Indian Naval Landing Craft Utility L58 Commissioned at Port Blair

Indian Naval Landing Craft Utility (LCU) L58 was commissioned into the Indian Navy at Port Blair, Andaman & Nicobar Islands on March 18, 2021. This is the eighth and last ship of the Landing Craft Utility (LCU) Mark IV Class.

The ship was commissioned into service in a ceremony that had Commander-in-Chief, Andaman and Nicobar Command (CINCAN) Lieutenant General Manoj Pande as the Chief Guest.

Commander Krishan K Yadav has been named the first Commanding Officer of the ship. He read out the commissioning warrant. The crew members include five officers and 50 sailors. 

Key Highlights

•The Indian Naval Landing Craft Utility is an amphibious ship that can carry upto 160 troops, in addition to its crew. 

•The ship measures 63 meters in length and has a displacement of 900 tons. It is fitted with two MTA 4,000 series engines, which are capable of propelling the ship to a speed of up to 15 knots (28 kmph).

•The ship is capable of carrying various types of combat vehicles including Main Battle Tanks (MBTs), Armoured Vehicles, BMPs and trucks.

•It is also fitted with an advanced Electronic Support Measure (ESM) suite to intercept enemy radar transmissions and an advanced Integrated Bridge System (IBS).

•It is also fitted with a sophisticated Integrated Platform Management System (IPMS), which will allow single station monitoring of the ship’s navigational and machinery equipment respectively. 

•The main armament of the ship includes two indigenously manufactured 30 mm CRN 91 guns, controlled by a Stabilised Optronic Pedestal (SOP), which is an electronic day-night director sight manufactured by Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL).

•The ship is also armed with six Machine Gun Posts to neutralise air, surface and sub-conventional threats. 

Other Details 

The Indian Naval Landing Craft Utility would be based at Port Blair and will be deployed in a variety of roles such as Beaching, Search and Rescue, Disaster Relief, Coastal Patrol and Surveillance operations along the Andaman and Nicobar Group of Islands, Bay of Bengal and in the Indian Ocean. 

It is expected to boost Indian Navy’s mobility, reach and flexibility, furthering the Andaman and Nicobar Command’s motto, ‘Victory through Jointness’.