Indian Navy receives third Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft ‘Mangrol’

New Delhi, August 21. The Indian Navy on August 21 received Mangrol, the third Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft (ASW-SWC) built by Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL), Kochi, marking another step forward in the country’s drive towards indigenous warship construction.

The vessel, delivered to the Navy on August 21, has more than 80 percent indigenous content and has been designed to undertake a range of missions, including underwater surveillance and anti-submarine warfare operations in coastal waters. It is also equipped to undertake low-intensity maritime operations and mine warfare.

Mangrol is fitted with modern torpedoes and anti-submarine rockets, along with advanced radar and sonar systems. Its waterjet propulsion system enables it to operate effectively in shallow and coastal waters, where conventional larger warships may face operational limitations.

The vessel has been named after Mangrol, a coastal town and minor port in Gujarat’s Junagadh district known for its fishing harbour. The name also revives the legacy of the erstwhile INS Mangrol, an Indian Navy minesweeper that remained in service until 2004.

The delivery adds to the Navy’s growing fleet of indigenously designed and built platforms and reflects the increasing capabilities of India’s domestic defence shipbuilding industry. With its high level of indigenous content, the vessel also reinforces the government’s push for ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ (Self-reliant India) in defence manufacturing.

The induction of Mangrol is expected to strengthen the Indian Navy’s capabilities for underwater surveillance and anti-submarine operations in India’s coastal waters, while underscoring the expanding role of Indian shipyards in meeting the country’s maritime security requirements.