Indian Navy, on 26th November, has launched the seventh ship of Landing Craft Utility (LCU) Mk 4 project at Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) Ltd, Kolkata. Named, LCU L-57, it is the largest ship of this kind built anywhere in the world.
Here are some key facts about LCU L-57:
- LCU-L57 is the seventh vessel in the series of eight Landing Craft Utility Ships being designed and built by GRSE for the Indian Navy.
- The ship can be deployed for multirole activities like beaching operations, humanitarian and disaster relief operations and evacuation from distant islands.
- LCU Mk 4 class vessels are operated by the Indian Navy to augment the Indian Navy’s amphibious capability.
- The L-57 is a fully designed indigenous model. Hence, it is cost effective, fuel efficient and suited for protection of our island territories of Andaman and Nicobar in the Bay of Bengal as well as Lakshadweep islands in the Arabian Sea.
- The ship will be extremely useful for joint operations carried out by the Indian Navy and Indian Army for ensuring maritime security and protection of remote islands.
- It also has the capability to transport two tanks or four special vehicles and 160 Army troops for landing in remote areas.
- It is also designed for a maximum speed of 15 knots with an endurance of more than 1,500 nautical miles.
The LCUs will likely be later inducted into the tri-services command responsible for India’s Andaman and Nicobar island territory. The Indian Navy is developing the chain of islands as an amphibious warfare hub, possibly to counterbalance China’s growing military influence in the Indian Ocean Region.
