Kochi: The oldest aircraft carrier in the world and the last of the British-built Indian Navy ships on Sunday sailed under tow for the last time, being taken to Mumbai where it will be decommissioned.
The ship was accorded a grand send-off from Kochi on Sunday, after over five decades of service in the Navy. It is now being towed to Mumbai by three tugs, and the decommissioning orders are awaited.
"INS Viraat shares a special emotional bond with Kochi and Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL), as she has been refitted here every time she needed repairs or periodic regular maintenance," a Navy official said.