Port Blair: In a poignant ceremony held at Port Blair, Indian Navy Ships Cheetah, Guldar, and Kumbhir were decommissioned on January 12, 2024, marking the culmination of their illustrious four-decade service to the nation. The traditional decommissioning event witnessed the lowering of the National Flag, the Naval Ensign, and Decommissioning Pennants of the three ships for the last time, symbolizing the end of an era at sunset.
Cheetah, Guldar, and Kumbhir, originally built at Gdynia Shipyard, Poland as Polnocny class Landing Ships, were commissioned into the Indian Navy in 1984, 1985, and 1986, respectively. Ambassadors of India to Poland, Shri S K Arora (Cheetah and Guldar) and Shri A K Das (Kumbhir), graced their commissioning ceremonies. Commanding Officers Cdr V B Mishra, Lt Cdr SK Singh, and Lt Cdr J Banerjee, respectively, steered these ships during their initial years.
Initially stationed at Kochi, Chennai, and Visakhapatnam, the ships were later re-based at Andaman and Nicobar Command, where they served until their decommissioning. Over nearly 40 years, these ships collectively covered about 17 lakh nautical miles, spending over 12,300 days at sea. As crucial amphibian platforms of the Andaman and Nicobar Command, they executed over 1300 beaching operations for landing army troops ashore.
The ships played pivotal roles in various maritime security missions and Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief operations. Notable instances include their involvement in Operation Aman during IPKF operations, Operation Tasha in May 1990 to control smuggling and illegal immigration, and significant contributions to relief operations post the 1997 cyclone off Sri Lanka and the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami.
The decommissioning ceremony was attended by Air Marshal Saju Balakrishnan, AVSM, VM, Commander-in-Chief Andaman and Nicobar Command (CINCAN), Vice Admiral Tarun Sobti, AVSM, VSM, Deputy Chief of Naval Staff, Flag Officers, former Commanding Officers, and commissioning crew of the three ships. The event held historical significance as three warships of the same class were decommissioned simultaneously on a single day.