Western Naval Command
| Western Naval Command | |
|---|---|
_Malabar_07.jpg) INS Viraat, operating during Exercise Malabar | |
| Country |
 India |
| Headquarters | Mumbai, Maharashtra |
| Commanders | |
| Flag Officer Commanding in Chief | Vice Admiral Girish Luthra[1] |
| FOC Western Fleet | Rear Admiral RB Pandit[2] |
The Western Naval Command (पश्चिमी नौसेना कमान) is a formation of the Indian Navy.[3] It has its HQ in Mumbai, Maharashtra and is commanded by Vice Admiral Girish Luhtra .[4]
Area of responsibility
The Western Naval Command (WNC) is the sword arm of the Indian Navy and naval operations conducted on the western seaboard would be central to the outcome of any conflict at sea against Pakistan. The western fleet is the two-star level operational formation of the Western Naval Command. It utilizes Mumbai and Karwar as its home ports, with INS Kunjali its HQ in Mumbai. The fleet at the WNC is based under Flag Officer Maharashtra Area (FOMA) and provides naval defence in the sensitive north Arabian Sea adjacent to Pakistan. INS Kadamba, a large naval base, was constructed under Project Seabird and completed in 2005. This naval base, at Karwar in Karnataka, is used exclusively by the Indian Navy.[3]
Capabilities
INS Viraat is the Flagship of the Western Fleet. The WNC is equipped with submarine pens, a carrier dock and main maintenance dockyards.
The Carrier Battle Group of the Western Fleet has the aircraft carriers INS Viraat and INS Vikramaditya, Delhi class destroyers, Talwar class frigates , Brahmaputra class frigates , INS Kolkata Indian navy's brand new destroyer[5] and Sindhughosh class submarines. The Naval Aviation is provided by Sea Harrier strike aircraft and MiG-29K fighters along with airborne early warning Kamov Ka-31 Helicopters.
Full-fledged shipbuilding facilities on the western seaboard include the Mazagon Dock Limited in Mumbai, the Goa Shipyard Limited and the Cochin Shipyard Ltd in Kerala, which is India's largest repair dry dock.
Organization
The Western Naval Command is organized as follows:[6]
| Post | Current Holder | References |
|---|---|---|
| Flag Officer Commanding in Chief | Vice Admiral Girish Luthra | |
| Flag Officer Commanding Western Fleet | Rear_Admiral RB Pandit | |
| Flag Officer Maharashtra and Gujarat Area (FOMAG) | Rear Admiral Sanjay Mahindru | [7] |
| Flag Officer Goa Area (FOGA) | Rear Admiral Puneet Kumar Bahl | [8] |
| Commodore Commanding Submarines (COMCOS) - West | ||
| Flag Officer Naval Aviation (FONA) | Rear Admiral Puneet Kumar Bahl | [8] |
| Flag Officer Offshore Defence Advisory Group (FODAG) | ||
| Flag Officer Karnataka Naval Area (FOK) | ||
| Admiral Superintendent Dockyard (ASD) - Mumbai | Rear Admiral Sanjeev Kale, VSM | [9] |
| Naval Officer In-Charge (NOIC) - Maharashtra | ||
| Naval Officer In-Charge (NOIC) - Gujarat | Captain Kalpesh Rawal | [10] |
| Naval Officer In-Charge (NOIC) - Karnataka | ||
| Naval Officer In-Charge (NOIC) - Goa |
Naval bases
Naval bases under Western Naval Command are the following[11]
| Base | City | State/Territory | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| INS Dwarka | Okha | Gujarat | Logistics and Maintenance support |
| INS Sardar Patel[12] | Porbandar | Gujarat | Logistics Support |
| INS Kadamba | Karwar | Karnataka | Logistics and Maintenance support |
| INS Vajrakosh | Karwar | Karnataka | Naval ammunition and missile depot |
| INHS Patanjali | Karwar | Karnataka | Naval Hospital |
| INS Gomantak | Panaji | Goa | Logistics and Maintenance support |
| INS Hansa | Dabolim | Goa | Naval Air Station |
| INHS Jeevanti | Vasco-da-gama | Goa | Naval Hospital |
| INS Angre | Mumbai | Maharashtra | Logistics and Administrative support |
| INS Abhimanyu | Mumbai | Maharashtra | MARCOS base |
| INS Agnibahu | Mumbai | Maharashtra | Missile boat squadron base |
| INHS Asvini | Mumbai | Maharashtra | Naval Hospital |
| INS Kunjai | Mumbai | Maharashtra | Naval Air Station |
| INS Shikra | Mumbai | Maharashtra | Naval Air Station |
| INS Tanaji | Mumbai | Maharashtra | Naval ammunition depot |
| INS Trata | Mumbai | Maharashtra | Coastal Missile Defense |
| INS Tunir | Mumbai | Maharashtra | Naval missile depot |
| INS Vajrabahu | Mumbai | Maharashtra | Submarine base |
References
- ↑ http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/nation/vice-admiral-girish-luthra-takes-charge-of-western-naval-command/244284.html
- ↑ http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/mumbai/rear-admiral-rb-pandit-is-western-fleet-chief/article9226025.ece?css=print
- 1 2 "Organisation of Western Command". Indian Navy. Retrieved 1 January 2013.
- ↑ http://zeenews.india.com/news/nation/anil-chopra-to-take-over-as-western-naval-command-chief-today_937509.html
- ↑ "Delay mars main air defence weapon deployment on INS Kolkata". 13 August 2014.
- ↑ "Organisation | Indian Navy". indiannavy.nic.in. Retrieved 2016-10-17.
- ↑ "SpokespersonNavy on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved 2016-10-17.
- 1 2 "Change of Command - Flag Officer Naval Aviation and Flag Officer Goa Area | Indian Navy". www.indiannavy.nic.in. Retrieved 2016-10-17.
- ↑ "Rear Admiral Sanjeev Kale Assumes Charge As Admiral Superintendent". Defence Aviation Post. 2016-09-09. Retrieved 2016-10-17.
- ↑ "Biometric ID card must for fishing off Gujarat coast: Coast guard - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 2016-10-17.
- ↑ "Organisation of Western Naval Command, Mumbai | Indian Navy". indiannavy.nic.in. Retrieved 2015-12-29.
- ↑ "INS Sardar Patel: Indian Navy's new base commissioned in Gujarat - The Economic Times". The Economic Times. Retrieved 2015-12-29.