INS Viraat (1986)

Indian Aircraft Carrier 1986-2017

During the cold war, India operated one aircraft carrier, the ISN Vikrant from 1961, helping to create a whole generation of Indian naval aviation officers, including veterans of two wars. But after the 1971 war and China’s new stance on the international stage, the need for an eastern fleet, and battle group became an incentive to procure another carrier. On the other side of the globe, Great Britain just emerged from the Falkland war victorious, notably thanks to a famous old carrier, rebuilt twice already, HMS Hermes. With postwar economic austerity, R12 was kept in service until 12 April 1984, but logically be sold for BU. However, negotiations commenced with India, already familiar with this type of ship, basically a modernized WW2 light fleet carrier as Vikrant, for her acquisition.

This was acted in 1986, after a complete refit, and modernized once more before transfer. She was modernized again in 2007, but was decommissioned in 2017, being the last large WW2 ship still in service anywhere at the time (77 years). After a short time as a museum, she met the scrapyard of Alang in 2019. He role, like Vikrant, was invaluable and now with INS Vikramaditya and the new Vikrant, India has once again a two battle group fleet.

Origins and Transfer

INS Viraat had a rather long and interesting story, perhaps one of the most colourful or any WW2 carrier. She was born HMS Elephant, ordered in 1943 and laid down on 21 June 1944 as a Centaur class 1942 program light fleet carrier.

HMS Hermes 1960-1984

Veteran of the Falklands… (London Times).
The latter was the last and most improved version of the earlier Colossus and Majestic classes, but the war ended before she could be launched, let alone be deployed in the Pacific, their awaited theatre of operations. This larger ship topped at 18,300 tonnes and 734 ft (224 m) long with reinforced flight deck and lifts, but between shifting priorities and shortages, construction dragged on until late 1945 and was suspended. Eventually funding was obtained, work resumed on HMS Elephant’s hull in 1952, until she launched on 16 February 1953 but under the new name HMS Hermes after a “names dance” with other ships. She was towed, anchored for a completion resuming in 1957, with the very latest upgrades. She was the last carrier completed of all the light fleet carrier program in 1959.

There were modifications to her decks, lifts, island, hull, radars, armament and power plant. From her completion to full commission in November 1959, she proved a more able flagship, operating better air groups, albeit the swap to the F-4 Phantom II was never realized given her small size. In 1966-67, she became a commando carrier and was modified for this role, and 1980-81 was converted once more as a VTOL carrier, a conversion that was handy when she was thrown into the Falklands war in 1982.
Her latter career is often brushed over, she had an overhaul which ended in November 1982, took part in the last 1982 NATO exercises in the North Atlantic and Mediterranean Sea back as commando carrier in 1983, with exercise Ocean Safari and later scheduled for the reserve, and proposed to Australia to replace HMAS Melbourne but declined. She remained in service until 12 April 1984. In Portsmouth, she remained with a reduced crew flying the White Ensign, close to decommission, which was acted on in 1985, stricken the same year.

Negotiations and Transfer 1985-86

Indeed, at that stage in 1985, India approached the British government about a possible sell, to replace INS Vikrant, an earlier carrier of the same program transferred in 1961, and now completely outdated. After ongoing negotiations to transfer her with a new air park and fully modernized, an agreement was reached. In April 1986, Hermes was towed from Portsmouth reserve to Devonport Dockyard for her ultimate refit and complete modernization overhaul. She was finally recommissioned in Britain as INS Viraat.
Indeed, on the other side of the globe at the same time, India looked for a replacement for INS Vikrant, and launched an evaluation of ships from several countries. That included former carriers from Brazil, Australia, the Netherlands, Argentina, all having variants of the same carriers. Eventually, HMS Hermes with her larger hull and VTOL-optimized features looked the most interesting.

Thus, the Indian Navy purchased the vessel in April 1986 but asked for an extensive upgrade refit, which was performed at Devonport Dockyard, in Plymouth to give her another decade of service and operations. The modifications included primarily new fire control equipment, navigation radars, better NBC protection as the latest deck landing aids. Boilers were also converted to operate on distillate fuel and completely overhauled.

Design of the class

Hull and general design

Essentially, the specifications for the later Hermes remains the same for Viraat: Her displacement was of 23,900 tons standard and 28,700 tons full load, for an overall length of 226.5 m (743 ft), a beam of 48.78 m (160 ft) and draught of 8.8 m (29 ft). Overall, the design remained the same apart to some details in the mast structure and radars. The new forward mast radar for example had an oval bed frame, not rectangular. The aft mast had new sensors under dome, notably and new antennae. Looking on the deck, the repaint was made anew, lifts systems modernized as well as the electrical wiring. The entire internals of the island and some external features changed as well, with new displays in the bridge, new rooms and consoles for the modernized electronics.
The crew amounted now to 2,100 (1,207 ship’s crew + 143 air crew) versus 227 officers and 1,596 ratings or the Centaur class.

Powerplant

No big change on that topic, apart as said above, her four 400 psi-operating boilers converted to operate on distillate fuel. The latter compared to former traditional “heavy fuel oil” uses fuel additives, helping the burn rate, as well as lowering operational costs and contributing to reduced emissions. This was not to improved top speed, since the marginal benefit was eaten up by added weight of upgrades at the same time, but improved range, however. Propulsion relied on the same old (70 years old) two Parsons geared steam turbines. If the turbines were still the same as the ones delivered in 1950 when work resumed, combined with the boilers, overhauled rotors and parts (removed, sanded, polished anew) she was capable of 76,000 shp (57,000 kW). This helped propel her to 28 knots (52 km/h), compared to that was 28.5 knots, but based instead on a 27,000 tonnes displacement. Range was now, based on 4200 tonnes, 6,500 mi (10,500 km) at 14 knots (26 km/h) versus 6,000 nautical miles (11,000 km; 6,900 mi) at 20 knots originally, but reliability of the entire powerplant was somewhat improved and monitored by more modern systems. It was still labour-intensive, though, but there was no shortage of skills from INS Vikrant.

Armament

Traditionally, the 1942 light fleet carrier program vessels were gun-armed only for protection, albeit HMS Hermes ended with two Sea Cat launchers in addition o her initial modernized Bofors guns. These were for lose range defence only. Long range was ensured by her own fighters. In Indian service, INS Viraat opted to replace the Sea cats by its own systems, but it was not done before 2008. She was transferred with her Bofors guns, and still her initial two quadruple Sea Cat SAM, but this was changed in 1995.

40mm Bofors/60 Mark 5

Hermes was originally completed with no less than 32 Bofors in sextuple heavy mounts, but at the end of her career she was down to five twin 40mm/60 Mk 5 mounts. But after transfer in 1985 she was down to just two single mounts. They were removed at last in 2004.

Two quad Sea Cat Missiles

Initially, she entered Indian service with inherited Sea Cat launchers for close range SAM and anti-missile defence. These were GWS.24 (fully automatic engagement) weighting 68 kg (150 lb) for 1.48 x 0.22 x 0.70 m (58 in x 8.7 in x 28 in), Warhead 40 lb (18 kg) continuous-rod, Proximity fuse, 2 stage motor, range 500–5,000 m at Mach 0.8 Guidance SACLOS, radio link, full auto. They were removed as obsolete in 1995 and replaced by Russian AK-230 CIWS (see later).

AK-230 CIWS

Installed in the 1995 refit in place of the former Sea Cats, which themselves replaced Bofors extuple mounts on Hermes. The AK-230 is an old and trusted system also adopted for the largely Soviet-equipped Indian navy in the 1980-90s. This beast of burden of close defence is less fore volume efficient than Gatling style equivalents, but the two liquid cooled barrels still kept a hefty punch, being gas-operated 30 mm autocannons firing at 1000 rpm (per barrel), and a Muzzle velocity 1,050 m/s (3,400 ft/s) up to 6.5 km (21,000 ft) against surface targets, 4 km (13,000 ft) against aircraft and 2 km (6,600 ft) against missiles. The Feed system used 500-round belt.

Barak-1 SAM

The true game changers arrived in the great refit modernization of 2004. Her remaining Bofors were swapped for two VLS (imposing a complete reconstruction of their sponsons) by short-range VLS (quad tubes) for the Barak-1 SAM. Sixteen in all. Each VLS indeed could be indeed reloaded by a side magazine, inside the hull, adjacent to the sponson, with another four tubes. That mean four missiles could be launched either side to deal with any incoming missile or aircraft.
The Barak-1 is considered a CIWS given its small size and range, developed with Israel, IAI and Rafael. “Barak” is indeed Israeli for “lighting” and had other meanings as well. This is a small missile, weighting 98 kg (216 lb), 2.1 m (6.9 ft) long for a diameter of 17 cm (6.7 in) and wingspan of 68,5 cm (27 in). Each carries a 22 kg (49 lb) blast fragmentation warhead with proximity fuse. Range starts at just 500m up to 12 km (0.3–7.5 mi) at max flight altitude of 5.5 km (18,000 ft) and Mach 2.1 (720 m/s (1,600 mph)). It is guided by Radar CLOS guidance.
This trusted system is/was also operational on the Vikramaditya, Delhi-class, Rajput-class destroyer destroyers, Shivalik, Brahmaputra, Godavari class frigate.

Sensors

This changed considerably in her 30 years carrer. At first, the initial Hermes’s suite comprising the Type 984, 982, 262, 974 radars and MRS-3 fire-control system was replaced by the following:
BEL/Signaal RAWL 02 air radar
One RAWS 08 air/surface radar
One BEL Rashmi navigation radars
One EL/M-2221 STGR fire control radar
One Plessey Type 904 radar
One FT 13-S/M Tacan system
One Graseby Type 184M hull-mounted sonar

Protection

Passive

The original armour was kept, meaning she still had an inner belt of 25mm, a flight deck protected by 19mm (0.7 inch), a box-shaped protection of magazines at 51mm (2 inches), and machinery glacis of 25mm (1 inch).

Active

Electronic Warfare: BEL Ajanta ESM System
Chaff: 2 × Knebworth Corvus launchers

Facilities and Equipments

Viraat inherited from the Hermese improved VTOL deck features. She had a 5.3m high hangar, two lifts fore (deck edge lift 16.5 x 10.7m, 15.9t) and aft (centerline lift 16.5 x 13.4m, 15.9t) plus two catapults B5-4 located on the 6.5°-angled flight deck as well as the same 12°-ski-jump ramp in the axis (230t, 45.7 x 13.7 x 4.9m) enabling up to three launches in rapid succession. There is also the latest
The other asset of the design was its amphibious warfare capabilities, with a commando-landing suite of four LCVP and space for 750 equipped troops. The landing crafts are suspended under davits on eiher side amidship-aft.

Air Group

—-illu Harrier Mark 51 Viraat expected—–
The bedrock of its strike capabilities, two squadrons of eight Harrier each, only part of each squadron was carried at any time. The Mark 51 or FSR.51 could operate the british Sea Eagle missile, French Matra Magic AA missiles, 68 mm rockets, runway-denial bombs, cluster bombs, podded 30 mm cannon. In 2006 they were applied the ‘Limited Upgrade Sea Harrier (LUSH)’ program with IAI and Rafael, with an Elta EL/M-2032 radar and ‘Derby’ medium-range AA BVR missile.

Types:

Up to 26 aircraft (max wartime capacity), including:
16 × British Aerospace Sea Harrier FRS51 (in wartime)
4 × Westland Sea King Mk.42B/C* (effective)
2 × HAL Chetak (licenced Aerospatiale Alouette III for SAR/plane guard) (effective)
4 × HAL Dhruv (proper Indian design by Hindustan, introduced from 2011 onwards to replace the Chetak.
According to various sources her air park varied wildly but was below 26.
In 1990 she carried nine Sea Harriers Mk.51 and six sea kings, three of the Mk 42B and three Mark 42C (=15).
In 2000 after her 1995 refit, she carried twelve sea Harriers Mark 51, and same sea kings (=18).
In 2005 she carried the same numbers of Harriers, but lost three Sea Kings Mk42B for four Ka-28 ASW helicopter and three Ka-31, two Chetak (=21).
In 2010 her Harrier group returned to nine, with the same as above for helicopters (=18).
Having four types of helicopters or more is of course a maintenance issue.
*The Sea King Mk 42B are ASW helicopters able to launch Sea Eagle antiship missiles as well. The Viraat’s magazine capacity included at least 80 lightweight torpedoes as well.
The Ka-28 “Helix” are ASW, Ka-31 (Helix) are early warning helicopters, extending greatly the detection bubble around the ship and vectoring fighters. The Chetak are used for liaison to other ships or shore, and plane guard/search and rescue duties.

Sea Harrier LUSH lands off the coast of Malabar 2007

PASSEX post-exercises review, Se Lynx landing on Viraat in 2016.

Squadrons:

INAS 300 White Tigers: BAE Sea Harrier
INAS 552 The Braves: BAE Sea Harrier
INAS 321 Angels: Alouette III/HAL Chetak
INAS 330 Harpoons: Westland Sea King

⚙ specifications (2000s)
Displacement	23,900 tons standard, 28,700 tons full load
Dimensions	226.5 x 48.78 x 8.8m (743 x 160 x 29 ft)
Propulsion	2× Parsons GST, 4 boilers 3-drum 400 psi, 76,000 shp (57,000 kW)
Speed	28 knots (52 km/h)
Range	6,500 mi (10,500 km) at 14 knots (26 km/h)
Armament	2 × 40 mm Bofors AA guns, 16 × Barak SAM VL cells, 2 × twin AK-230 CIWS
Protection	Passive: armour. Active: BEL Ajanta ESM, 2x Knebworth Corvus chaff launchers
Sensors	BEL/Signaal RAWL 02 ASR, RAWS 08 ASR, 2× BEL Rashmi NR, EL/M-2221 STGR FCR, Plessey Type 904, FT 13-S/M Tacan, Graseby Type 184M sonar
Air Group	26 aircraft, Sea Harrier Mk.51, Westland Sea King Mk.42, HAL Chetak, HAL Dhruv, Ka-28/31
Crew	2,100 (1,207 ship’s crew, 143 air crew)

Career of INS Viraat

HMS Hermes sailing from Devonport as Viraat, 1987
INS Viraat final days, in full regalia with her escort, 2017. src

India Today reported in 1988 PM Rajiv Gandhi and politicians, media persons were in board Viraat for a cruise to Bangaram Atoll, Lakshadweep (accused to be “holidays” and refuted). By September 1993 there was a pump error and one machinery room was flooded, so she needed repairs for several months and by 1995 she received a new search radar an two type 904 radars associated with her sea cats were removed. Two CIWS were installed. Between July 1999 and April 2001, she received a major life-extension refit to remain operational until 2010. The propulsion systems were overhauled, she received also new sensors to sound emergency alerts and more modern communication systems. In the detail, she had her type 994 and type 965 radars removed and replaced by RAWL and RAWS-J radars for long-range surveillance and weapon systems management, and her hangar was given new fire curtains. In 2004, she lost her Bofors and obtained eight Barak-1 SAM in two VLS, associated with the installation of the EL/M-2221 radar.

070907-N-8591H-194.BAY OF BENGAL (Sept. 7, 2007) -An F/A-18F Super Hornet assigned to the Strike Fighter Squadron 102 Diamondbacks and an F/A-18E Super Hornet from Strike Fighter Squadron 27 (middle), two Sea Harriers from the Indian Navy (left) and two Jaguars from the Indian Air Force (right) fly past USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63) during exercise Malabar 07-2 Sept. 7. More than 20,000 personnel are participating in Exercise Malabar 07-2. This multinational exercise includes naval forces from India, Australia, Japan, Singapore and the United States. VFA-102 is one of the nine squadrons assigned to the Naval Air Facility Atsugi, Japan-based Carrier Air Wing Five, which is assigned to USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63). Kitty Hawk is more than three months into its summer deployment from Fleet Activities, Yokosuka, Japan. .U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jarod Hodge…

In her fourth refit from January to August 2009 at Cochin Shipyard, to extend her career to 2015, she lost her two type 1006 radars, replaced by Rashmi radars.
She was prominently showcased in a high-profile exercise in the Arabian Sea for a month and half, and Gulf of Aden. At her return it was reported she would serve until 2020, whereas two Indigenous Aircraft Carriers (IACs) were planned to be in operation by then, but on 12 July 2011, she was sent to Cochin shipyard for a short refit and be repainted. 2020, was conditioned to the availability and maintenance of its now quite old Sea Harriers.

On 2 November 2012, she entered Kochi for a major two-phase refit. Her hull was cleaned and probed for corrosion, worn hull plates reinforced and repainted with corrosion-resistant paint, then she was upgraded in Mumbai notably her machinery, before and recommissioned by the summer of 2013. This was to extend her to only 2016 and her decommissioning was announced with the purchase and conversion of Vikramaditya in between. In August–September 2015, she had her second part refit, the hull was inspected and plates changed, then she took part in the Fleet Review in February 2016. This was her final hurrah. Studied back in 2013, showed her age and cost of maintenance were clearly an issue for the Indian Navy, which requested permission for decommissioning. So by December 2014, a review board studied that occurrence before definitive approval.
By February 2015, she was to be decommissioned in 2016 and clearance was obtained. On 23 July she made her last trip from Mumbai to Kochi under her own power, ending her commission in Indian waters, 2,250 days at sea, 1,094,215 kilometres.

At Kochi, she had a month deactivation with boilers, engines, propellers and rudders removed and all sensitive equipments. On 4 September she was towed back to Mumbai and on 23 October she had a formal decommissioning ceremony. On 28 October she was laid up. On next 6 March 2017, she was decommissioned informally, and formally on 6 March 2017. All weapons systems sensors and displays, all sensitive equipments were removed in the summer.
However, two years prior in July 2015, it was planned to transfer her to the Government of Andhra Pradesh in order to be converted into a museum ship, at an estimated cost of ₹20 crore (US$2 million). Chandrababu Naidu confirmed this again on 8 February 2016 and by April this fell through, as a British businessman saw the associated crowdfunding campaign only reaching 1/10 of its set goal at the date chosen. Instead, she was returned to the Government for disposal. However, on 1 November 2018, a surprising new declaration was made by the Maharashtra cabinet, which approved her conversion into a moored maritime museum and marine adventure centre, to be located at Nivati, Sindhudurg.

Final days in 2016

This however did not attract tenders due to high cost and declared abandoned by November 2019. Given inspectors warned about her rapidly degrading situation, making her preservation now unviable, she was to be scrapped, sold for BU on online auction. In July 2020 Shri Ram Shipping (Gujarat) purchased her from the Metal Scrap Corp. for ₹38.54 crore (US$5 million), towed to Alang for a start planned on 22 September 2020 in Bhavnagar district. She was only beached on the 28th, when Envitech Marine Consultants Private Limited proposed to repurchase her as a tourist centre in Goa, supported by the local state government and MoD. Shree Ram Shipping offered to sell her for ₹100 crore (US$12 million) but on 10 February 2021 a Supreme Court hearing informed that INS Viraat already was private property of Shree Ram Group and that 40% had been broken up so by 12 April 2021 the petition was dismissed and scrapping was completed. There was also a project to have her displayed at the Port Museum in Alappuzha, which fell though as well.