The Indian Coast Guard decommissioned one of its patrol vessels in a ceremony on Saturday, September 19.
ICGS Savitribai Phule is the final one of seven Sarojini Naidu-class fast patrol vessels (FPVs) to be built for the Indian Coast Guard by Goa Shipyard.
Savitribai Phule, which was homeported in Mangalore, served for nearly 20 years, having been commissioned on October 28, 2006. She is also the fourth FPV in her class to be retired from service, having been decommissioned in just under a month after her sister ICGS Meera Behn.
The Sarojini Naidu-class vessels were built to be capable of shallow-water operation. Their missions included anti-smuggling and anti-terrorism patrols, fisheries enforcement, and search and rescue (SAR).
Savitribai Phule was also involved in a successful SAR operation on February 28, 2025, when her crew evacuated 18 individuals from a burning fishing boat in the Arabian Sea off the coast of Maharashtra State.
The Sarojini Naidu-class FPVs were also configured to be capable of supporting the Indian Navy during wartime by serving as convoy escorts and communications relay ships.
Savitribai Phule has a length of 48 metres, a beam of 7.5 metres, a draught of only two metres, a displacement of 259 tonnes, and a crew complement of six officers and 36 enlisted sailors. Her armament included a 30mm naval gun and two 12.7mm machine guns.
Three MTU 2,720kW diesel engines delivered a top speed of 35 knots and a range of 1,500 nautical miles at 12 knots.
