Karwar base to be opened next week

The crucial Western Naval Command8217;s future home will be made operational next week. While the Karwar base will function under the WNC f...

The crucial Western Naval Command8217;s future home will be made operational next week. While the Karwar base will function under the WNC for at least the next six to even years, the Navy8217;s masterplan indicates that Karwar will be the new Command headquarters when it is fully operational.

In the meantime Karwar, located in the centre of the Western seaboard in Karnataka, will house some of the Navy8217;s most potent weapons 8212; destroyers, stealth frigates, possibly even the soon to be acquired Scorpene submarines. Three breakwaters, built at a cost of Rs 1,018 crore, will calm thrashing waves and make docking less turbulent at Karwar.

About 11 ships will call Karwar home 8212; to house 45 ships once its fully operational 8212; at the end of the truncated first development phase. The base, the Navy feels will keep its warships and assets safe from potential attacks by Pakistan. Its natural harbour and ready connectivity to Goa and Mumbai were other critical components in the 1980s planning process.

The beauty of its Konkan coastline will mask the colossal offensive strength that the Navy plans to accommodate in the 11,200-acre Karwar base. Proximal armament depots and missile positions will back up a comprehensive Naval air station to be built during the next few phases of development.

The air station will potentially house a mix of Sea Harriers, MiG-29s, Dornier-228s, Kamov-28s and 31s, Sea Kings and ALH Dhruv helicopters, some of which will be operated off the INS Vikramaaditya Admiral Gorshkov aircraft carrier, which is likely to find a permanent berth at Karwar when it arrives three years from now. Karwar will be the Navy8217;s third largest base after Mumbai and Vishakapatnam.

Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee will inaugurate the base next week. Project Seabird Karwar8217;s codename Director General Rear Admiral K. Mohanrao said the base8217;s 10,000 ton American shiplift facility 8212; only Singapore and Australia have this facility 8212; will cut down on time taken to service and operationalise warships. The INS Aditya will arrive for trials on the shiplift in May.

At the end of the first phase of development, Karwar will be a basic shipyard, which will be converted into a full-fledged yard before being powered up to a full-scale base in 2010.