The ship inherits its name from
INS Kalvari (S23) which served in the Indian Navy from 1967 to 1996. Kalvari is the
Malayalam word for
tiger shark, a deep-sea predator in the
Indian Ocean. The name symbolizes agility, strength and predatory power.[15][16] The tiger shark (
Galeocerdo Cuvier) is a species of
requiem shark which are found in tropical and temperate waters. The ship's motto is "Ever Onward" which represents the submarine's zeal and indomitable spirit.[1]
History and construction
The submarine was designated as Yard 11875 at Mazagon Dock Limited and construction began on 14 December 2006 with the first cutting of steel. The five separate sections of the submarine were welded together, called "Boot Together", on 30 July 2014. She was undocked to a pontoon from the East Yard dock on 6 April 2015 in the presence of
Defence MinisterManohar Parrikar.
She is the first Indian Naval vessel to be built using a modular approach. After completing the important milestones of vacuum test and battery loading, she was launched at the Naval Dockyard on 27 October 2015 by Ritu Shrawat, wife of then CMD, Rear Admiral R K Shrawat (Retd). She was brought back to Mazagon Dock Limited for completion of the Basin trials and Harbour Acceptance trials phase. After conquering numerous challenges faced during the ‘Setting to Work’ phase and undergoing rigorous Harbour tests & trials to the complete satisfaction of the customer, she commenced sea trials on 1 May 2016.[1][17][18][19][20] She was expected to be inducted into the
Indian Navy fleet in 2012 but this was delayed.[21][22][23][24]
The submarine successfully fired a torpedo and an
Exocet SM39 Block 2 anti-ship missile in the
Arabian Sea on 2 March 2017 during sea trials.[25][26][27][28] She was delivered to the Indian Navy on 21 September 2017 after successful completion of sea trials. She was commissioned by
Prime MinisterNarendra Modi on 14 December 2017 at
Mazagon Dock Limited. Her commissioning officer is Captain S D Mehendale.[1][17][29]
As per Pakistan Navy, INS Kalvari was detected by its
P3C Orion anti-Submarine aircraft, localised and blocked from entering Pakistani waters, while in Pakistani
Exclusive Economic Zone, some 86 miles from
Gwadar. [32]
^"Scorpene 1000". DCNS.
Archived from the original on 15 September 2014. Retrieved 8 April 2015.
^Bonsignore, Luca (2005). ""Carrera": The first real Spanish export-submarine floated". Naval Forces. Vol. 26, no. 1. Aldershot: Monch Publications. p. 135.
ISSN0722-8880. 18 torpedoes and missiles can be carried otherwise 30 mines.