INDIA. Mumbai: INS Agnibahu, the shore establishment, which serves as the administrative and logistic base for the 22nd Missile Vessel Squadron (22nd MVS), located at Colaba in South Mumbai, celebrated its Golden Jubilee on Monday.
A host of events, including a symposium on “Ensuring Future Readiness in Surface-to-Surface Missile Warfare,” were organised on Sunday and Monday.
Vice Admiral Ajendra Bahadur Singh, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief (FOC-in-C), Western Naval Command (WNC), was the chief guest for the symposium, while Vice Admiral RB Pandit, Commander-in-Chief, Strategic Forces Command, was the guest of honour.
A host of other dignitaries, including distinguished veterans and ex-Commanding Officers of INS Agnibahu, also attended the event. The symposium covered aspects of modern missile warfare, including lessons learned from recent conflicts across the globe.
The “Agnibahu,” meaning ‘arm of fire’, was commissioned on January 8, 1973, as the tender ship for the 25th Missile Boat Squadron, the boat that had the distinction of conducting the daring attack on Karachi in the 1971 War with Pakistan.
With the creation of the Maharashtra Naval Area Headquarters on March 23, 1987, this unit was transferred under the operational and administrative control of the Flag Officer Commanding Maharashtra Naval Area (FOMA). 22 MVS was formed in Mumbai with the induction of 1241 RE ships (Veer class) from 1987 onward.
K-25 continued to look after the old missile boats (P-205 Project) and Veer class ships until the old missile boats were shifted to Visakhapatnam in October 1991. Thereafter, Captain K25/Agnibahu was re-designated as Captain K22/Agnibahu, with the 22 Missile Vessel Squadron (Veer class ships) under him.
Over the years, the unit has distinguished itself by providing excellent administrative, logistic, and accommodation support to these vessels while remaining true to its motto, “Always and Forever.”
It has grown multi-fold in size and operational responsibility in this period and has provided operational support to both the Missile Squadrons during various operations, including Glow Worm, Falcon, Pustak, Suraksha, Gemini, Pawan, and Cactus.
The participation of many ex-Commanding Officers from across India in the Golden Jubilee celebrations was a fitting tribute to the strong personal bonds and traditional values this fine unit represents.
The 22nd MVS’s First Strike capacity continues to be powered by INS Agnibahu, which is steadfastly devoted to carrying out its task with vigour and perfection.
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