INS Sukanya (P50)

300px INS Sukanya
History
Name:	INS Sukanya
Namesake:	Sukanya
Commissioned:	31 August 1989
Status:	in active service, as of 2024
General characteristics
Class & type:	Sukanya class patrol vessel
Displacement:	1,890 tons (full load)
Length:	101 metres
Beam:	11.5 metres
Propulsion:	2 × diesel engines, 12,800 bhp (9,540 kW), 2 shafts
Speed:	21 knots (39 km/h)
Range:	7,000 nautical miles (13,000 km) at 15 knots (28 km/h)
Complement:	70
Sensors and processing systems:	1 × Racal Decca 2459 search radar 1 BEL 1245 navigation radar
Armament:	1 × 40 mm, 60-cal Bofors anti-aircraft gun 2 × 12.7 mm machine guns P51 added: 1 Dhanush ballistic missile P55 added: 2 x 25 mm, 80-cal anti-aircraft guns
Aircraft carried:	1 HAL Chetak
Notes:	Two onboard desalination plants to produce 20 Tonnes of fresh water daily

INS Sukanya is the lead vessel of the Sukanya class patrol vessels of the Indian Navy. In Hindu mythology, Sukanya was the daughter of Shryayati, son of Vaivasvata Manu and the wife of the great sage Chyavana.

History

• On 31 August 1989, INS Sukanya was commissioned into service.

• In 2006, INS Sukanya served as the Presidential yacht for the 2006 Naval Fleet Review.

• In February 2010, INS Sukanya escorted Maldivian Coast Guard Vessel Huravee home by way of Colombo, Sri Lanka. Huravee was returning home after a refit in India.

• On 20 and 24 September 2011, pirates, in the Gulf of Aden attempted to approach vessels being escorted by INS Sukanya. The attack was warded off and the pirates disarmed by a team of marine commandos. Navy officials seized three rifles, eight magazines and about 320 rounds of ammunition from the pirate boat with 14 pirates. Ladders and grapnels used by pirates to board merchant vessels were recovered. The boat was carrying a large quantity of fuel and LPG cylinders, in addition to communication and navigation equipment. This is the fourth time INS Sukanya has thwarted a pirate attack in the Gulf of Aden.

• INS Sukanya thwarted piracy attempts near the Gulf of Aden on 11 November 2011.

• In December 2014, Maldives was stuck by severe water crisis because its only de-salination plant got damaged in fire. On 4 December, 2014, INS Sukanya while patrolling off Kochi was immediately diverted to Maldives. It carries two de-salination plant on board with capacity to produce 20 tonne of fresh water daily.