The government has approved the acquisition of American warship USS Trenton, making it the first procurement deal since the June 2005 Indo-US defence framework. The 35-year-old amphibious vessel, undergoing a refit at Norfolk, Virginia, will be delivered to the Navy early next year.The Trenton is being bought for just under Rs 225 crore. In Parliament today, Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee said, “The ship would provide the Indian Navy enhanced amphibious capability. In addition, the LPD (landing platform dock) can be deployed for disaster relief operations.” It can also function as a command and control platform during mishaps at sea like offshore oil installation fires and maritime air accidents.The induction of LPD would help in gaining user experience apart from providing essential design inputs for the indigenous construction of LPD,” Mukherjee added.While a nomenclature committee from the Navy is currently drawing up a list of possible Indian names for the Trenton — an Austin-class amphibious vessel of 1970s vintage — when it joins service next year, the Navy is also in the process of appointing a Captain-rank officer to be the ship’s first skipper. The ship will be the Navy’s second largest after aircraft carrier after INS Viraat. The Navy is also negotiating a purchase for six multi-role maritime helicopters for use off the Trenton. The ship, with the capacity for 1,500 personnel and troops, will come with four landing craft to transfer personnel or supplies.
