The Ministry of Defence on Monday, 20 April, announced the launch of DSC A23, the fourth vessel under the Indian Navy’s Diving Support Craft (DSC) project, at Titagarh in Kolkata on 19 April.
The vessel was launched by Deepa Sivakumar in the presence of Vice Admiral B Sivakumar, Chief of Materiel, along with senior officials from the Indian Navy and Titagarh Rail Systems Limited (TRSL)
The DSC project involves the construction of five specialised diving support vessels being built by TRSL, Kolkata.
The ships are designed to enhance the Navy’s operational capabilities in diving support, underwater inspection, salvage assistance and coastal deployment.
Each vessel features a 30 metre long catamaran hull with an approximate displacement of 380 tonnes.
The design provides improved stability, larger deck area and better sea-keeping characteristics, making the craft suitable for undertaking Diving operations in coastal waters and harbours.
The ships have been designed and built in accordance with Naval Rules and Regulations of the Indian Register of Shipping (IRS).
The project also underwent extensive model testing and hydrodynamic analysis at the Naval Science and Technological Laboratory (NSTL), Visakhapatnam.
According to the Ministry of Defence, around 70 per cent of the main and auxiliary equipment used in the Diving Support Craft is sourced from indigenous manufacturers, aligning the project with the Aatmanirbhar Bharat and Make in India initiatives.
