Indian warship arrives in Phuket for exercises
Tanyaluk Sakoot


The INS Baratang arrives in Phuket. Photo Royal Thai Navy

PHUKET: -- An Indian Navy patrol vessel, the INS Baratang arrived in Phuket recently for 10 days of joint exercises with a Royal Thai Navy equivalent, the RTNS Thayanchon and two Dornier DO-228 reconnaissance aircraft, one from each side.

The Baratang set sail from its home part of Port Blair in the Andaman Islands on November 18, joining the Thayanchon in the Andaman Sea for exercises before sailing onward to Phuket, arriving on Monday (November 24).

In Phuket Capt Komsan Suwanrit, Chief of Military Operations at the Royal Thai Navy 3rd Fleet, welcomed group commander Capt N Shyam Sunder and Lt Cdr Rohit Prabhakaran Nair, skipper of the Baratang.

The Baratang is due to leave for Port Blair on Friday (November 28).

Source: http://www.thephuketnews.com/indian-warship-arrives-in-phuket-for-exercises-49822.php


-- Phuket News 2014-11-26

Seen better looking boats carrying refugees

Seen better looking boats carrying refugees

Think I get your drift. Port Blair is not so far away, but I wouldn't fancy the idea of going from Cape Town to Miami in that boat, it looks smallish.

Any self-respecting captain of a naval ship would have made sure that all the rust was chipped away from the hull and repainted before entering port.

They won't win any wars if they call that a warship. Looks like it's made from recycled baked bean tins.

I hope they have a pleasant incident time.

Any self-respecting captain of a naval ship would have made sure that all the rust was chipped away from the hull and repainted before entering port.

That's not rust- it is mutton curry!

You know what happened to the Indian sailor who snorted a line of curry powder ?

He fell into a "korma".

Can't see it's rollocks.

Is that a Dalek in front of the bridge?

Where are all the hundreds of passengers with cardboard boxes of luggage and crates of chickens, clinging on like they do on the buses and trains.

Heeeeeey, thats a Norfolk Broads boat................

Warship???

I am sure that Thai ladies are prepared to assist them in their exercises...

Seen better looking boats carrying refugees

Mmnnn, I don't think Uncle Sam need worry

Given their 2014 history I am suprised that any country accepts them as visitors. The chance of a major pollution incident is too great!

• January 2014: INS Betwa (F39), an indigenously built Brahmaputra class guided missile frigate, ran aground and collided with an unidentified object while approaching the Mumbai naval base. The sonar system of the frigate was cracked, leading to faulty readings and an ingress of saltwater into sensitive equipment.^[22]

• January 2014: In the second incident in the same month, INS Vipul (K46), a veer class corvette of the elite 22nd Killer Missile Vessel Squadron, was detected with a hole in its pillar compartment which forced the ship back into the harbor while it was on an operational deployment.^[23]

• February 2014: On 3 February, INS Airavat (L24), a Shardul class amphibious warfare vessel, ran aground while returning to its home base at Visakhapatnam, causing slight damage to its propellers. Following the incident, its commanding officer, Captain JPS Virk, was relieved of command pending the findings of a Board of Inquiry.^[24]

• February 2014: On 26 February, INS Sindhuratna (S59), a Kilo-class submarine, had a fire detected on board when trials were being conducted which resulted in smoke leading to suffocation and death of two officers. Seven sailors were reported injured and were airlifted to the naval base hospital in Mumbai.^[25]According to the naval board of inquiry, the fire was caused due to problems in the cables of the vessel.^[26] This particular incident led to the resignation of Chief of Naval Staff (CNS) Admiral D K Joshi on 26 February 2014, who owned moral responsibility for the incidents in the past few months.^[27]

• March 2014: INS Kolkata, had a malfunction on board which led to a toxic gas leak killing Commander Kuntal Wadhwa instantly.^[28] It seems that the ship suffered malfunction in its carbon dioxide unit while undergoing machinery trials, leading to gas leakage.^[29] Since the ship was not commissioned at the time of the incident, the enquiry into the mishap will be done by Mazagon Dock Limited, where the ship was constructed.

• May 2014: INS Ganga (F22) suffered a minor explosion in the boiler room while undergoing a refit at the Mumbai dockyard. Four people suffered minor injuries. There was no fire and no equipment was damaged.^[30][31][32]

• November 2014: A Torpedo Recovery Vessel of the Astravahini class (A-73) sank 30 NM off the Vizag coast during a routine mission to recover torpedoes fired by fleet ships during a routine exercise. The accident resulted in the tragic death of one sailor while four others were reported as missing however 23 other personnel were rescued by SAR teams deployed right after the incident.^[33]

War Ship? Looks like a fishing boat. What can it battle robbing ladyboys?

Given their 2014 history I am suprised that any country accepts them as visitors. The chance of a major pollution incident is too great!

• January 2014: INS Betwa (F39), an indigenously built Brahmaputra class guided missile frigate, ran aground and collided with an unidentified object while approaching the Mumbai naval base. The sonar system of the frigate was cracked, leading to faulty readings and an ingress of saltwater into sensitive equipment.^[22]

• January 2014: In the second incident in the same month, INS Vipul (K46), a veer class corvette of the elite 22nd Killer Missile Vessel Squadron, was detected with a hole in its pillar compartment which forced the ship back into the harbor while it was on an operational deployment.^[23]

• February 2014: On 3 February, INS Airavat (L24), a Shardul class amphibious warfare vessel, ran aground while returning to its home base at Visakhapatnam, causing slight damage to its propellers. Following the incident, its commanding officer, Captain JPS Virk, was relieved of command pending the findings of a Board of Inquiry.^[24]

• February 2014: On 26 February, INS Sindhuratna (S59), a Kilo-class submarine, had a fire detected on board when trials were being conducted which resulted in smoke leading to suffocation and death of two officers. Seven sailors were reported injured and were airlifted to the naval base hospital in Mumbai.^[25]According to the naval board of inquiry, the fire was caused due to problems in the cables of the vessel.^[26] This particular incident led to the resignation of Chief of Naval Staff (CNS) Admiral D K Joshi on 26 February 2014, who owned moral responsibility for the incidents in the past few months.^[27]

• March 2014: INS Kolkata, had a malfunction on board which led to a toxic gas leak killing Commander Kuntal Wadhwa instantly.^[28] It seems that the ship suffered malfunction in its carbon dioxide unit while undergoing machinery trials, leading to gas leakage.^[29] Since the ship was not commissioned at the time of the incident, the enquiry into the mishap will be done by Mazagon Dock Limited, where the ship was constructed.

• May 2014: INS Ganga (F22) suffered a minor explosion in the boiler room while undergoing a refit at the Mumbai dockyard. Four people suffered minor injuries. There was no fire and no equipment was damaged.^[30][31][32]

• November 2014: A Torpedo Recovery Vessel of the Astravahini class (A-73) sank 30 NM off the Vizag coast during a routine mission to recover torpedoes fired by fleet ships during a routine exercise. The accident resulted in the tragic death of one sailor while four others were reported as missing however 23 other personnel were rescued by SAR teams deployed right after the incident.^[33]

Entertaining reading... now can you do the same for the Royal Thai Navy, with special mention of the aircraft carrier and the submarine squadron...

Given their 2014 history I am suprised that any country accepts them as visitors. The chance of a major pollution incident is too great!

• January 2014: INS Betwa (F39), an indigenously built Brahmaputra class guided missile frigate, ran aground and collided with an unidentified object while approaching the Mumbai naval base. The sonar system of the frigate was cracked, leading to faulty readings and an ingress of saltwater into sensitive equipment.^[22]

• January 2014: In the second incident in the same month, INS Vipul (K46), a veer class corvette of the elite 22nd Killer Missile Vessel Squadron, was detected with a hole in its pillar compartment which forced the ship back into the harbor while it was on an operational deployment.^[23]

• February 2014: On 3 February, INS Airavat (L24), a Shardul class amphibious warfare vessel, ran aground while returning to its home base at Visakhapatnam, causing slight damage to its propellers. Following the incident, its commanding officer, Captain JPS Virk, was relieved of command pending the findings of a Board of Inquiry.^[24]

• February 2014: On 26 February, INS Sindhuratna (S59), a Kilo-class submarine, had a fire detected on board when trials were being conducted which resulted in smoke leading to suffocation and death of two officers. Seven sailors were reported injured and were airlifted to the naval base hospital in Mumbai.^[25]According to the naval board of inquiry, the fire was caused due to problems in the cables of the vessel.^[26] This particular incident led to the resignation of Chief of Naval Staff (CNS) Admiral D K Joshi on 26 February 2014, who owned moral responsibility for the incidents in the past few months.^[27]

• March 2014: INS Kolkata, had a malfunction on board which led to a toxic gas leak killing Commander Kuntal Wadhwa instantly.^[28] It seems that the ship suffered malfunction in its carbon dioxide unit while undergoing machinery trials, leading to gas leakage.^[29] Since the ship was not commissioned at the time of the incident, the enquiry into the mishap will be done by Mazagon Dock Limited, where the ship was constructed.

• May 2014: INS Ganga (F22) suffered a minor explosion in the boiler room while undergoing a refit at the Mumbai dockyard. Four people suffered minor injuries. There was no fire and no equipment was damaged.^[30][31][32]

• November 2014: A Torpedo Recovery Vessel of the Astravahini class (A-73) sank 30 NM off the Vizag coast during a routine mission to recover torpedoes fired by fleet ships during a routine exercise. The accident resulted in the tragic death of one sailor while four others were reported as missing however 23 other personnel were rescued by SAR teams deployed right after the incident.^[33]

LOL

My first thought when I read the thread title was wondering if the Indian ship would just sit at the entrance of the harbor blocking all traffic.

Don't let the use of the term "warship" mislead you into thinking it has necessarily to be a large monster inspiring awe. Of course India does have ships of that category too. The INS Baratang, as the text of the report mentions, is only a patrol vessel, intended more for marine surveillance and rescue operations, besides low intensity combat and marine operations in shallow waters. It was built locally at a low cost of less than US$ 1 million. Suits the purpose it was intended for and has served that purpose effectively for over 8 years now. There's a good reason why Thailand was hosting it.

Don't let the use of the term "warship" mislead you into thinking it has necessarily to be a large monster inspiring awe. Of course India does have ships of that category too. The INS Baratang, as the text of the report mentions, is only a patrol vessel, intended more for marine surveillance and rescue operations, besides low intensity combat and marine operations in shallow waters. It was built locally at a low cost of less than US$ 1 million. Suits the purpose it was intended for and has served that purpose effectively for over 8 years now. There's a good reason why Thailand was hosting it.

The definition of warship is "a ship primarily designed for naval warfare" (which the Baratang isn't).

Wikipedia goes further in saying that warships are divided into aircraft carriers, cruisers, destroyers, frigates, corvettes, submarines and amphibious assault ships

(although, funnily enough, I believe submarines are referred to as boats)

Modern warships

Modern warships are generally divided into seven main categories, which are: aircraft carriers, cruisers, destroyers, frigates, corvettes, submarines and amphibious assault ships. Battleships comprise an eighth category, but are not in current service with any navy in the world. Only the deactivated American Iowa-class battleships still exist as potential combatants, and battleships in general are unlikely to re-emerge as a ship class without redefinition. The destroyer is generally regarded as the dominant surface-combat vessel of most modern blue-water navies. However, the once distinct roles and appearances of cruisers, destroyers, frigates, and corvettes have blurred. Most vessels have come to be armed with a mix of anti-surface, anti-submarine and anti-aircraft weapons. Class designations no longer reliably indicate a displacement hierarchy, and the size of all vessel types has grown beyond the definitions used earlier in the 20th century. Another key differentiation between older and modern vessels is that all modern warships are "soft", without the thick armor and bulging anti-torpedo protection of World War II and older designs.

Most navies also include many types of support and auxiliary vessels, such as minesweepers, patrol boats and offshore patrol vessels.

By the text above, the Baratang doesn't deserve the appellation "warship".

The corvette is the smallest warship type, and its Wikipedia page also confirms that the Baratang's 260 ton displacement is too small for being called a warship:

A corvette (sometimes corvet) is a small, maneuverable, lightly armed warship, originally smaller than a frigate (2,000+ tons) and larger than a coastal patrol craft or fast attack craft (500 tons or less),^[1] although many recent designs are approaching the size of smaller frigates (3,000 tons).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corvette

Final nail in the coffin, the page on active Indian Navy vessels classifies the Baratang as a "patrol boat":

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_active_Indian_Navy_ships

...

(yeah I was bored)

Goodness Gracious Me.

Reference to my comment above, let me correct a typo. The Baratang cost US$10 million to build, not US$1 million as typed.

It's a patrol boat.

But in a time of war it would be a 'warship'.

I don't think India has anything to worry about from Australia, we don't have much better. Our country chooses to invest in feminist concerns rather than something as irrelevant as National Defence.