INS Jalashwa
Encyclopedia
INS Jalashwa (L41) (Sanskrit/Hindi: seahorse
) is an amphibious transport dock
currently in service with the Indian Navy
. Formerly the , she was procured from the United States
by India
for USD 48 million. She was commissioned on 22 June 2007.
INS Jalashwa is the only Indian naval ship to be acquired from the United States. She is based in Visakhapatnam
under the Eastern Naval Command.
Landing Platform Dock for approximately Rs. 228 crore ($ 48.44 million). Her sister ship was also offered, but India declined the offer.
The Indian Navy took possession of the ship on 17 January 2007 in Norfolk, Virginia
after the transfer agreement was signed by Commodore P. Murugesan, Naval Attaché at the Embassy of India to the US, and Rear Admiral Garry E. Hall of US Navy. She then underwent a refit at the Norfolk Naval Base until May 2007. The Indian Navy also purchased six UH-3 Sea King maritime utility transport helicopters for $39 million for operation from the ship. Sea Harrier aircraft can be operated from the deck of the ship.
The ship was commissioned as INS Jalashwa on 22 June 2007 at Norfolk by Shri Ronan Sen, then Indian ambassador to the US. Captain B.S. Ahluwalia and Commander Dinesh Singh were her first commanding officer and Executive Officer, respectively.
Commissioning Crew of Jalashwa:
Capt. B.S. Ahluwalia (Commanding Officer)
Cdr D Singh (EXO)
Cdr ML Mathew (Electrical Officer)
Cdr Ishan Tandon (Engineering Officer/Mechanical Officer)
Cdr Rajat Kapoor (Logistics Officer)
Cdr DK Sahu (Principal Medical officer)
Lt Cdr A Bisht (Flight Deck Officer)
Lt Cdr I Alam (Dy. Electrical Officer)
Lt Cdr D Sengupta (Dy. Engineering Officer)
Lt Cdr K Jacob (Dental Officer)
Lt Cdr J Nadeem (Prinicipal Navigating Officer)
Lt Cdr MAM Qazi (NBCD Officer)
Lt Cdr JPS Virk (Communications Officer)
Lt Cdr Sugreev Tamwada ( Gunnery Officer)
Lt Cdr J Mahadik ( Navigating Officer II)
Lt V Vishen (Asst Electrical Officer Navigation/Direction)
Lt Ruchir Prasad (Asst Electrical Officer Power Generation Distribution,Auxiliaries)
Lt PCS Beliapa ( Asst Engineer Officer Ballasting Operations)
Lt D Singh (Asst Engineer Officer Engine Room1)
Lt Shwet Gupta (Asst Engineer Officer Engine Room 2)
Lt V Singh (Asst Engineer Officer Boats/Crafts)
Lt H Khandhekar (Asst Engineer Officer AC Plant)
Lt A Hans (Asst Logistics Officer)
Lt M Tayal (Watchkeeping Officer)
Lt Rauta (Boatswain's Mate)
Jalashwa features a well deck, which can house up to four LCM-8 mechanized landing craft that can be launched by flooding the well deck and lowering the hinged gate aft of the ship. She also has a flight deck for helicopter operations from which up to six medium helicopters can operate simultaneously. The deck can also be used to operate vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft like the Sea Harrier, in special circumstances. She is also capable of embarking over 1000 troops, and is fully equipped with extensive medical facilities including four operation theatres, a 12-bed ward, laboratory and a dental centre.
, between Vishakapatnam and the Andaman Islands. Jalashwa immediately headed to Port Blair
, with the critically injured seamen and two officers being airlifted from the ship.
Lieutenant Commander Shwet Gupta and Lieutenant Ruchir Prasad were critically injured while trying to rescue their sailors. Lt Cdr Shwet Gupta died subsequently.
The purchase terms for the ship also resulted in controversy, with the Comptroller and Auditor General of India
censuring the Indian navy for a hasty purchase without exercising sufficient due diligence and for accepting restrictions on use and access. According to the report, the United States obtained an assurance that the naval ship could not be used for any offensive purposes, and had the right to regularly inspect it. In addition, no physical assessment was done by India prior to purchase and the US Navy reportedly did not reveal the need for upgrades and modifications. A response to this criticism was that the ship was acquired primarily to aid the Navy in gaining vital operational information for expanding its amphibious warfare capabilities.
to evacuate Indian citizens from Libya
in the aftermath of the turmoil from the 2011 Libyan uprising. They carried their full air wings, and a contingent of Marine special forces.
Seahorse
Seahorses compose the fish genus Hippocampus within the family Syngnathidae, in order Syngnathiformes. Syngnathidae also includes the pipefishes. "Hippocampus" comes from the Ancient Greek hippos meaning "horse" and kampos meaning “sea monster”.There are nearly 50 species of seahorse...
) is an amphibious transport dock
Amphibious transport dock
An amphibious transport dock, also called a landing platform/dock , is an amphibious warfare ship, a warship that embarks, transports, and lands elements of a landing force for expeditionary warfare missions. Several navies currently operate this kind of ship...
currently in service with the Indian Navy
Indian Navy
The Indian Navy is the naval branch of the armed forces of India. The President of India serves as the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy. The Chief of Naval Staff , usually a four-star officer in the rank of Admiral, commands the Navy...
. Formerly the , she was procured from the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
by India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
for USD 48 million. She was commissioned on 22 June 2007.
INS Jalashwa is the only Indian naval ship to be acquired from the United States. She is based in Visakhapatnam
Visakhapatnam
Visakhapatnam is a major sea port on the south east coast of India. With a population of approximately 1.7 million, it is the second largest city in the state of Andhra Pradesh and the third largest city on the east coast of India after Kolkata and Chennai. According to the history, the city was...
under the Eastern Naval Command.
Acquisition History
The Indian Navy felt the need for better amphibious landing capability in the aftermath of the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami, when the Navy's rescue and humanitarian efforts were hampered by inadequacy of existing amphibious ships in its fleet. In 2006, the Indian government announced it would purchase the US Navy's retired Austin-classAustin class amphibious transport dock
The Austin class of amphibious transport dock followed theRaleigh class and was followed by the San Antonio classes. Note that some sources consider Cleveland and Trenton ships to be a part of the Austin class, but the Naval Vessel Registry lists them as a separate class.- Ships :-Cleveland...
Landing Platform Dock for approximately Rs. 228 crore ($ 48.44 million). Her sister ship was also offered, but India declined the offer.
The Indian Navy took possession of the ship on 17 January 2007 in Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 242,803 as of the 2010 Census, it is Virginia's second-largest city behind neighboring Virginia Beach....
after the transfer agreement was signed by Commodore P. Murugesan, Naval Attaché at the Embassy of India to the US, and Rear Admiral Garry E. Hall of US Navy. She then underwent a refit at the Norfolk Naval Base until May 2007. The Indian Navy also purchased six UH-3 Sea King maritime utility transport helicopters for $39 million for operation from the ship. Sea Harrier aircraft can be operated from the deck of the ship.
The ship was commissioned as INS Jalashwa on 22 June 2007 at Norfolk by Shri Ronan Sen, then Indian ambassador to the US. Captain B.S. Ahluwalia and Commander Dinesh Singh were her first commanding officer and Executive Officer, respectively.
Commissioning Crew of Jalashwa:
Capt. B.S. Ahluwalia (Commanding Officer)
Cdr D Singh (EXO)
Cdr ML Mathew (Electrical Officer)
Cdr Ishan Tandon (Engineering Officer/Mechanical Officer)
Cdr Rajat Kapoor (Logistics Officer)
Cdr DK Sahu (Principal Medical officer)
Lt Cdr A Bisht (Flight Deck Officer)
Lt Cdr I Alam (Dy. Electrical Officer)
Lt Cdr D Sengupta (Dy. Engineering Officer)
Lt Cdr K Jacob (Dental Officer)
Lt Cdr J Nadeem (Prinicipal Navigating Officer)
Lt Cdr MAM Qazi (NBCD Officer)
Lt Cdr JPS Virk (Communications Officer)
Lt Cdr Sugreev Tamwada ( Gunnery Officer)
Lt Cdr J Mahadik ( Navigating Officer II)
Lt V Vishen (Asst Electrical Officer Navigation/Direction)
Lt Ruchir Prasad (Asst Electrical Officer Power Generation Distribution,Auxiliaries)
Lt PCS Beliapa ( Asst Engineer Officer Ballasting Operations)
Lt D Singh (Asst Engineer Officer Engine Room1)
Lt Shwet Gupta (Asst Engineer Officer Engine Room 2)
Lt V Singh (Asst Engineer Officer Boats/Crafts)
Lt H Khandhekar (Asst Engineer Officer AC Plant)
Lt A Hans (Asst Logistics Officer)
Lt M Tayal (Watchkeeping Officer)
Lt Rauta (Boatswain's Mate)
Jalashwa features a well deck, which can house up to four LCM-8 mechanized landing craft that can be launched by flooding the well deck and lowering the hinged gate aft of the ship. She also has a flight deck for helicopter operations from which up to six medium helicopters can operate simultaneously. The deck can also be used to operate vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft like the Sea Harrier, in special circumstances. She is also capable of embarking over 1000 troops, and is fully equipped with extensive medical facilities including four operation theatres, a 12-bed ward, laboratory and a dental centre.
Controversy
On 1 February, 2008, five Indian Navy personnel were killed, and three others critically injured by inhaling poisonous hydrogen sulphide (H2S) gas aboard INS Jalashwa. The mishap occurred during an exercise in the Bay of BengalBay of Bengal
The Bay of Bengal , the largest bay in the world, forms the northeastern part of the Indian Ocean. It resembles a triangle in shape, and is bordered mostly by the Eastern Coast of India, southern coast of Bangladesh and Sri Lanka to the west and Burma and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands to the...
, between Vishakapatnam and the Andaman Islands. Jalashwa immediately headed to Port Blair
Port Blair
Port Blair is the largest town and a municipal council in Andaman district in the Andaman Islands and the capital of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, a union territory of India...
, with the critically injured seamen and two officers being airlifted from the ship.
Lieutenant Commander Shwet Gupta and Lieutenant Ruchir Prasad were critically injured while trying to rescue their sailors. Lt Cdr Shwet Gupta died subsequently.
The purchase terms for the ship also resulted in controversy, with the Comptroller and Auditor General of India
Comptroller and Auditor General of India
The Comptroller and Auditor General of India is an authority, established by the Constitution of India, who audits all receipts and expenditure of the Government of India and the state governments, including those of bodies and authorities substantially financed by the government. The CAG is...
censuring the Indian navy for a hasty purchase without exercising sufficient due diligence and for accepting restrictions on use and access. According to the report, the United States obtained an assurance that the naval ship could not be used for any offensive purposes, and had the right to regularly inspect it. In addition, no physical assessment was done by India prior to purchase and the US Navy reportedly did not reveal the need for upgrades and modifications. A response to this criticism was that the ship was acquired primarily to aid the Navy in gaining vital operational information for expanding its amphibious warfare capabilities.
Operations
On 26 February 2011, INS Jalashwa and were deployed to the Mediterranean SeaMediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
to evacuate Indian citizens from Libya
Libya
Libya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
in the aftermath of the turmoil from the 2011 Libyan uprising. They carried their full air wings, and a contingent of Marine special forces.