THE INDIAN NAVY ENTERS THE NUCLEAR AGE

However modern and sophisticated a conventional diesel electric submarine might be, she still suffered from one fundamental limitation-she depended on periodic charges for her main batteries, for which it was unavoidable to expose herself by raising a snorkel tube, to suck in air to run the diesels.

The nuclear submarine is free from this limitation, and as a result is a true submarine, with virtually no necessity to show any part of her structure above the water. Because of their limitless endurance, these submarines can remain at sea for prolonged periods, the duration of their patrols being limited only by the endurance of the crew.

Mrs. Tripta Jerath naming INS Chakra. Also seen Captain R.N.Ganesh, Commanding Officer

The Indian Government had for some time been considering the acquisition of a nuclear submarine, in order to train our personnel in this very important area of propulsion technology. An agreement was concluded with the Soviet Union, and a team of officers, under the supervision of Vice Admiral MK Roy was formed to steer the project. After a rigorous selection procedure the first batch of the nuclear submarine crews, under the command of Captain S Daniel commenced their training in USSR. The training was perhaps the most thorough and taxing course that any of the Indian submariners, most of whom had over a decade of submarining behind them, had ever undergone. They absorbed the new technology with professional aplomb, and on completion they had the pleasure of hearing the Soviet Admiral who had come to inspect them say that he would be pleased to see such standards in his own Navy.

INS Chakra alongside at Vladivostok.

After a few delays that invariably dog-such ventures, the Indian Navy’s first nuclear submarine, INS Chakra, was commissioned on 5th January, 1988, under the command of Captain RN Ganesh. He had been the junior-most officer on board on the commissioning of INS Kalvari, a little over twenty years earlier. It was a golden moment for the Navy and the crew of the mighty Chakra when the Indian Naval Ensign fluttered proudly on board the first nuke of the Navy. The Soviet Naval ensign which had been hauled down was graciously presented by the C-in-C of the Soviet Pacific Fleet, Admiral Khvatov to Ambassador TN Kaul, who presided over the commissioning ceremony. His Excellency in turn generously gifted it to the submarine and this ensign is proudly displayed in the submarine Museum at Visakhapatnam today.

Shri Rajiv Gandhi, Prime Minister aboard INS Chakra.

INS Chakra completed the long underwater passage from Vladivostok to Visakhapatnam and arrived at her homeport on 3rd February 1988. She was boarded on arrival by the Prime Minister, Shri Rajiv Gandhi, the Chief of the Naval Staff, Admiral JG Nadkarni, and the Flag Officer Commanding –in-Chief, Eastern Naval Command, Vice Admiral SC Chopra. In his welcoming address, the Prime Minister emphasised that INS Chakra carried no nuclear weapons, and that she was on lease from the USSR for a three year period to enable the Indian Navy to master the skills involved in operating and maintaining a nuclear-propelled submarine.

INS Chakra.

The next three years that INS Chakra was with the Indian Navy were years of exciting discovery. She was submariner’s dream come true, with deadly firepower, tremendous sustained speeds, and unlimited endurance. The navy benefited enormously from this experience. Special facilities had been set up in record time due to the tireless zeal of a project team under the supervision of Commodore AVR Narayan Rao. The operation of a nuclear power plant was a new skill, which was acquired by our submarine technical officers with confidence.