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News articles indicate INS Viraat could be converted into a floating museum funded and supported by a State Government. The State of Andhra Pradesh has tossed its hat into the ring and Karnataka may also try. This is heartening news for us as the old lady will not suffer the fate of R11 INS Vikrant which sadly went to the breakers as no one was available to fund her. Andhra Pradesh has a proven track record of preserving ships as museums - INS Kursura in Vizag.
INS Viraat started life as HMS Hermes in the Royal Navy of the UK. She was laid down in 1945 and then put on hold as World War II ended. The 1940s and 1050s were times of great advances in both aircraft technology and in Naval aviation. The British Admiralty took the opportunity to rebuild the HMS Hermes to a wholly modern design with steam catapults, mirror deck landing aids and an angled flight deck - all three were British inventions. All these enabled her to operate large capable jet fighters and attack aircraft. In the 1970s she was converted to a Harrier Carrier ie for V/STOL operations. V/STOL stands for Vertical or Short Take-Off and Landing. She became the first ship in the world to feature a ski jump - a British invention.
In 1982, Britain's ability to re-take the Falkland Islands rested primarily on HMS Hermes and a new smaller Harrier Carrier the HMS Invincible. Harriers flown off these two ships flew air defence and ground attack sorties and shot down 20 Argentinean aircraft in return for loss of only two of their own to enemy ground fire.
In 1986 HMS Hermes was sold to India, given a deep refit and joined the fleet at Mumbai in 1987. In Indian Naval service she operated mainly Sea Harriers for fighter air cover, ground attack and anti-ship missions and Westland Sea Kings for Anti-Submarine Warfare. She is today the oldest major warship and the oldest carrier in service in any Navy across the globe. The delays in the commissioning of INS Vikramaditya led to her service life getting extended unduly. Commissioned in 1959 she is today 56 years old. The fact that we have kept her operational this long is a tribute to the engineers of the Indian Navy and the dockyard hands who soldiered to keep her in ship-shape. Today as the mighty ship gets ready to bow out of service we salute the men, both Indian and British, who served on board.
The photos below depict INS Viraat through the various stages of her life in chronological order. The next section depicts the different types of aircraft that served on board over a long career from 1959 to date.
The Ship
Photo 14A: HMS Hermes as she looked in her hey days in the 1960s. Upfront we can see Sea Vixen fighters and 2 Buccaneer strike aircraft. The box like white structure on top of the bridge is an early generation 3D radar. Note the angled flight deck. 28,700 tonnes full load; 76,000 shp put through two propellers by geared steam turbines; 743 feet long; 28 aircraft carried.
Photo 14B: a most interesting shot taken from the aft deck lift showing both the flight deck and the hangar below. This photo was taken in 1982 as HMS Hermes steamed to the Falklands. Many of the men in the foreground are Royal Navy Marines. Hermes (and of course as Viraat too) could carry on board 750 troops with 4 landing craft for supporting a small amphibious assault.
Photo 14C: An iconic photo of HMS Hermes entering Portsmouth harbour after leading the victory in Falklands. A most touching moment for the crew and their families. Note the effect on the ship's hull of the ravages of 4 months at sea.
Photo 14D: In 1986 HMS Hermes became INS Viraat. The ships crest shown here. The motto means - 'He who rules over the seas is all powerful'.
Photo 14E: INS Viraat in Indian Naval service. You can see Sea Harriers and Sea King anti-submarine helicopters on deck, one Alouette III utility/rescue helicopter next to the ski jump and on your right a Seaking turning in to land. In Indian service Viraat has been modernized with new radars, electronic warfare systems, chaff launchers and the redoubtable Barak missile which is an anti-missile defence system.
14F:
Captain Vinod Pasricha: The first commanding officer of INS Viraat (seated on left) on the bridge. A ship's cockpit is called a bridge - usually a little larger than a cockpit though! Pasricha wrote the best book so far on Indian Naval Aviation - 'Down Wind Four Green'(
www.pashmira.com). He later rose to be a Vice Admiral and commanded the Western Fleet.
14G:
Captain Linley Middleton (1929-2012): He was the commanding officer of HMS Hermes during its deployment during the Falklands war. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Order for his leadership.
14H:
Captain David Tibbets (1911-2003): The first commanding officer of HMS Hermes. He was a hero from World War II with a note worthy war record against the Germans.
14I: A beautiful scale model.
Aircraft that flew from HMS Hermes/INS Viraat over 56 years (only covering the main aircraft and not those that served in trial or utility roles)
15A: The Blackburn Buccaneer. A twin engine transonic lo-lo attack aircraft that could carry a 16,000 lbs (7257 kgs) weapon payload. It was a long range strike aircraft with excellent low flying qualities. It carried a internal bomb bay in the centre fuselage - a rarity in fast combat jets. The Buccaneer was a most worthy aircraft and a very difficult opponent to catch when flying low.
15B: The Sea Vixen a twin jet twin boom fighter that saw limited and mixed service in the Royal Navy and was retired in 1972 after only a dozen years of not so successful service.
15C:The Fairey Gannet was an odd looking aircraft with an outsized radar under the fuselage and contra rotating propellers. It served on Hermes from 1960 to 1970. Its role was to serve as eyes of the British fleet. The engines put out 3875 hp through those double props. Some say the Gannet was an ugly aircraft. But like babies an aircraft is never ugly…disproportionate maybe but never ugly!
15D: The Westland Wessex helicopter was a first generation machine that served in both anti-submarine and troop assault roles on HMS Hermes. A license built Sikorsky H-34 this was a rugged helicopter that served with the British from 1961 to 2003. A feature of early helicopters was that several had their power plant mounted in the nose with the drive shaft fitted at an angle literally through the cockpit to the rotors at the top. This now seemingly unusual layout was a function of the size of early turbine engines, their gearboxes and the outsized shapes of their air intakes.
15E: The famous Sea Harrier FRS. FRS stands for Fighter, Reconnaissance and Strike. The Sea Harrier is capable of vertical and short take-offs that increase its versatility tremendously especially on a carrier. The Sea Harrier served under both the British and the Indian navies with success. From 1983 to 2013 it was our primary jet fighter asset at sea. The Harrier is powered by the unique Rolls Royce Pegasus vectored thrust turbofan engine giving ~9750 kgf of thrust. Top speed ~1185 kmph; initial climb rate in clean configuration 50,000 feet/second; intercept radius ~300 nautical miles (550 kms), Armament - typically 2 x 30 mm cannons with 300 rounds and a maximum weapon load of ~3600 kgs. Details of this unique aircraft in post #3
15F: The Seaking AEW (Airborne Early Warning) version which saw service only with the Royal Navy. The radar was flipped down when on radar patrol and flipped up to facilitate landing & take-off. India evaluated this machine but the price was too high and the Russian Ka-31 (see Photo 15I) promised greater capability
15G: The versatile Westland Seaking which served with both the Indian & the Royal navies in both the anti-submarine variant and the troop assault variant. You can read more in post #2.
15H: The Kamov Ka-28 anti submarine helicopter served onboard INS Viraat from time to time. It is powered by two Isotov turboshafts that together put through a little over 4400 shp into the contra-rotating props.
15I: Based on the Kamov Ka-28 is this the Ka-31 which carries a large radar that rotates slowly beneath the airframe and is used for detecting low fast flying aircraft and provide the fleet an early warning. The Ka-31 operates in an integrated network and can transmit to ship or shore what it is 'seeing' for action to be taken.
Jai Hind.