INS Sumitra is the fourth and last Saryu-class patrol vessel of the Indian Navy, designed and constructed by Goa Shipyard Limited.[1] It is also the presidential yacht of India.[2] It is designed to undertake fleet support operations, coastal and offshore patrolling, ocean surveillance and monitoring of sea lines of communications and offshore assets and escort duties.[3] [4]
The keel of INS Sumitra was laid at Goa Shipyard Ltd (GSL) on 28 April 2010, and she was launched on 6 December 2010. During her construction at GSL, she was known as Yard 1211.[5] [6]
INS Sumitra completed her sea trials and was handed over to the Indian Navy on 18 July 2014,[1] and was commissioned into the fleet by the Chief of Naval Staff Admiral RK Dhowan on 4 September 2014 in Chennai. She will operate under the Eastern Naval Command and conduct maritime surveillance and coastal security missions. Her first Commanding Officer is Commander Milind Mokashi.[7]
On 30 March 2015, INS Sumitra and her crew rescued 350 Indian citizens stranded in Yemen, by evacuating them from the Yemeni port of Aden to Djibouti across the Red Sea. This rescue was part of Operation Raahat. Sumitra was diverted from her anti-piracy patrol in the Lakshadweep region to join the operation while Saudi Arabia-led forces were conducting air strikes against Houthi rebels.
Two other navy ships and INS Tarkash (F50) were also part of this operation, along with two C-17 Globemaster transport aircraft of the Indian Air Force, two Airbus A-320 aircraft from Air India and passenger liners MV Kavaratti and MS Coral. The operations were overseen by Gen VK Singh (Retd), Minister of State for External Affairs, Government of India.
See main article: Operation Sankalp. On 29 January 2024, INS Sumitra successfully rescued fishermen hijacked by pirates along the East coast of Somalia and the Gulf of Aden. The naval warship was responding to a distress message regarding hijacking of an Iranian-flagged Fishing Vessel (FV) Iman. The fishing boat had been boarded by pirates and its 17-member crew was taken hostage. Acting in accordance with the established Standard Operation Procedures (SOPs) the crew successfully coerced the pirates for the safe release of the crew along with the boat & ensured the successful release of all 17 crew members along with the boat. The FV was subsequently sanitised and released for onward transit.[8] [9]
Less than 24 hours later, INS Sumitra rescued 19 Pakistani sailors after pirates hijacked their fishing vessel off the east coast of Somalia the previous day. Eleven armed pirates climbed onto another Iranian-flagged fishing vessel FV Al Naeemi and took 19 crew members, all Pakistanis, as hostage. The Navy warship intercepted the fishing vessel and coerced the pirates to release the hostages. The Navy warship intercepted the fishing vessel and forced the pirates to release the hostages with the help of MARCOS, a special forces unit of the Indian Navy, onboard. The warship intercepted the vessel on January 29 and surrounded it. The aggressive posturing by INS Sumitra aimed to compel pirates to surrender and leave the ship. Warning shots were then fired in the water to pressurise the Somali pirates who had taken control of the vessel the Indian Navy deployed its Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) Dhruv, which flew over the ship, a psychological tactic used by the Navy to create fear in the mind of the enemy to force a surrender. The Somali pirates were scared to see the Indian Navy and dumped their weapons when INS Sumitra approached closer. Armed with Tavor TAR-21, an Israeli assault rifle and other combat gear, the MARCOS brought the pirates and were disarmed. No injuries were reported in the swift operation conducted by the Navy, which captured Kalashnikovs and several mobile and satellite phones from their possession.[10] The incident took place in Southern Arabian Sea approximately 850 nautical miles west of Kochi, and prevented misuse of these fishing vessels as mother ships for further acts of piracy on Merchant Vessels.[11] [12] [13] [14] [15]