Rear Admiral AK Verma (Retd), VSM, Chairman & Managing Director, GRSE Ltd, commenced the proceedings with a formal welcome which was followed by an address by the Chief Guest.
Chief of Material (COM), Indian Navy, Vice Admiral AV Subhedar, who was also the Chief Guest of the event, asserted that the Indian Navy has been supporting the drive for indigenous construction of warships leading to advancement of our shipbuilding industry and acknowledged the role of GRSE as a reliable partner in pursuing the national goal of Make in India.
He further stated that Indian Navy is eagerly looking forward towards induction of LCU-MK IV class of ships, which would be based at Port Blair. The COM extended warm felicitations to the entire team of the GRSE for their significant contribution towards meeting the Navy’s growing requirement of state-of-the-art warships.
In accordance with the traditions, invocations from Atharva Veda were recited and Mrs Rohini Subhedar, wife of Vice Admiral AV Subhedar, applied ‘Kumkum’ on the ship’s stem. She thereafter named the ship as ‘LCU-L55’, wished the ship good luck and launched the vessel.
LCU L-55 is the fifth vessel in the series of eight Landing Craft Utility Ships being designed and built by M/s GRSE for the Indian Navy. The ship can be deployed for multirole activities like beaching operations, humanitarian and disaster relief operations and evacuation from distant islands. The first ship of the class ‘LCU-L51’ was launched March 12, 2014, and is presently undergoing trials at GRSE. The vessel is likely to be delivered shortly to Indian Navy.
Chief Guest Vice Admiral AV Subhedar AVSM VSM, Chief of Material; Chairman & Managing Director GRSE and various other dignitaries were present on the occasion.
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