Indian Navy launches sixth LCU ship

The Indian Navy has launched the sixth ship of the LCU MK IV project during a March 12 ceremony at Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Ltd, Kolkata.

LCU L-56, as the ship was named, is the sixth vessel of the series of eight Landing Craft Utility Ships being designed and built by the Indian shipbuilder M/s GRSE for the Indian Navy.

The amphibious ship can be deployed for multi-role activities like beaching operations, Humanitarian and Disaster Relief operations and evacuation from distant islands. The first ship of the class ‘LCU-L51’ was launched on March 12, 2014 and is presently undergoing sea trials at GRSE. The vessel is likely to be delivered shortly to the Indian Navy.

The LCU ships were designed in-house by GRSE according to specific needs of the Indian Navy which intends to build a total of eight ships of this class.

During the ceremony, Indian Navy Vice Admiral Bimal Kumar Verma noted that Navy has been supporting the drive for indigenous construction of warships under the ‘Make in India’ motto and acknowledged GRSE as a reliable partner in the state’s efforts.

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