• Indian Navy warships INS Surat, INS Nilgiri and INS Vaghsheer were commissioned at the Naval Dockyard in Mumbai in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on January 15.

• INS Vaghsheer, the sixth submarine under the Scorpene-class Project-75, is designed for roles such as anti-surface warfare, anti-submarine warfare, and intelligence gathering.

• It represents India’s growing expertise in submarine construction and has been built in collaboration with the Naval Group of France.

• It features modular construction, enabling future upgrades such as air independent propulsion technology.

Project–75

• Project–75 includes construction of six submarines of Scorpene design. These submarines are being constructed at Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) Mumbai, under collaboration with M/s Naval Group, France.

• These submarines can undertake missions like anti-surface warfare, anti-submarine warfare, intelligence gathering, mine laying, and area surveillance. The attack can be launched with both torpedoes and tube launched anti-ship missiles, whilst underwater or on surface.

• Five of these submarines — Kalvari, Khanderi, Karanj, Vela and Vagir — were commissioned earlier. INS Kalvari commissioned in December 2017. INS Khanderi was commissioned in September 2019. INS Karanj was commissioned in March 2021. INS Vela was commissioned in November, 2021. INS Vagir, the fifth submarine of the Kalvari Class submarines, was commissioned into the Indian Navy on January 23, 2023.

• Vaghsheer, the sixth and the last Scorpene-class submarine constructed under Project-75 of the Indian Navy, was launched on April 20, 2022. Vaghsheer underwent a comprehensive and rigorous set of tests and trials to ensure that it is fully combat-worthy.

Why is it named Vaghsheer?

• Named after sandfish, a deadly deep water sea predator of the Indian Ocean, the first submarine ‘Vaghsheer’ was commissioned in December 1974 and decommissioned in April 1997. 

• The new submarine is the incarnation of its earlier version, as according to naval parlance a ship never ceases to exist. 

• Even after a ship/submarine is decommissioned, a new ship/submarine replaces the old one with the same name.

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