# INS Subhadra

INS Subhadra (P51) is a Sukanya class patrol vessel of the Indian Navy. Since her commissioning, she has been under the operational command of Flag Officer Commanding Western Fleet (India) (FOCWF). The ship has changed its base port to Karwar, Karnataka in Mar 2012 from Mumbai. During the operational service, the ship has evolved in two major roles – Strategic and Conventional.

## History

The ship’s name is rechristened from the old Subhadra, a patrol craft which was commissioned on 20 Oct 1957 and served the Indian Navy well till her decommissioning on 15 Jan 1974. Indian Naval Ship Subhadra is the second of the three Sukanya Class ships built by M/s Korea Tacoma Marine Industries at Masan. She originally was an Ulsan class ship. The Ulsan class ship were multipurpose frigates with varied capabilities for Anti-Submarine warfare, Anti-Surface warfare and Anti-Air warfare.

## Construction

The keel of INS Subhadra was laid on 30 October 1987, and the ship was launched on 17 November 1988. It was commissioned into the Indian Navy on 25 January 1990 at Masan by His Excellency Shri Lt Pudai. The vessel began its maiden voyage from Masan on 31 January 1990, making port calls at Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam (6–9 February 1990) and Sembawang Port, Singapore (11–14 February 1990), before arriving at its initial home port, Mumbai (then Bombay).

## Design and Description

General Characteristics and Propulsione INS Subhadra has an overall length of 101.95 meters (334 feet), a beam of 11.5 meters (37.7 feet), and a draft of 3.6 meters (11.8 feet). The ship displaces approximately 1,896 tonnes at normal load and 2,045 tonnes at full load. It has a complement of 107 personnel, including 8 officers.
The vessel is powered by two SEMT Pielstick 16PA6V280 diesel engines, delivering 12,800 brake horsepower (9,540 kW) to two shafts, enabling a maximum speed of 22 knots (40.5 km/h).
Power Generation The ship is equipped with four Cummins VTA28GC1 diesel alternators, each with a power output of 400 kW. It also features advanced navigation and communication systems, which are utilized during deployments.
Armament INS Subhadra is armed with a 40 mm, 60-caliber BOFORS anti-aircraft gun on the gun deck. Additionally, it is equipped with portable machine guns and fixed heavy-duty machine guns (SRCG) on both port and starboard sides. The ship also has the capability to conduct surface-to-surface missile (SSM) firing using a plug-in and plug-out Israel-made LORA COM missile launcher system.

## Service history
### Operation Sankalp

INS Subhadra played a crucial role in the rescue of 17 sailors from the former-MV Ruen as she, along with INS Kolkata, P-8I Neptune patrol aircraft, SeaGuardian drones and MARCOS Commandos air-dropped from an IAF C-17 Globemaster III .The ship managed to capture 35 pirates in a mammoth 40 hour operation about 700 miles from Indian Coastlines.

## Ships of the Same Class

INS Subhadra belongs to the Sukanya-class offshore patrol vessels. Other ships in this class include:
* INS Sukanya (P50)
* INS Suvarna (P52)

## Awards and Decorations

In 2024, INS Subhadra was awarded "Best Ship" in the Tanker and Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) category, marking the first time it received this recognition in its service history.

## Foreign Port Visits

Throughout its service, INS Subhadra has visited numerous foreign ports, including:
* Vietnam (Ho Chi Minh City)
* Singapore (Sembawang Port)
* Somalia
* Kenya
* Sudan
* Egypt
* Israel
* Djibouti
* Seychelles
* Oman