[skanchan95]

Originally Posted by Scorcher

Living in Trivandrum almost all my life and once being a student at the Jawahar Bal Bhavan near Museum, the Hawker Sea Hawk that is displayed by the roadside in the Bal Bhavan compound has always amused me. I’ve always wanted to know the history of that bird.

A bit more trivia about IN174 from V.Adm Vinod Pasricha's brilliant book on IN Sea Hawks - "Downward, Four Green", which occupies a special place in my personal library.



IN174 was from the third batch of Sea Hawk FGA.6s delivered to the Indian Navy in 1962. It was an Ex-Royal Navy Sea Hawk FB.3 brought upto FGA.6 standards.

It served with the Navy's 300 "White Tigers" Sqdn and took part in the 1971 war flying off INS Vikrant's deck. It was donated to Jawahar Bal Bhavan at the Kanakakunnu Palace,Trivandrum in 1980.

From Syam Nath's article:

. Aircraft in the navy are decommissioned after ten years of service and replaced by better models.

This probably is the stupidest statement I've ever read!!! If it was true, the Navy should have retired its Harriers,Bears and Mays in the late 80s/early 90s.