Article Posted on : - Dec 10, 2010

INS Vagli. A file photo

NEW DELHI (PTI): The Navy on Thursday decommissioned the last of its Foxtrot class of diesel-electric submarine INS Vagli at Visakhapatnam naval dockyard this evening, bringing its fast-depleting submarine fleet strengthen to 14 vessels.

The Soviet origin vessel had served the Indian Navy for slightly over 36 years, having been commissioned in August 1974 at Riga in Latvia of the erstwhile Soviet Union.

The decommissioning, with the lowering of the National Flag and the Naval ensign for the last time, was witnessed by the commissioning Commanding Officer of the vessel, now retired Captain Lalit Talwar, who was the chief guest on the occasion.

"The Indian Navy decommissioned one of her oldest units, INS Vagli in a ceremony at the Naval Dockyard at Visakhapatnam," a Navy spokesperson said here Thursday.

Capt Talwar was joined in witnessing the ceremony by Eastern Naval Commander Vice Admiral Anup Singh.

"To mark the completion of her services, a paying off pennant was lowered after sunset to the soul stirring Last Post sounded by the Naval Band," the spokesperson said.

The present Commanding Officer, Commander Ajay Bhatia, thereafter ceremonially reported to the Vice Admiral Anup Singh that INS Vagli was decommissioned.

Several dignitaries from all over India, including the original crew who manned the vessel at its commissioning in 1974 arrived at Visakhapatnam to join the ceremony.

INS Vagli, a Foxtrot class submarine Type 641B, was the first of the 'Vela' class of submarines to be commissioned into the Indian Navy.

The vessel, during her service, had 23 Commanding Officers and is probably the oldest submarine of its class in the world and definitely the oldest unit in the Indian Navy.

The submarine has in its operational life participated in almost all major tactical exercises off both the eastern and western sea boards and elsewhere.

It was the first submarine to be based at Mumbai, the headquarters of the Western Naval Command, but later shifted its base port to Visakhapatnam in 1993.

"Despite being the oldest unit in commission in the Indian Navy, Vagli continued to serve with distinction. Even in its last operational cycle, it completed 137 days at sea and 1,232 dived hours," he added.

The 2,000-tonne vessels were the first set of eight submarines to be commissioned into the Indian Navy between 1964 to 1974.

With Vagli now out of service, Navy has only 14 submarines -- 10 Russian-origin Kilo class and four German-origin HDW class -- but would effectively have only about 10 of them operational at any given time.