INS Magar decommissioned after 36 years of service

Kochi: Indian Naval Ship Magar, Landing Ship Tank (Large) amphibious assault ship of the Indian Navy decommissioned after 36 years of exceptional service to the nation. The Decommissioning ceremony was held at Southern Naval Command, Kochi on Saturday.

The ship was indigenously built by Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers Ltd, Kolkata. She was launched on 16 November 1984 and commissioned into the Indian Navy on 18 July 1987 by Admiral R H Tahiliani, then Chief of the Naval Staff. Commander D.B Roy was the first Commanding Officer. The ship has a displacement of 5,600 tonnes, a length of 125 metres, a beam of 17 metres. INS Magar is the lead ship of the Magar class amphibious warfare vessels of the Indian Navy.

The ship has been a vital asset of the Indian Navy for over 30 years and participated in various naval operations ranging from amphibious operations, Fleet



deployments and HADR missions. The major operations undertaken by the ship include Op Pawan, wherein she played a pivotal role in movement of logistics supplies to the area of operation, in support of the forces on ground. 

The ship has also played a key role in a number of HADR operations, the most noteworthy being during the December 2004 Tsunami wherein it was instrumental in evacuation of over 1,300 civilians from the affected areas. 'Magar’ has been named after a species of crocodile. The crest design depicts a Brown coloured crocodile with its mouth open swimming over White and Blue ocean waves. The aft portion of the crest shows a cut out of the thick and impenetrable armour like skin of the crocodile. The design has been taken from a Mathura sculpture of 1st Century AD, preserved in original in the Lucknow museum.