INS Mysore was a Fiji-class light cruiser commissioned in the Indian Navy in 1957. She was acquired from the Royal Navy, where she served in World War II as HMS Nigeria.

INS Mysore c. 1960s
History
India
NameINS Mysore[1]
NamesakeMysore
BuilderVickers Armstrongs, Walker, Newcastle upon Tyne
Laid down8 February 1938
Launched18 July 1939 (as HMS Nigeria)
Acquired29 August 1957
Decommissioned20 August 1985
IdentificationPennant number: C60
MottoNa bibheti kadachana
FateScrapped
General characteristics
Class and typeFiji-class light cruiser
Displacement
  • 8,530 tons standard
  • 10,450 tons full load
Length169.3 m (555.5 ft)
Beam18.9 m (62 ft)
Draught5.0 m (16.5 ft)
PropulsionFour oil fired 3-drum Admiralty-type boilers, 4-shaft geared turbines, 4 screws, 54.1 megawatts (72,500 shp)
Speed33 knots
Range6,520 nmi at 13 knots (24 km/h)
Complement907
Armament
Armour

Mysore was the second cruiser to be purchased by independent India. She was commissioned into the Indian Navy in August 1957. The crest for Mysore depicted the mythological double-headed eagle Gandaberunda from the coat of arms of the former Mysore state. The ship's motto Na bibheti kadachana was taken from the Taittiriya Upanishad.

Operational history

edit

In 1959, Mysore rammed the Royal Navy destroyer Hogue, severely damaging Hogue's bow.[2] In 1969, she collided with the destroyer Rana resulting in the latter being decommissioned and again in 1972 with the frigate Beas. Mysore served as a crucible of training. On her several Indian naval officers earned their stripes as her successive commanding officers. In 1971 she served as the flagship of the Western Fleet of the Indian Navy and commanded the missile attack on Karachi harbour in December 1971. Later in her life from 1975 onwards Mysore served as a training cruiser for naval cadets.

Mysore was decommissioned on 20 August 1985 and scrapped.

edit

Mysore appears in the 2016 Bollywood movie Rustom, which was based loosely on the popular K. M. Nanavati v. State of Maharashtra case of the 1960s.[3]

Citations

edit
  1. ^ Singh, Satyindra (1992). Blueprint to Bluewater, the Indian Navy, 1951-65. Lancer Publishers & Distributors. p. 72. ISBN 9788170621485. Retrieved 23 August 2014.
  2. ^ Mason, Geoffrey B. (2004), Service History of Royal Navy warships in World War 2: HMS HOGUE (H.74) - Battle-class Destroyer, naval-history.net. Retrieved 31 August 2010.
  3. ^ Unnithan, Sandeep (16 August 2016). "Why Rustom gets the Navy uniform and pretty much everything wrong". India Today. Retrieved 19 September 2020.

References

edit