Gaj-class tugboat

The Gaj class offshore tugboats are a series of two auxiliary watercraft built by Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers Ltd., Kolkata, for the Indian Navy. The vessels in the class are Indian Navy's biggest tugboats and can be used for towing aircraft carriers.[1]

INS Matanga, the second Gaj-class tugboat
Class overview
Name:	Gaj-class tugboat
Builders:	Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers, Kolkata, India
Operators:	Indian Navy
In commission:	1973–2017
Completed:	2
Active:	0
Retired:	2
General characteristics [1][2]
Type:	Ocean-going Tugboat
Tonnage:	1,313 GT
Displacement:	1,600 long tons (1,600 t) full load
Length:	67.8 m (222 ft 5 in)
Beam:	12.3 m (40 ft 4 in)
Draught:	4 m (13 ft 1 in)
Propulsion:	2 × Garden Reach G7V diesel engines 2 shafts 3,920 bhp (2,923 kW)
Speed:	15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph)
Capacity:	Bollard pull: 40 tons
Complement:	75 including 6 officers
Sensors and processing systems:	Decca 1226 (I) Radar
Armament:	1 × 40 mm 60-cal Bofors Mk 3 gun

Description

Each vessel in the class has a 40-ton bollard pull and are powered by twin Garden Reach G7V diesel engines coupled to two propellers with a total output of 3920 bhp. They have four foam monitors installed for firefighting operations. The vessels have a speed of 15 knots and are also fitted with diving and salvage equipment. They carry an RCC (recompression chamber) and can render limited submarine rescue services.[1][2][3]

External image
Gaj class tugboat
INS Matanga

Ships in the class

Pennant No.	Name	Launched	Commissioned	Decommissioned	Notes
A-51	INS Gaj	September 1972 [4]	20 September 1973	14 August 1996	[1][2]
A-53	INS Matanga	29 October 1977	2 April 1983	27 January 2017 [5]	[6]

See also

• Tugboats of the Indian Navy

References

1. "INS Matanga, Active Indian Navy ships". bharat-rakshak.com. Retrieved 17 May 2014.
2. "ATF Gaj class". harpoondatabases.com. Archived from the original on 22 February 2014. Retrieved 17 May 2014.
3. "Diving Cadre And The Chariot Project". Indian Navy. Retrieved 17 May 2014.
4. "INS Gaj commissioned".
5. "Indian Navy decommissions two ships". Jane's 360. 30 January 2017. Retrieved 13 May 2017.
6. "Ocean Going Tug INS Matanga (A 53)". Indian Navy. Archived from the original on 5 January 2014. Retrieved 4 January 2014.