Mumbai: Twenty sharply dressed men in suits, medals arranged neatly across the left breast, stood in formation and paraded down Worli’s JK Kapur Chowk to pay their respects to INS Mumbai. Sailors and officers offered a salute to the model of a ship that has given them so much and symbolised so much more for the country.Retired commander Bhupesh Tater, who was involved in the construction of the warship, recalled the challenges behind her making. “She was one of the most difficult projects undertaken at Mazgaon Dock at the time. The disintegration of the Soviet Union forced us to rethink our dependencies and triggered one of India’s first serious drives towards indigenisation,” he said.The city’s namesake destroyer, INS Mumbai, has completed 25 years of service on the high seas. She was commissioned on Jan 22, 2001. With a displacement of 6,700 tonnes and a length of 163 metres—slightly larger than a cricket field—the guided-missile destroyer remains among the Navy’s most formidable platforms. INS Mumbai is crewed by 45 officers and nearly 350 sailors. Old comrades stood shoulder to shoulder, posing for photographs beside the ship’s model, memories flowing freely of long months at sea, shared adventures, promotions earned, and moments of valour displayed.Retired commander Alok Bhagwat recounted his command of INS Mumbai during Operation Parakram, triggered by the 2001 Parliament terror attack. “The Indian Navy decided to completely blockade Karachi port—no ship going in and no ship going out,” he said. Commander Bhagwat was later awarded the Nao Sena Medal for his service during the operation. Commander Tater said “When I was commanding the ship, we began participating in the international effort to combat piracy in the Gulf of Aden. Although she was not designed for prolonged patrolling duties, her sheer capacity and versatility allowed us to reorient our procedures and perform effectively on the world stage, protecting merchant convoys.“INS Mumbai is currently out at sea, which is why veterans said they were unable to organise an elaborate function to mark the milestone. Even so, the gathering served as a quiet reminder that while ships sail on, the bonds forged aboard them endure.
