INS Magdala an Indian Naval minesweeper, took its name from the minor port of Magdala, located 5 miles (8.0 km) inshore of river Tapti at the Gulf of Khambat (Cambay). She was an inshore minesweeper (IMS) specially designed and built with glass reinforced plastic hull.

History
India
NameINS Magdala (M 88)
NamesakePort of Magdalla
BuilderLeningrad, USSR
Commissioned10 May 1984
Decommissioned15 Feb 2002
HomeportKochi
StatusDecommissioned
General characteristics
Class and typeMahé Class, Yevgenya Class
Displacement100 tons full load
Length26  m
Beam5.5 m
Draught1.5 m
PropulsionTwo diesel engines with 600 hp sustained and 2 shafts[1]
Speed12 knots (22 km/h)
Range300 nautical miles (555.6 km) at 10 knots (19 km/h)
Complement10
Crew25
Sensors and
processing systems
MG-7 sonar
Armament2 x 25mm/80 twin guns
Notes
  • Primarily used for: Inshore mine sweeping,
  • Harbor defense,
  • Coastal patrolling.

The ship was capable of operating in approaches to harbour and inshore waters in order to search, locate and destroy various types of mines.[2]

Service

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As the naval band played Last Post, the national flag and national ensign fluttering on INS Magdala were lowered for the last time. That marked the decommissioning of INS Magdala, the sixth ship under project 1258 E.

INS Magdala, built at Leningrad in the erstwhile USSR, was commissioned on 10 May 1984 by Vice Admiral KK Nayyar, the then Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Southern Naval Command. The ship was a part of the 20th Mine Counter Measure Squadron (MCMS) and was placed under the Naval Officer-in-Charge (Kerala & Lakshadweep) at Kochi.

During her commission, she undertook various operational commitments such as mine counter- measure exercises, tracking exercises, visits to various minor ports and search and rescue missions. In her 17 years of glorious and distinguished service, INS Magdala covered over 45,000 nautical miles (83,000 km). The ship also paid a goodwill visit to Male in October 1989.[3]

References

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  1. ^ "Mahé {Yevgenya} Class". Bharat Rakshak. Archived from the original on 31 March 2009. Retrieved 6 July 2019.
  2. ^ John Pike. "Mahé Class". Globalsecurity.org. Retrieved 11 August 2010.
  3. ^ "INS Magdala Decommissioned". Mod.nic.in. 10 May 1984. Retrieved 11 August 2010.