The Indian Naval Ship (INS) Satpura entered San Diego harbour in California, US, on Sunday to mark India’s 75th anniversary of independence as part of the current Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav celebration, according to the Indian Embassy in Washington.
In addition, INS Satpura will hold a 75-lap “Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav Run” at the San Diego US naval base in honour of the sacrifices made by 75 leaders of India’s Freedom Struggle on August 15. The ship would also hoist the Tricolour on the 75th Independence Day in front of prominent local leaders and people from the Indian diaspora in the USA.
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What is the INS Satpura?
The 6000-ton guided missile stealth frigate INS Satpura was built for the Indian Navy and designed in India. It is able to hunt down enemies on land, at sea and in the air.
INS Satpura was constructed at Mumbai’s Mazagon Dock Limited (MDL). Keel laying took place on October 31, 2002, and launch day was June 4, 2004. The construction was finished in 2010 and the ship was sent through sea testing before being commissioned on August 20, 2011, into the Visakhapatnam-based Eastern Naval Command of the Indian Navy.
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This frigate is of the Shivalik-class. The Shivalik-class ships are India’s first stealth warships. They were meant to be capable of ground attacks than the Talwar-class frigates before them. Between 2000 and 2010, a total of three ships (INS Satpura, INS Shivalik and INS Sahyadri) were constructed; by 2012, all three were operational. Both the class and the lead ship have their names derived from the Shivalik hills.
The Indian Navy sent INS Satpura in 2022 to participate in 2022 edition of the Rim of the Pacific exercise (RIMPAC). It is the biggest multinational naval warfare exercise. With the exception of 2020, when it was held in August, RIMPAC is hosted every other year from Honolulu, Hawaii, during the months of June and July.
