The Indian Navy launched its third guided missile destroyer at Mazgaon Docks as part of its Project 15B, which is aimed at adding state-of-the-art warships to the naval fleet. With a launch weight of 3037 tonnes, the INS Imphal, like the other ships under the project, has been designed indigenously by the Indian Navy’s Directorate of Naval Design, New Delhi. Each warship spans 163 metres in length and 17.4 metres at beam, and displaces 7300 tonnes.

The Navy had launched INS Vishakhapatnam, the first Project 15B ship, in April 2015, while the second ship, INS Mormugao, was launched in September 2016. A contract for four destroyers under the Project 15B has been signed.

Indian Navy

• The Indian Navy is the naval branch of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Navy. The Chief of Naval Staff, a four-star admiral, commands the navy.
• The Indian Navy traces its origins back to the East India Company’s Marine which was founded in 1612 to protect British merchant shipping in the region.
• In 1793, the East India Company established its rule over eastern part of the Indian subcontinent i.e. Bengal, but it was not until 1830 that the colonial navy was titled as His Majesty’s Indian Navy.
• When India became a republic in 1950, the Royal Indian Navy as it had been named since 1934 was renamed to Indian Navy.