Astravahini-class torpedo recovery vessel explained

The Astravahini class of torpedo recovery vessels are a series of naval auxiliary watercraft built by Goa Shipyard Limited and P.S. & Company for the Indian Navy.^[1] They are intended to recover practice torpedoes and mines, fired and laid by ships, submarines and aircraft. The vessels can stow two full-sized torpedoes on deck and two on a recovery ramp.

The vessel A72 sank on 6 November 2014 during a routine exercise near Visakhapatnam after taking on water, with one sailor dead and four missing.^{[2] [3]}

Ships in the class

IMO number^[4] !	Pennant no	Commission	Decommission	Builder	Notes
1083	7804077	A71	15 September 1982	25 March 2005	GSL	Torpedo Recovery Vessel
1084	7804089	A72	23 February 1983	Sunk 6 November 2014	GSL	Torpedo Recovery Vessel
		A73	5 November 1984^[5]	16 July 2015 ^[6]	P. S. & Company^[7]	Torpedo Launch and Recovery Vessel

Specification (A71 & A72)

• Displacement: 110 tonnes^[8]
• Speed: 11 knots
• Dimension: 28.5 X 6.1 X 1.4 meters
• Engine: 2 Kirloskar MAN 12 cyl. diesels, 2 props. 720 bhp
• Crew: 13 total

See also

• List of active Indian Navy ships
• , a catamaran-hulled torpedo recovery vessel that replaced the Astravahini class

External links

• A-71 Decommissioned

Notes and References

1. Web site: Surface Ships . 21 February 2015 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20150325134508/http://indiannavy.nic.in/print/84 . 25 March 2015 .
2. Web site: Torpedo recovery vessel sinks near Vizag; 1 dead, 4 missing . rediff.com . 6 November 2014 . 27 June 2016.
3. News: Navy's auxiliary ship sinks off Vizag; sailor killed . G. S. . Subrahmanyam . The Hindu . 7 November 2014 . 27 June 2016.
4. Web site: Ship Register Search | IRCLASS | Indian Register of Shipping . 14 July 2013 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20130621234432/http://www.irclass.org/ship_info . 21 June 2013 .
5. Military Year-book 1985-86 (Volume 18)
6. News: INS Astravahini decommissioned . The Hindu . 17 July 2015 . 27 June 2016.
7. Ship & Boat International, Volume 37
8. The Naval Institute Guide to Combat Fleets of the World: Their Ships, Aircraft, and Systems By Eric Wertheim