INS Visakhapatnam (D66)

INS Visakhapatnam is the lead ship and the first of the Visakhapatnam-class destroyer stealth guided-missile destroyers of the Indian Navy. The ship, commissioned on 21 November 2021, is one of the largest destroyers in service with the Indian Navy.

Construction
The keel of Visakhapatnam was laid down on 12 October 2013 and she was launched on 20 April 2015 at Mazagon Dock Limited of Mumbai. This was made under Make In India initiative. The ship steering and stabiliser system was manufactured by Larsen & Toubro and hydraulics by Polyhydron Systems..

During Navy Day 2020, Chief of the Naval Staff announced that INS Visakhapatnam has started its sea trials.

Commissioning
Visakhapatnam was delivered to the Indian Navy on 28 October 2021 and commissioned on 21 November 2021 by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh at the Indian Navy's Western Naval Command, headquartered in Mumbai.

Service history
On 11 January 2022, Visakhapatnam successfully fired an advanced variant of Brahmos missile in sea-to-sea mode validating its extended range and improvements.

2023-24 Anti-piracy patrols
Against the backdrop of the increasing attacks on commercial ships transiting the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden, and the Arabian Sea by the end of 2023, the Indian Navy on December 31 2023 said it had substantially enhanced maritime surveillance efforts in Central and North Arabian Sea and “augmented force levels” by primerly deploying the P-8I Neptune MPA and the SeaGuardian drones. Following two merchant vessels, including MV Ruen and MV Chem Pluto which were targeted in the sea. Ruen was hijacked (later rescued by INS Kolkata) while MV Chem Pluto sustained drone hits eventually and making way to port, The Indian Navy deployed a large flotilla of destroyers to safeguard international security. The deployment into the Arabian Sea includes Navy’s missile destroyers, including INS Kolkata, INS Kochi, INS Mormugao (D67), INS Chennai and INS Visakhapatnam, virtually all of its modern destroyer force of its western fleet. INS Kolkata is deployed on the mouth of the Red Sea, INS Kochi on the south of Yemen's Socotra Island, INS Mormugao in the west Arabian Sea with INS Chennai in the central Arabian Sea.

Visakhapatnam was also moved in a week later and was tasked to patrol the north Arabian Sea. On 18 January 2024, Visakhapatnam responded to a distress call from the Marshall Island-flagged MV Genco Picardy following a drone attack by unknown attackers at 11.11 pm on the night of 17 January. The Indian naval ship acknowledged the distress call and intercepted the vessel at 12.30 am the next day and provided support. Genco Picardy had 22 crew, including 9 Indian sailors. Following an EOD inspection by the ship's specialists, the ship was cleared to continue its journey without any casualties incurred aboard.

Following a distress call from the British owned, Marshall Islands flagged oil tanker MV Marlin Luanda on the night of 26 January 2024, Visakhapatnam sped to the scene to aid the ship in its fire fighting efforts by deploying its NBCD team (Nuclear-Biological-Chemical Defence and Damage control) along with firefighting equipment on board. The ship was reportedly attacked by the Houthis at approximately 7:45 pm and it had 22 Indians and one Bangladeshi crew member aboard. USS Carney (DDG 64) (also targeted by a Houthi missile, but shot down), the French frigate Alsace and other Operation Prosperity Guardian coalition ships also responded and rendered assistance. No injuries were reported as the fire had broken out In the cargo compartment. The vessel sailed to a safe harbour under its own power.

In mid-July 2024, Indian Navy's INS Visakhapatnam and INS Aditya conducted an exercise with US Navy's Carrier Strike Group 9 centred on USS Theodore Roosevelt along with Carrier Air Wing 11 and USS Daniel Inouye in the Indian Ocean.