Indian Naval Acqusition

INDIAN DAILY REPORTS ON NAVY'S 'HASTY' ACQUISITION OF 'AGEING SHIP'

The apprehensions of the Comptroller and Audit General (CAG) over the Indian Navy's "hasty" acquisition of "ageing ship" USS Trenton (rechristened as INS Jalashwa) seem to have come true.

 Within few years of induction into the force, the warship has been undergoing heavy refurbishment for the last six months because of which it even missed the Presidential Fleet Review (PFR) held here on Tuesday.

In 2006-07 fiscal, the CAG had rapped the Navy for acquiring the nearly 37-year-old amphibious warship for $50.63 million without proper "physical assessment".  The Navy had bought the ship at 10 per cent of the original cost when the US Navy had decided to phase it out.

The Navy had paid an additional $36.94 million, more than half of the price of the platform, for getting it retrofitted. "The warship had gone for repairs in July this year to Visakhapatnam and the work is still on. These are routine repairs," said a senior Indian Navy official.  Because of the ongoing repair activity, the second largest warship of the Navy could not participate in 2011 PFR, the scintillating display of 81 warships and submarines and 44 aircraft. 

Just before the CAG report punched holes through the acquisition, one officer and five sailors were killed owing to leakage of toxic hydrogen sulphide from sewage pipes of the ship. The US Navy had also suffered a similar accident few years back.  According to the CAG report, the ship had already outlived a major part of service life.  

Source: Chennai newindpress.com