Supreme Court Stays Dismantling Of The Aircraft Carrier INS Viraat

Supreme Court stays dismantling of decommissioned aircraft carrier INS Viraat, after hearing a petition by a firm seeking to convert the ship into a maritime museum & multi-functional adventure centre.

The world’s oldest serving warship INS Viraat is moving towards the same fate as its predecessor Vikrant, with its dismantling now in progress even as a private firm is making a last-ditch attempt to instead convert it into a museum.

INS Viraat was decommissioned in 2017. However, it is still hopeful of saving the warship.

INS Viraat

INS Viraat was a Centaur-class aircraft carrier of the Indian Navy. INS Viraat was the flagship of the Indian Navy before INS Vikramaditya was commissioned in 2013. The ship was completed and commissioned in 1959 as the Royal Navy’s HMS Hermes, and decommissioned in 1984. It was sold to India in 1987. INS Viraat was commissioned into the Indian Navy on 12 May 1987 and served for almost 30 years.