androth is the second unit in a new class of corvettes known as anti-submarine warfare shallow-water craft (ASW SWC). The Arnala-class is being built by a partnership formed by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) and Larsen and Toubro (L&T) as replacements for the Indian Navy’s 1980s-designed Abhay-class corvettes.
GRSE and L&T are responsible for delivering class lead ship INS Arnala, Androth, and six other sister ships while Cochin Shipyard will supply another eight ASW SWCs, which will be known as the Mahe-class. All 16 ships will each have more than 80 per cent indigenous content in line with the Indian Government’s “make in India” initiative.
Androth has a length of 77.6 metres, a beam of 11.26 metres, a draught of only 2.7 metres, a displacement of 900 tons, a gross tonnage of 1,490, and a crew complement of seven officers and 50 enlisted sailors.
The vessel is capable of full-scale, sub-surface surveillance of coastal waters and up to 200 nautical miles from shore as well as search and attack. The vessel can also carry out anti-submarine warfare (ASW) operations in coordination with aircraft. Secondary missions will include search and rescue, port protection minelaying, and limited air defence.
The vessel boasts armament consisting of lightweight torpedoes launched from port and starboard triple tubes, ASW rockets fired from a forward-mounted RBU-6000 launcher, a GRSE-developed 30mm naval gun, and two Browning M2 12.7mm machine guns fitted on remote controlled stabilised mounts.
