Indian Navy bids adieu to frigate INS Gomati

INS Gomati (F21), a Godavari-class guided-missile frigate of the Indian Navy, has been decommissioned after 34 years of service, the navy said.

The ceremony took place at the Naval Dockyard in Mumbai on 28 May 2022.

INS Gomati derives its name from the vibrant river Gomti and was commissioned on 16 April 1988 by then Raksha Mantri, Shri KC Pant, at Mazagon Dock Ltd, Bombay.

It was the third ship of the Godavari-class guided-missile frigates and the oldest warrior of the Western Fleet.

During its service, the vessel participated in Operations Cactus, Parakram and Rainbow, and several bilateral and multinational naval exercises.

For its remarkable spirit and contribution to national maritime security, INS Gomati was twice awarded the coveted Unit Citation, once in 2007-08 and again in 2019-20.

After the decommissioning, the ship’s legacy will be kept alive in an open air museum being set up on the banks of the eponymous river Gomti in Lucknow where several of INS Gomati’s combat systems will be displayed as military and war relics.

Back in 2017, the Indian Navy also retired INS Ganga, the second of three Godavari-class frigates, after 32 years of service.