INS Ajay (P34) was an Abhay-class corvette, in service with the Indian Navy.[1] She inherited her name from INS Ajay, the first warship built in independent India, which served in the Navy from 1960–1974.

History
India
NameINS Ajay
Commissioned24 January 1990
Decommissioned19 September 2022
StatusDecommissioned
General characteristics
Class and typeAbhay-class corvette
Displacement485 tons full load
Length56.0 m (183 ft 9 in)
Beam10.2 m (33 ft 6 in)
Draft3.3 m (10 ft 10 in)
Propulsion2 diesel motors with 16,184 hp (12,068 kW) and 2 shafts (Another report says 4 engines)
Speed28 knots (52 km/h; 32 mph), (32 knots (59 km/h; 37 mph) according to Jane's)
Range2,400 mi (3,900 km) at 14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph)
Complement97 (incl. 7 officers), (Jane's lists 32, with 6 officers)
Sensors and
processing systems
  • 1 × MR 352 Pozitiv-E search radar
  • 1 × Pechora navigation radar
  • 1 × Rat Tail VDS sonar
Armament

INS Ajay was commissioned on 24 January 1990 at Poti, Soviet Union (now in Georgia) as part of the 23rd Patrol Vessel Squadron under the operational control of Flag Officer Commanding Maharashtra Naval Area. Vice Admiral A.G. Thapliyal served as the ship's first commanding officer. The ship participated in several naval operations including Operation Talwar during the Kargil War and Operation Parakram in 2001.[2] 

Decommissioning

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INS Ajay was decommissioned on 19 September 2022 at a ceremony held at the Naval Dockyard in Mumbai, after over 32 years in active service. Vice Admiral Ajendra Bahadur Singh, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Naval Command was the chief guest for the function, Vice Admiral Thapliyal (Retd) was the guest of honour, and over 400 personnel including Flag Officers, senior officers from the Indian Army, Indian Air Force and Indian Coast Guard, and officers and men of the commissioning crew, crew of previous commissions as well as the ships present crew and families attended the decommissioning.[2]

References

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  1. ^ "Abhay Class – (Abhay, Ajay, Akshay, Agray)". Indian Navy. Archived from the original on 23 February 2012.
  2. ^ a b "INS Ajay Decommissioned After 32 Glorious Years of Service". Indian Navy. 20 September 2022. Retrieved 19 December 2022.