The Indian Navy commissioned the fifth Kalvari class submarine, named Vagir, at a naval dockyard in Mumbai on Monday. The commissioning ceremony was attended by Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral R Hari Kumar. The submarine completed its maiden sea sortie in February of last year and has undergone extensive acceptance checks and demanding sea trials prior to commissioning, as reported by the defence ministry.

At the commissioning ceremony, Admiral R Hari Kumar praised the new submarine, Vagir, as a powerful and well-equipped platform. He noted that it was the third submarine to be inducted into the Indian Navy within two years, a testament to the Indian shipyards’ ability to build advanced and sophisticated vessels.

The Kalvari class submarines, of which Vagir is a member, are being constructed by the Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) in Mumbai, India in partnership with Naval Group from France. Vagir is capable of performing a variety of tasks such as anti-surface and anti-submarine warfare, intelligence gathering, mine laying, and surveillance. The submarine is named after a previous vessel which was commissioned in November 1973 and completed various operational missions, including deterrent patrols before it was decommissioned in January 2001 after serving for approximately 30 years. The new Vagir holds the record for the shortest construction time among all submarines made in India.

“In the navy, it’s a time-honoured tradition that old ships and submarines never die. In keeping with the spirit, the submarine in front of us is a reincarnation of erstwhile Vagir which served India and Indian Navy for three decades,” Admiral Kumar said.

Vagir takes its name from the Sand Fish, a deadly deep sea predator of the Indian Ocean.