Indian Navy’s Fleet Expands: Fourth Warship ‘Sanshodhak’ Launched

The Indian Navy’s fourth Survey Vessel Large (SVL), the warship “Sanshodhak,” was unveiled at Kattupalli, Chennai, on Tuesday.

The name “Sanshodhak,” which means “researcher,” shows that the ship’s main job is to do surveys.

The Ministry of Defense (MoD) said on Tuesday, “The launch of the fourth SVL strengthens our commitment to shipbuilding in India. This is in line with the government’s goal of “Make in India” and “Aatma Nirbhar Bharat.”

“The project, which is being built by L&T/GRSE for the Indian Navy, began on June 13 in Kattupalli, Chennai,” the ministry said. Adhir Arora, who is the Chief Hydrographer for the Indian government, was the most important guest at the launch event. Tanvi Arora launched the ship while chanting a prayer from the Atharva Veda. This is a naval maritime custom.

The MoD said, “SVL ships with new generation hydrographic equipment will take the place of the existing Sandhayak Class survey ships to collect oceanographic data.” The SVL ships are 110 meters long, 16 meters wide, and can carry 3,400 tons of cargo. The hulls of these ships are made of DMR 249-A steel that was made by Steel Authority of India Limited. This steel was made in India.

“The ships would be able to carry four Survey Motor Boats and have a built-in helicopter. Their main job would be to do full-scale hydrographic surveys of ports and navigational routes in both shallow and deep water.

The ships would also be used to collect marine and geophysical data, which could be used for both military and civilian purposes. “An source from the Defense Ministry said that the ships can also provide limited defense (HADR) and act as a hospital ship in case of an emergency.

Cost-wise, more than 80% of the SVL will be made in India. This will allow Indian factories to make defense equipment, which will create jobs and give the country the ability to build warships.

MoD and Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE), Kolkata, signed a deal on October 30, 2018, to build four SVL ships.

According to the plan for building, the first ship will be built at GRSE in Kolkata, and L&T Shipbuilding in Kattupalli will build the other three ships up to the stage of “fitting out.” The first three ships, Sandhayak, Nirdeshak, and Ikshak, were launched on December 5, 2021, May 26, 2022, and November 26, 2022, respectively.