Indian Navy Launches Third Scorpene Class Submarine ‘Karanj’

MUMBAI:
The Indian Navy launched ‘Karanj,’ the third Scorpene class submarine, on Wednesday. The submarine, constructed by shipbuilder Mazagon Dock Limited (MDL) in Mumbai, was launched by Navy chief Admiral Sunil Lanba’s wife Reena Lanba.
It will undergo tests over the next year before being commissioned. Karanj is one of six submarines being built at the dock, in collaboration with French shipbuilding major Naval Group (formerly DCNS). On the occasion, the Navy chief said, “It (submarine) will undergo rigorous tests for the next one year before it is commissioned.” The former Karanj was commissioned in the Navy on September 4, 1969, and retired on August 1, 2003. It served for 34 years, and was part of the operations during the Indo-Pakistan war of 1971.
The first of the six Scorpene-class submarines, Kalvari, was commissioned into the Indian Navy by Prime Minister Narendra Modi last month. He had called its induction a big step in the country’s defence preparedness. On the occasion, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had called submarine building a sophisticated and exacting craft, which only a handful of countries possess in their industrial capacity.