INS Kattabomman

INS Kattabomman

Historical Background

INS Kattabomman was commissioned on 20 Oct 1990 by then President, Shri R Venkataraman. It is named after Veera Pandya Kattabomman, a famous warrior king, who laid down his life in the struggle for freedom from the British Raj. The vast base is rich in flora and fauna with rows of exotic trees and fruits. It is home to deer, hopping hare, peacocks and vast variety of migratory birds from Siberia.

Function / Role

INS Kattabomman is the premier communication establishment, located at South Vijayanarayanam, near Tirunelveli in South Tamil Nadu. The primary role of the base is to provide continuous global communication link in the Very Low Frequency (VLF) spectrum to ships and submarines in the country’s areas of interest. The 3000 acre base enclosed in a 22 km perimeter wall hosts the VLF transmitting grid, which is the only one of it’s kind in the country. The antenna structure consists of 13 high raised cable-stayed steel masts in form of a 6-pointed star. The 301 m centre mast is the third tallest structure in the country, while the other 12 rank amongst the top ten.

INS Kattabomman is a vibrant self-contained base, with officers, sailors and civilians striving to facilitate round the clock naval operations. The base provides facilities such as swimming pool, Tennis and other sports, shopping complex, cinema cum auditorium, post office, children’s parks etc for the over 2000 personnel and families. Extensive courses and extra-curricular activities are conducted within and around the establishment under the aegis of NWWA. The personnel also reach out to the society in Tirunelveli, Kanyakumari and Tuticorin districts through a host of welfare programmes.