INS Mahe, the first of India's Mahe-class Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft (ASW-SWC), was commissioned in Mumbai on Monday.
Built by Cochin Shipyard (CSL) with over 80 per cent indigenous components, the 1,100-tonne ship strengthens submarine hunting and coastal patrols. Set to be deployed for littoral operations and coastal patrols when not engaged in shallow-water anti-submarine missions, INS Mahe is equipped with indigenously developed advanced sonars, torpedoes, and guns, and is also capable of undertaking advanced mine-laying in shallow seas.
The Cochin Shipyard added that the 78 m-long warship is the largest Indian Naval warship propelled by a Diesel Engine-Waterjet combination and can also carry out underwater surveillance, Search & Rescue operations and Low Intensity Maritime Operations (LIMO).
"She will serve as a ‘Silent Hunter’ on the Western Seaboard—powered by self-reliance and dedicated to safeguarding India’s maritime frontiers. The commissioning of Mahe will mark the arrival of a new generation of indigenous shallow-water combatants—sleek, swift, and resolutely Indian," the Defence Ministry had said.
INS Mahe: The name and crest
The shallow water craft class has been named after the historic coastal town of Mahe on the Malabar Coast. Although a district of the Puducherry Union Territory, Mahe is encircled by the Kannur and Kozhikode districts of Kerala. Meanwhile, the ship’s crest features an ‘Urumi’, the long, flexible sword of "Kalaripayattu," the ancient Indian martial art. A charging stallion and bovine complete the magnificent crest.
"Urumi", sometimes called "Churika" symbolises agility, precision, and lethal grace—the capabilities that the vessel is expected to show in the battlefield. The coiling, double-edged whip sword is said to have existed from as early as the Sangam period (100 BCE to 250 CE).
"The crest symbolises the confluence of India’s cultural heritage and technological prowess, marking yet another step in the Indian Navy’s commitment to indigenisation, innovation, and Aatmanirbharta," the Ministry of Defence said.
The CSL is contracted to build eight Mahe-class vessels for the Indian Navy.
