INS Delhi (1948)
Encyclopedia
The INS Delhi was a Leander
class cruiser built for the Royal Navy
in 1933 as HMS Achilles
, and commissioned into the New Zealand Division of the Royal Navy (from 1941 the Royal New Zealand Navy
) in 1937 as HMNZS Achilles
. She was returned to the Royal Navy at the end of the Second World War and in 1948 was sold to the Royal Indian Navy
to be recommissioned as HMIS Delhi. In 1950 she was renamed INS Delhi and remained in service until decommissioned at Bombay on 30 June 1978.
was her Executive Officer and the senior-most Indian officer, while Lieutenant Sardarilal Mathradas Nanda was her First Lieutenant
. She conducted her first major goodwill cruise in 1948, to East Africa, the Seychelles
, and Mauritius
.
After India became a Republic
in January 1950, she was renamed INS Delhi. In June 1950, Commander Adhar Kumar Chatterji
(later Chief of the Naval Staff) became her first Indian commanding officer; the same month she conveyed Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru
to Indonesia
on an official visit.
In 1956, she played herself, as Achilles, in the movie Battle of the River Plate
.
In 1958, INS Delhi was moved to a training role.
and its dependencies of Daman and Diu were annexed, INS Delhi was tasked to patrol the waters off Diu.
INS Delhi, as an aging ship, was not considered for frontline action. She was deployed for patrol off the coast of Diu. At dawn, the ship was spotted by the Portuguese defenders, but they did not recognize its hoisted battle flag. The Portuguese land based artillery did not open fire considering it might be a cargo vessel.
The only documented event of naval action between India and Portugal in the Diu region, was the sinking of the Portuguese patrol boat NRP Vega by Indian Air Force
aircraft, after the Vega opened fire on them with its sole 20mm Oerlikon gun. After the sinking of NRP Vega the crew was taken Prisoner-of-war on the shore.
Indian Navy reports for the war state that INS Delhi supported the Indian Army's advance by firing on the citadel, and neutralizing the airport control tower. The Portuguese detailed reports on the invasion, among which is "The fall of the portuguese India ISBN 972-33-1134-8 by Carlos Alexandre de Morais" do not mention fire from the main 6" guns (152mm) guns of the indian cruiser, though a possible cause of the discrepancy is that the source of the fire from the aging cruiser may not have been identified, due to the Indian Army firing from the landward side. Alternatively, the cruiser's shells may have fallen short of the citadel.
under Vice Admiral Barbosa. The visit was the occasion of many reunions of Achilles veterans who were plied with large quantities of rum and beer, and taken on a quick trip by the ship.
, Dehradun
. The precise fate of the third turret is unknown, but a persistent rumour holds that it was officially recorded as "eaten by white ants".http://www.rediff.com/news/1999/may/14nad.htm The remainder of the ship was scrapped.
Leander class cruiser (1931)
The Leander class was a class of eight light cruisers built for the Royal Navy in the early 1930s that saw service in World War II. They were named after mythological figures, and all ships were commissioned between 1933 and 1936...
class cruiser built for the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
in 1933 as HMS Achilles
HMNZS Achilles (70)
HMNZS Achilles was a Leander class light cruiser which served with the Royal New Zealand Navy in World War II. She became famous for her part in the Battle of the River Plate, alongside HMS Ajax and HMS Exeter....
, and commissioned into the New Zealand Division of the Royal Navy (from 1941 the Royal New Zealand Navy
Royal New Zealand Navy
The Royal New Zealand Navy is the maritime arm of the New Zealand Defence Force...
) in 1937 as HMNZS Achilles
HMNZS Achilles (70)
HMNZS Achilles was a Leander class light cruiser which served with the Royal New Zealand Navy in World War II. She became famous for her part in the Battle of the River Plate, alongside HMS Ajax and HMS Exeter....
. She was returned to the Royal Navy at the end of the Second World War and in 1948 was sold to the Royal Indian Navy
Royal Indian Navy
The Royal Indian Navy was the naval force of British India. Along with the Presidency armies and the later British Indian Army it comprised the Armed Forces of British India....
to be recommissioned as HMIS Delhi. In 1950 she was renamed INS Delhi and remained in service until decommissioned at Bombay on 30 June 1978.
History
The ship was commissioned into the Royal Indian Navy as HMIS Delhi on 5 July 1948 under the command of Captain H. N. S. Brown of the Royal Navy. She had 17 British officers and petty officers, the rest of the crew being Indian. Commander Ram Dass KatariRam Dass Katari
Ram Dass Katari was an Indian Navy Vice Admiral who served as the 5th Chief of the Naval Staff from 22 April 1958 to 4 June 1962. He was the first Indian to hold the office and succeeded the last British officer to the post, Vice Admiral Sir Stephen Hope Carlill...
was her Executive Officer and the senior-most Indian officer, while Lieutenant Sardarilal Mathradas Nanda was her First Lieutenant
First Lieutenant
First lieutenant is a military rank and, in some forces, an appointment.The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations , but the majority of cases it is common for it to be sub-divided into a senior and junior rank...
. She conducted her first major goodwill cruise in 1948, to East Africa, the Seychelles
Seychelles
Seychelles , officially the Republic of Seychelles , is an island country spanning an archipelago of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean, some east of mainland Africa, northeast of the island of Madagascar....
, and Mauritius
Mauritius
Mauritius , officially the Republic of Mauritius is an island nation off the southeast coast of the African continent in the southwest Indian Ocean, about east of Madagascar...
.
After India became a Republic
Republic
A republic is a form of government in which the people, or some significant portion of them, have supreme control over the government and where offices of state are elected or chosen by elected people. In modern times, a common simplified definition of a republic is a government where the head of...
in January 1950, she was renamed INS Delhi. In June 1950, Commander Adhar Kumar Chatterji
Adhar Kumar Chatterji
Adhar Kumar Chatterji was the Chief of the Naval Staff of the Indian Navy from March 4, 1966 until February 28, 1970. He was the first Indian officer of the navy to hold the rank of Admiral.-Early life:...
(later Chief of the Naval Staff) became her first Indian commanding officer; the same month she conveyed Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru
Jawaharlal Nehru
Jawaharlal Nehru , often referred to with the epithet of Panditji, was an Indian statesman who became the first Prime Minister of independent India and became noted for his “neutralist” policies in foreign affairs. He was also one of the principal leaders of India’s independence movement in the...
to Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
on an official visit.
In 1956, she played herself, as Achilles, in the movie Battle of the River Plate
The Battle of the River Plate (film)
The Battle of the River Plate is a 1956 British war film by director-writer team of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, starring John Gregson, Anthony Quayle and Peter Finch...
.
In 1958, INS Delhi was moved to a training role.
Portuguese-Indian War
On 18 December 1961, during the invasion of the Portuguese State of India, also known as Operation Vijay or the Portuguese-Indian War in which the said state of GoaGoa
Goa , a former Portuguese colony, is India's smallest state by area and the fourth smallest by population. Located in South West India in the region known as the Konkan, it is bounded by the state of Maharashtra to the north, and by Karnataka to the east and south, while the Arabian Sea forms its...
and its dependencies of Daman and Diu were annexed, INS Delhi was tasked to patrol the waters off Diu.
INS Delhi, as an aging ship, was not considered for frontline action. She was deployed for patrol off the coast of Diu. At dawn, the ship was spotted by the Portuguese defenders, but they did not recognize its hoisted battle flag. The Portuguese land based artillery did not open fire considering it might be a cargo vessel.
The only documented event of naval action between India and Portugal in the Diu region, was the sinking of the Portuguese patrol boat NRP Vega by Indian Air Force
Indian Air Force
The Indian Air Force is the air arm of the Indian armed forces. Its primary responsibility is to secure Indian airspace and to conduct aerial warfare during a conflict...
aircraft, after the Vega opened fire on them with its sole 20mm Oerlikon gun. After the sinking of NRP Vega the crew was taken Prisoner-of-war on the shore.
Indian Navy reports for the war state that INS Delhi supported the Indian Army's advance by firing on the citadel, and neutralizing the airport control tower. The Portuguese detailed reports on the invasion, among which is "The fall of the portuguese India ISBN 972-33-1134-8 by Carlos Alexandre de Morais" do not mention fire from the main 6" guns (152mm) guns of the indian cruiser, though a possible cause of the discrepancy is that the source of the fire from the aging cruiser may not have been identified, due to the Indian Army firing from the landward side. Alternatively, the cruiser's shells may have fallen short of the citadel.
Visit to New Zealand
In 1969, INS Delhi visited New ZealandNew Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
under Vice Admiral Barbosa. The visit was the occasion of many reunions of Achilles veterans who were plied with large quantities of rum and beer, and taken on a quick trip by the ship.
Decommissioning
The Delhi was decommissioned at Bombay in 1978. Subsequently one of her gun turrets was sent to New Zealand, where it is preserved. A second turret, or gun, is reported to be preserved at the Indian Military AcademyIndian Military Academy
The Indian Military Academy, Dehradun is the officer training school of the Indian Army. IMA was established in 1932.-Demands for an Indian military training academy:...
, Dehradun
Dehradun
- Geography :The Dehradun district has various types of physical geography from Himalayan mountains to Plains. Raiwala is the lowest point at 315 meters above sea level, and the highest points are within the Tiuni hills, rising to 3700 m above sea level...
. The precise fate of the third turret is unknown, but a persistent rumour holds that it was officially recorded as "eaten by white ants".http://www.rediff.com/news/1999/may/14nad.htm The remainder of the ship was scrapped.