August 13, 2014From: MB/Mumbai

Kolkata set to be commissioned on SaturdayThe ship depicts Howrah Bridge and Bengal TigerMRITYUNJAY BOSEbureaus@sakaaltimes.com

Mumbai: The most advanced and power-packed indigenously-developed warship, Kolkata, is all set to be commissioned on Saturday by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The first of the Kolkata-class destroyer ship, she is armed with the state-of-the-art BrahMos missiles, the supersonic cruise missiles. The three ships of the series – Kolkata, Kochi and Chennai – would add to punch to the blue-water capabilities of the Indian Navy. This series of destroyer ships have been built at the Mazagon Dock Ltd, in Mumbai. “The ship is unique. She would be a gamechanger for the Indian Navy. It would enhance the capabilities of the fleet, given the fact that she is armed with BrahMos missiles,” officials of the Western Naval Command told Sakal Times on Wednesday. “While emulating the worldwide trends in warship building, the ship will showcase a giant leap in ship building capability of the country,” the officials said.These ships are the follow-on of the Delhi-class destroyers – INS Delhi, INS Mysore and INS Mumbai - and the main difference between the Delhi-class and Kolkata-class is the advanced weaponry, communication system and stealth design.

Derives name from Kolkata cityThe ship derives her name from the cultural capital city of India and the state capital of West Bengal – Kolkata, ‘The City of Joy’. The crest of the

ship depicts the ‘Howrah Bridge’ in the background and a leaping ‘Bengal Tiger’ in the foreground, both symbolic of the city of Kolkata, riding above the blue and white ocean waves. The crew of the ship abides by the Sanskrit motto on the crest – ‘Yudhay Sarvasannadh’, which means ‘Always Prepared for Battle’.

TIME SCHEDULE Keel Laid On: September 26, 2003Ship Launched On: March 30, 2006Ship Delivered on July 10, 2014