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The
foxtrot submarine Kursura on the Vizag beach. There is a Seahawk
accompanying the Submarine. |
The Navy has a huge
presence in the port city of Visakhapatnam in the Northeastern part of the state.
Visakhapatnam is the Headquarters of the Eastern Naval Command. The Navy
uses Visakhapatnam airport for its aerial operations which include Helicopters as well as
Kiran trainers. The ENC Headquarters has a couple of warbirds on display inside its
environs. Though no information is there as far as the types and serial numbers are
concerned, The customary Sea hawk can be expected to be there.
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Part of the Victory at
Sea Memorial is the immaculate Sea Hawk IN-240. is one of
the best displayed Sea Hawks in the country. |
A walk along the
Vivekananda beach road is a must for Warbird watchers and Military enthusiasts. The first
thing that strikes the visitor while going north on the road is the huge Foxtrot Submarine
displayed parallel to the road. This is the INS Kursura Submarine Museum, the
only one of its kind in the whole of Asia. The Submarine was beached and bought here
in February 2001. It was formally opened for the general public in August 2002. This has
been handed over by the navy to the AP Tourism board. A fee of Rs 50 is charged for entry
and the proceeds go for the upkeep of the vessel.
A little further to the
north, is the Victory at Sea Memorial. It was inaugurated to commemorate the role of
Eastern Naval Command in the 1971 War. The memorial consists of a huge park area, with an
Amar-Jawan style jyothi and Obelisk. Within the park area is a T-55 Tank representing the
land component and an immaculate Sea Hawk [IN-240] displayed in flying
position on a concrete pylon to represent the air component.
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| IN-240 is maintained
quite well, as can be seen by the paint scheme. The T-55 Tank can be seen in the
background in the picture on the right. |
The Seahawk is displayed
with its undercarraige in the open position and looks complete in all aspects. There was a
rumour that this particular aircraft was one of the last flying examples in the Indian
Navy. Though it is not confirmed.
| A closeup of the rear fuselage of
the Sea Hawk gives a detailed look at the Arrester Hook and tail markings. |
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Further north on the road
is the Visakha Municipal Corporation Museum. This is another stopover. Outside the museum
is the Conning Tower of the former IN Submarine Kalvari. INS Kalvari was the
first ever Submarine in the Indian Navy and was decommissioned in the early 90s. The hull
was too far gone to be saved and the conning tower was given to the Vizag corporation. The
area where the conning tower is displayed also has a couple of Torpedoes and diving bells
displayed.
The Museum which is just
behind the Tower houses an Unexploded Bomb that was salvaged from the Japanese Raid on
Visakhapatnam in 1942. The defused bomb was on display for four decades at the St Aloysius
School in Vizag and was bought to the museum in 1995.
For a look at the other
memorials and relics of Vizag please visit War Relics of Vizag.

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