Commissioning of INLCU L51 by Vice Admiral Bimal Verma, AVSM Commander-in-Chief Andaman and Nicobar Command

Commissioning of INLCU L51 by Vice Admiral Bimal Verma, AVSM Commander-in-Chief Andaman and Nicobar Command

INLCU L51 was commissioned into the Indian Navy on 28 March 2017 by Vice Admiral Bimal Verma, AVSM, Commander-in-Chief, Andaman and Nicobar Command at Port Blair. The commissioning ceremony was attended by Vice Admiral Dilip Deshpande, Controller of Warship Production and Acquisition, Rear Admiral VK Saxena (Retd), CMD, GRSE and other senior officers from Indian Navy.

LCU 51 IS First of the Eight ships of the LCU Mk IV Class. It has been built by M/s Garden Reach Ship Builders & Engineers Ltd, Kolkata, it is the first of the eight ships of the LCU MK IV Class. Conceived and designed indigenously, the commissioning of the ship adds a feather to the glorious chapter in the Nation’s ‘Make in India’ initiatives & indigenisation efforts in the field of warship design and construction. With a displacement of 900 tons the magnificent ship spans 62.8 m in length and 11 m in breadth.

The ship is propelled by 02 MTU diesel engines of 1840 Kw rating and can sustain speeds up to 15 knots. The ship has been built to assist in amphibious operations by carrying out beaching operations and has an endurance of 1500 nm. The ship will also play a key role in carrying out maritime surveillance of Andaman & Nicobar Islands for preventing anti-poaching, illegal fishing, drug trafficking, human trafficking, poaching and other illegal activities. It will also enhance the capabilities of the Andaman and Nicobar Command in Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) operations.

The armament onboard the ship consists of two 30 mm CRN -91 guns manufactured by Ordnance Factory, Medak. The gun is controlled by an electrical day-night fire control system namely Stabilised Optronic Pedestal (SOP) manufactured by Bharat Electronic Limited (BEL). The ship is also equipped with 12.7 mm Heavy Machine Guns and 7.62 mm Medium Machine Guns. In addition, the ship is fitted with state-of-the-art Electronic Warfare suite for early detection of adversaries.

The ship is also equipped with Integrated Platform Management System and Integrated Bridge System for automated controls and quick functioning. INLCU L51 is commanded by Cdr Vishwesh S Nadkarni.