Indian Coast Guard Ship (ICGS) Vigraha, a frontline offshore patrol vessel, sailed into history at the sunset on Wednesday. After 29 glorious years of service from 1990 to 2019, the ship was decommissioned at the coast guard jetty here.
ICGS Vigraha was the seventh offshore patrol vessel built by the Mazagaon Dock Limited, Mumbai and it was commissioned on April 12, 1990. The ship was later based at Visakhapatnam and has been instrumental in protecting the east coast in general and Andhra Pradesh coast in particular since then.
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During the 29 years of service, the ship has participated in major coast guard operations involving search and rescue, anti-poaching, pollution response, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, repatriation and joint exercises among others.
ICGS Vigraha is the symbolic representation of an able-minded warrior in the battle field and true to her name, she has brought many laurels. Vigraha has been instrumental in saving many lives at sea and helped in apprehension of many smugglers and poachers. Among them, 275 kg silver haul was the most prominent. The decommissioning ceremony was attended by eight former Commanding Officers who had been at the helm of the ship, along with former and the present crew. The chief guest of the ceremony was Inspector General S. Paramesh, Commander Coast Guard Region (East).
