16 warship of trilateral Navies to flex their muscles on Bay of Bengal

Chennai:

The sea phase of 21st edition of the tri-nation joint naval exercise, Malabar 2017, which  is being conducted in the Bay of Bengal, with 16 warships, 95 aircraft and two submarines belonging to India, US and Japan began on Thursday.

The exercise has been split into two which includes wide-ranging professional interactions during the Harbour Phase at Chennai from Monday to Thursday and a diverse range of operational activities at sea during the Sea Phase from July14-17. 

The thrust of exercises at sea this year would be on Aircraft Carrier operations, Air Defence, Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW), Surface Warfare, Visit Board Search and Seizure (VBSS), Search and Rescue, Joint Manoeuvres and Tactical procedures

Aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya, which would be an added attraction along with USS Nimitz and Japan’s helicopter carrier JS Izumo will take part in the exercise.

Indian Navy's INS Shivalik, which can fire surface to air missile Barak 1, acquired from Israel, besides has ability to detect submarines is also participating with INS Sahyadri, guided missile destroyer Ranvir, indigenous Anti-submarine warfare (ASW) corvette Kamorta, missile corvettes Kora and Kirpan, one Sindhughosh class submarine, fleet tanker INS Jyoti and Long Range Maritime Patrol Aircraft P8I with its air wing,

The US Navy’s USS Princeton, a 30 year-old warship which participated during the Gulf war operations, is being assigned to Seventh fleet to participate in the Malabar Exercise along with Arleigh Burke-Class Destroyers Kidd, Howard and Shoup along with integral helicopters, a Los Angeles-class attack submarine and one long Range Maritime Patrol Aircraft P8A.

Interestingly, USS Princeton will be joining the Third Fleet which is making its way to North Korea, where the regime of Kim Jong-un continues to test missiles capable of carrying nuclear weapons.

A US Navy official confirmed that the vessel will be joining the Third fleet.

Meanwhile, Japan will be represented by its helicopter carrier JS Izumo and destroyer JS Sazaami. The focus is more on JS Izumo, which was commissioned two years ago.

Factfile;

United States Sevent Fleet

Commander: Vice admiral P Aucoin

Warship:

USS Nimitz

Commanded by: Capt Kevin R Lenox

USS Nimitz (CVN-68) is a supercarrier of US Navy, and the lead ship of her class. One of the largest warships in the world, she was laid down, launched and commissioned as CVAN-68 but was redesignated CVN 68 (nuclear-powered multimission aircraft carrier).

USS Princeton

Commanded by: Captain Chris Alexander

USS Princeton (CG-59) is a Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser serving in the United States Navy. Armed with naval guns and anti-air, anti-surface, and anti-submarine missiles, plus other weapons, she is equipped for surface-to-air, surface-to-surface, and anti-submarine warfare.

USS Howard:

Commanded by: Commander Ryan R Billington

USS Howard (DDG-83) is an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer in the United States Navy. This ship is the 33rd destroyer of its class.

USS Shoup

Commanded by: Commander Ted Wiederholt

USS Shoup (DDG-86) is an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer in the United States Navy. The ship is named for Medal of Honor recipient General David M Shoup, the 22nd Commandant of the Marine Corps.

USS Pinckney

Commander: Ted Walter

USS Pinckney (DDG-91) is an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer in the United States Navy. She became the first ever guided missile destroyer to refuel and replenish the Mark Five (MK V) high-performance combatant craft.

USS Kidd

Commander: James M Mike Williams

USS Kidd is an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer in the United States Navy. She is the third Navy ship named after Rear Admiral Isaac C Kidd, who was on board Arizona during the attack on Pearl Harbor, and was the first American flag officer to die in World War II. The ship is part of Destroyer Squadron 9 of Carrier Strike Group 3.

USS Jacksonville

Commanded by: Commander Steen Faulk

USS Jacksonville, a Los Angeles-class attack submarine, is the only ship of the United States Navy to be named for Jacksonville, Florida. The ship is nicknamed “The Bold One”

India:

Fleet Commander: Rear Admiral Biswajit Dasgupta

INS Vikramaditya

Commanded by: Captain Ajay Kochchar

INS Vikramaditya is the newest and largest ship to join Indian Navy on November 16, 2013. The ship was commissioned by Defence Minister AK Antony in Russia.

INS Jalashwa:

Commanded by: T V Sunil

INS Jalashwa is an amphibious transport dock currently in service with the Indian Navy. Formerly USS Trenton, she was procured from the United States

INS Sahyadri

Commanded by: Capt Anil Jaggi

INS Sahyadri (F49) is a Shivalik-class stealth multi-role frigate built for the Indian Navy. This class features improved stealth and land attack capabilities over the preceding Talwar-class frigates.

INS Ranvir

Commanded by: Captain Rajiv Ashok
INS Ranvir is the fourth of the five Rajput-class destroyers built for the Indian Navy. Ranvir was commissioned on October 28, 1986.

INS Shivalik

Commanded by: Capt R Vinod Kumar

INS Shivalik is the lead ship of her class of stealth multi-role frigates built for the Indian Navy. She is the first stealth warship built by India.

INS Jyoti

Commanded by: Capt Shyam Sundar Subramanian

INS Jyoti, third of the four Komandarm Fedko-class replenishment oilers. She was modified for naval use and is now being operated by the Eastern Naval Command of the Indian Navy

INS Kirpan:

Commander Pradeep Raman

INS Kirpan is a Khukri-class corvette.

INS Kora

Commanded by: Commander Vikas Jha

Kora-class corvettes are 1,350-ton guided missile corvettes. The Kora-class corvettes were designed by India's Naval design bureau under Project 25A, as a replacement for the Russian-designed Petya II-class corvettes of the Indian Navy

INS Kamorta

Commanded by: Commander Vipin Gupta

INS Kamorta is the first of four anti-submarine Kamorta-class stealth corvettes which has been built for the Indian Navy. It is a significant step towards India's pursuit for self-reliance in indigenous warship building

INS Kadmatt

Commander: Nitin Kariappa

INS Kadmatt (P29) is the second of four anti-submarine warfare corvettes built for the Indian Navy by the Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers of Kolkata under Project 28

INS Sukanya

Commander: Soumitra S Deodhar

INS Sukanya is the lead vessel of the Sukanya-class patrol vessels of the Indian Navy

INS Sindhudhwaj

Commander: Anshul Awasthi

INS Sindhudhvaj (S56) is a Sindhughosh-class submarine of the Indian Navy. It was commissioned in June 12, 1987

Japan:

Fleet Commander: Rear admiral Yoshihiro Goka

JS Izumo

Commanded by: Commander Yoshihiro Koi

JS Izumo is a helicopter carrier and the lead ship in the Izumo class of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force.

JS Sazanami

Commanded by: Hirotaka Okumara

JS Sazanami is the fourth vessel of the Takanami class destroyers of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF). Sazanami was authorized under the Medium-term Defense Buildup Plan of 1996, and was built by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries shipyards in Nagasaki.