Maharashtra: Decommissioned fast attack craft T80 to be part of naval gallery

Mumbai: Decommissioned fast attack craft T80 will be part of a naval gallery coming up in adjoining Thane district, an official said on Saturday.

A small ceremony was held at the naval dockyard here on Sunday to mark the start of the vessel’s towing process to Ganesh Ghat on Ulhas river front in Thane district.

Present on the occasion were senior Navy officials and IAS officer Vijay Suryawanshi, who as the municipal commissioner of Kalyan Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC) conceptualized the project and pursued it with the Defence Ministry.

The gallery, which will include displays on the naval might of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, is under KDMC jurisdiction.

Suryawanshi, now Maharashtra State Excise Commissioner, was the chief guest at the event.

The vessel will reach Ganesh Ghat in two days and the gallery project, which will be a major tourist attraction in the Kalyan area, will be completed by March next year, the official said.

The vessel was decommissioned in October 2021 after serving the Navy for 23 years. It was the first of the Super Dvora Mk II class vessels, built in Israel and was commissioned into the Indian Navy on June 24, 1998.

It was specially designed for shallow water operations and could build to speeds of up to 45 knots for high-speed interception of any intruder craft.

Over the last two decades, the ship had actively participated in several coastal security and mine-laying operations and patrolled waters extensively to provide security to Mumbai high and the coasts of Maharashtra and Gujarat.