Team Herald
PANJIM: INS Tushil, the first of the two Additional P1135.6 follow-on ships, sailed into her home port, Karwar, on Friday, completing a historic journey that panned over 12,500 nautical miles.
The stealth-guided missile frigate, sailed from Kaliningrad, Russia, on December 18, 2024, and visited eight countries across three continents. The ship was commissioned by the Indian Navy on December 9, 2024, at Kaliningrad, Russia. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Admiral Dinesh Kumar Tripathi, Chief of the Naval Staff, Indian Navy, and Admiral Aleksandr Alekseyevich Moiseyev, Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Navy, attended the ceremony. Prior to this, the ship’s crew underwent rigorous training and familiarisation with the ship's systems, followed by various trials and weapon firings. As a part of her maiden voyage the INS Tushil, which translates to 'protector shield', furthered international cooperation by visiting ports of London (United Kingdom), Casablanca (Morocco), Dakar (Senegal), Lome (Togo), Lagos (Nigeria), Walvis Bay (Namibia), Durban (South Africa), and Victoria (Seychelles).
During the port visits, INS Tushil undertook Maritime Partnership Exercises (MPX) with the navies of Morocco, Senegal, Nigeria, Namibia, and South Africa, demonstrating the Indian Navy's commitment to maritime cooperation and interoperability. Besides this, the ship also undertook patrolling off the Gulf of Guinea.
The ship was accorded a ceremonial welcome on arrival in Karwar. The crew met with their families after over seven months, and the warmth was felt all around with loud cheers from the families, the war cry of the ship – “Nirbhay, abhedya aur balsheel” (Fearless, Indomitable and Resolute) and the Tushil song reverberating in the air.