For Navy veterans who watched the huge vessel being towed away by a tug boat, it was an emotional moment as they stood near the Gateway of India, waving at the once 'floating town', aboard which they spent the best years of their career.
The sole aircraft carrier of the country, INS Viraat has completed 25 years of its active service with the Indian Navy. We bring you some facts about the aircraft carrier
In 2014, INS Vikrant was dismantled in Mumbai.
A private company, which showed interest in converting Viraat into a museum, is yet to get a NOC for the project from the MoD.
The ministry of defence is considering converting the last British ship serving the Indian Navy into a self-sustaining aircraft carrier museum on the lines of the US Navy's Aircraft Carrier Museum.
The ship will then be towed back to Mumbai where it will be decommissioned.
The Indian Navy's flagship carrier, the INS Viraat will be decommissioned on March 6 after serving the nation for 30 glorious years.
The MiG29K and MiG29KUB, the aircraft carrier's primary fighters, spent more time in the hangar than in the air, with fleet serviceability remaining below 50 per cent, reports Ajai Shukla.
The fate of the 27,800 tonne warship remains unclear.
At any time, there is a need to operationally deploy two aircraft carriers in the vast Indian Ocean, asserts Vice Admiral Premvir Das (retd).
The Indian Navy has just one aircraft carrier. The INS Vikramaditya carries just 26 unreliable MiG-29 fighters and 10 helicopters -- an insufficient capability to battle a serious foe.
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