The ''Godavari''-class frigates (formerly Type 16 or Project 16 frigates) were guided-missile frigates of the

Indian Navy The Indian Navy is the maritime branch of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Navy. The Chief of Naval Staff, a four-star admiral, commands the navy. As a blue-water navy, it operates sig ...

. The ''Godavari'' class was the first significant indigenous warship design and development initiative of the Indian Navy. Its design is a modification of the with a focus on indigenous content of 72%, a larger hull and updated armaments. The class and the lead ship, were named after the

Godavari River The Godavari ( IAST: ''Godāvarī'' �od̪aːʋəɾiː is India's second longest river after the Ganga river and drains into the third largest basin in India, covering about 10% of India's total geographical area. Its source is in Trimbakes ...

. Subsequent ships in the class, and also took their names from

Indian rivers This is a list of rivers of India, starting in the west and moving along the Indian coast southward, then northward. Tributary rivers are listed hierarchically in upstream order: the lower in the list, the more upstream. The overall discharge of r ...

. INS ''Gomati'' was the first Indian Navy vessel to have digital electronics in her combat data system. The ships combined Indian, Russian and Western weapons systems.

History

The concept for the ''Godavari'' class originated from the lessons learnt in the

Indo-Pakistan War of 1971 The Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 was a military confrontation between India and Pakistan that occurred during the Bangladesh Liberation War in East Pakistan from 3 December 1971 until the Pakistani Instrument of Surrender, Pakistani ...

. There was a need for a ship unique to Indian requirements, for deploying a hybrid of indigenously-designed, as well as Russian and European weapons systems. The keel of the lead ship INS ''Godavari'' was laid in 1978 at

Mazagon Dock Limited Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) ( IAST: ''Majhagānv Dawk Limiṭeḍ''), formerly called Mazagon Dock Limited, is a shipyard situated in Mazagaon, Mumbai. It manufactures warships and submarines for the Indian Navy and offshore platfo ...

Bombay Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the '' de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the sec ...

. She was commissioned in December 1983. One of the requirements was to deploy two Sea King helicopters from the ship. The ''Nilgiri''-class vessels were too small for this requirement. The final design incorporated a larger hull in order to accommodate this. INS ''Godavari'' was decommissioned on 23 December 2015, and her Barak 1 surface-to-air missile will be installed on the

flagship A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically the f ...

. INS ''Ganga'' was retired from active service on 28 May 2017, and was decommissioned on 22 March 2018. The last ship of its class, INS ''Gomati'', was decommissioned on 15 May 2022 after 34 years of service.

Design

Although the Directorate of Marine Engineering suggested replacing steam propulsion with gas turbines, it was decided not to do so, since

Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) is an Indian central public sector undertaking. It is under the ownership of Ministry of Heavy Industries, Government of India. It is based in New Delhi, India. Established in 1956, BHEL is Indi ...

and

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) is an Indian state-owned aerospace and defence company, headquartered in Bangalore, India. Established on 23 December 1940, HAL is one of the oldest and largest aerospace and defence manufacturers in the worl ...

had made heavy investments in facilities and tooling for design of steam turbines and auxiliary systems. For armaments, the missile and gun package of the Soviet was installed on the frigate.

Ships of the class

Upgrades

All three ships later underwent an extensive upgrade of weapons and sensors. These include the fitment of the Israeli Barak SAM system, and a new fire control system based on the EL/M-2221 STGR. The P-20 missiles have been retained for now.

Gallery

File:INS Godavari (F20)+INS Brahmaputra (F31)+INS Beas (F39).jpg, INS ''Godavari'' with and trailing during exercises with the US Navy. File:INS Ganga (F22).jpg,

INS Ganga (F22) INS ''Ganga'' (F22) was a guided-missile frigate of the Indian Navy. Built in Mumbai by Mazagon Dock Limited, she was commissioned into the Indian Navy on 30 December 1985. She was retired from active service on 28 May 2017, and was decommiss ...

during sea operations. File:INS Gomati with Seaking heli operations.jpg, INS Gomati with Seaking helicopter operations.

References