INS Gomati was decommissioned at the Naval Dockyard in Mumbai yesterday, in an elegant, solemn and poignant ceremony. The ship was paid off under the command of Captain Sudip Malik.
INS Gomati derives her name from the vibrant river Gomti and was commissioned on 16 April 1988 by the then Defence Minister, KC Pant, at Mazgaon Dock Ltd, Bombay.
The third ship of the Godavari class guided-missile frigates, INS Gomati was also the oldest warrior of the Western Fleet when decommissioned.
During her service, she participated in Operations Cactus, Parakram and Rainbow, and several bilateral and multinational naval exercises. For her remarkable spirit and stellar contribution to national maritime security, she was twice awarded the coveted Unit Citation, once in 2007-08 and again in 2019-20.
After her decommissioning, the ship’s legacy will be kept alive in an open air museum being set up on by the picturesque banks of the eponymous river Gomti in Lucknow where several of her combat systems will be displayed as military and war relics
