Fire Aboard INS Brahmaputra: Know About India's Indigenously Built Multi-Role Frigate

Fire Aboard INS Brahmaputra: A fire erupted on INS Brahmaputra, an Indian Navy frigate, causing the ship to list heavily. Know about the indigenously built 'Brahmaputra' class-guided missile frigates.

A fire broke out aboard the Indian Navy's multi-role frigate INS Brahmaputra, leading to the vessel listing severely to one side and the disappearance of a junior sailor. The incident occurred on the evening of 21 July while the ship was undergoing refit at the Naval Dockyard in Mumbai.

About INS Brahmaputra — India's Indigenously Built Multi-Role Frigate

INS Brahmaputra, commissioned into the Indian Navy on 14 April 2000, is the first of the indigenously built 'Brahmaputra' class guided missile frigates. The ship boasts a displacement of 5,300 tonnes, a length of 125 metres, and a beam of 14.4 metres, with a capability to exceed speeds of 27 knots, according to the Indian Navy.

It is manned by a crew of 40 officers and 330 sailors and is equipped with an array of weapons including medium-range, close-range, and anti-aircraft guns, surface-to-surface and surface-to-air missiles, and torpedo launchers.

Additionally, the ship is outfitted with comprehensive sensors and can operate Seaking and Chetak helicopters, allowing it to undertake various roles such as coastal and offshore patrolling, maritime diplomacy, counter-terrorism, and anti-piracy operations, as per the Navy.

INS Brahmaputra played a key role in Operation Sukoon in July 2006 under the command of Capt Kapil Gupta during the Lebanon conflict. The Indian Navy launched Operation Sukoon to evacuate Indian, Sri Lankan, and Nepalese nationals, as well as Lebanese citizens with Indian spouses, from the conflict zone during the 2006 Lebanon War.

Named after the prominent 'Brahmaputra' river in North Eastern India, INS Brahmaputra carries a crest depicting a grey-coloured, one-horned Indian rhinoceros against a background of white and blue sea waves.

The ship’s war cry, "Dushman ko Khatra, Jab aage Brahmaputra," translates to "The enemy faces grave danger when Brahmaputra leads the fray," signifying its formidable spirit.

It must be noted that the Indian Navy has a tradition of rechristening ships with the same name. The old Brahmaputra was commissioned on March 23, 1958 and served the Indian Navy well till her decommissioning on 30 June 1986. Originally ordered for the British Navy as the Panther, old Brahmaputra served in the 1965 and 1971 Wars in the Western and Eastern seaboard, respectively. She was the first major warship to be built in a British yard for the Indian Navy since India's independence.

Fire Aboard INS Brahmaputra At Naval Dockyard In Mumbai

An official release from the Indian Navy detailed the sequence of events, stating, "A fire had broken out on board Indian Naval Ship Brahmaputra, a multi-role frigate, on the evening of July 21 while she was undergoing refit at Naval Dockyard Mumbai." The crew, with assistance from dockyard firefighters and other ships in the harbour, managed to control the fire by the morning of 22 July. Subsequently, sanitisation checks were conducted to assess residual risks.

However, the ship experienced severe listing to its port side on the afternoon of 22 July. Despite efforts to stabilise it, the vessel continued to list further and is now resting on one side. The release further noted, "All the personnel have been accounted for except one junior sailor, for whom the search is in progress. An inquiry has been ordered by the Indian Navy to investigate the accident."