INS Pondicherry (M61)

History
India
Name:	INS Pondicherry
Namesake:	Puducherry
Commissioned:	2 February 1978
Decommissioned:	5 October 2007
Status:	Out of service
General characteristics
Class and type:	Pondicherry class minesweeper
Displacement:	804 tons full load
Propulsion:	2 diesel engines; 2 shafts, cp props, 5,000 hp
Speed:	16 knots (30 km/h)
Range:	3,000 mi (4,800 km) at 12 knots (22 km/h)
Complement:	82 (incl. 10 officers)
Sensors and processing systems:	Air/Surface; 1 x Don 2 radar at I-band frequency IFF; 2 x (NATO: Square Head - High Pole B) radars Sonar; MG-69/79, hull mounted which has active mine detection, with high frequency
Armament:	4 × 30 mm guns, 4 × 25 mm guns, 2 × RBU-1200 5-tubed fixed mortars, Fitted to carry 10 mines

INS Pondicherry (M61) was a Pondicherry class minesweeper in service with the Indian Navy, built by the Sredne-Nevskiy Shipyard at Saint Petersburg in Russia.^[1] She was the lead ship of this class. Pondicherry served the Indian Navy from 1978 to 2007. She was named after Puducherry, a union territory of India which at the time was known as Pondicherry.

On 15 February 1989 Pondicherry was painted white and used as the Presidential yacht for the Fleet Review by President R. Venkataraman. She reverted to her normal role and colour on completion. She was based at Mumbai.

References

1. "Seagoing Minesweepers". Russian Ships. Retrieved 31 January 2013.

• Pondicheery (Natya 1) class at Bharat-Rakshak. Retrieved on 2009-04-29.