Decommissioned aircraft carrier INS Viraat to begin its last journey on September 19

Indian Navy's decommissioned aircraft carrier 'Viraat' will begin its last journey on Saturday from Mumbai's Naval Dockyard to Alang in Gujarat, as per a statement released by the Indian Navy. INS Viraat was earlier supposed to commence its journey on Friday; however, its departure was delayed by a day, the Indian Navy added. "Some paperwork is still going on and it would take some more time. Hence, instead of today (Friday, 'Viraat' will be towed tomorrow (Saturday)," the Indian Navy said on September 18. It will take around three days for the ship to be towed from Mumbai to Alang.

BJP MP Rajeev Chandrasekhar took to Twiter to pay his respects to the aircraft carrier, issuing one last plea to save INS Viraat from being dismantled. "I want to try one last attempt to save INS Viraat. Would Reliance, TATA, Adani, Wipro, HCL, Mahindra, Uday Kotak, Poonawalla, Tech companies like Infosys consider contributing to a trust to preserve our history?" he tweeted. 

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INS Viraat had served in the Indian Navy for 30 years before it was decommissioned by the Indian Navy in 2017. The longest-serving warship, it was the only warship in the Indian fleet which had served in the Royal Navy of the UK. The aircraft carrier, in its earlier avatar, had won the Falklands War against Argentina in 1982 for the Royal British Navy. It weighs about 27,800 tonnes and served in the British Navy as HMS Hermes from November 1959 to April 1984 and after refurbishment, was commissioned into the Indian Navy.

INS Viraat was bought by Shree Ram Group for Rs 38.54 crore at an auction conducted by the Metal Scrap Trade Corporation Limited last month. As per the company's chairman Mukesh Patel, it will be scrapped at the country's first certified eco-friendly ship recycling yard in nine to 12 months, he said.

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(With Agency Inputs)