GRSE delivers second anti-submarine warfare shallow watercraft to Indian Navy

Kolkata, Sep 13 (PTI) Defence PSU Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) Ltd on Saturday delivered to the Indian Navy an anti-submarine warfare shallow watercraft, the second in a series of eight such ships being built by the shipyard for the country's naval force, an official said.

The delivery of the ship, named Androth, comes just four months after the first warship of this series, Arnala, was delivered on May 8 and commissioned into the Navy on June 18, bolstering India's maritime security, the GRSE official said.

Named after Androth island in the Lakshadweep archipelago, this is also the second warship of this class on which an indigenous 30 mm naval surface gun, manufactured by GRSE, has been fitted, he said.

The Indian Navy had placed an order for 16 advanced anti-submarine warfare shallow water crafts (ASWSWCs), eight each to be built by GRSE and another Indian shipyard, he said.

While all eight ASWSWCs have been launched by GRSE, this is the second to have been delivered to the Navy.

These ships are capable of full-scale subsurface surveillance of coastal waters as well as search and attack, he said.

Capable of carrying out coordinated anti-submarine operations with aircraft, these ships have combat management systems on board and will be armed with lightweight torpedoes as well as anti-submarine warfare rockets, he added. PTI AMR MNB