Submarine Sindhurakshak to be decommissioned before rains

Mumbai: Indian Navy

submarine Sindhurakshak

will be

decommissioned

from the fleet before monsoon this year and

INS Viraat

will be decommissioned on March 6,

Vice-Admiral Girish Luthra

told the media on Monday.

The 2,300- tonne submarine had sunk after torpedoes exploded inside the armament compartment while it was anchored at Naval Dock for refitting on August 14, 2013, killing 18 navy personnel. A year later, the 16-year-old submarine was airlifted and anchored at South Backwater in the Naval Dock following salvage operations by Resolve Marine India Ltd for about Rs 240 crore.

India had bought INS Sindhurakshak in 1997 for $113 million and later upgraded it for $156 million (around Rs 800 crore).

On the recent

INS Betwa mishap

, Vice-Admiral Luthra said it be possibly due to human error combined with technical problem. On December 6, 2015, the frigate had tipped over to her left while undocking, killing two sailors. INS Betwa, which was set upright last week, will be operational and join the fleet by April 2018.