Overview
- Vice Admiral Sameer Saxena presided over the commissioning at Naval Base Kochi, with the warrant read by Commanding Officer Lt Cdr Hemant Singh Chauhan.
- DSC A20 will be based at Kochi under the Southern Naval Command and is the lead unit in a five-craft series.
- The catamaran-hull vessel displaces about 390 tonnes and was designed to Indian Register of Shipping rules after hydrodynamic testing at NSTL, Visakhapatnam.
- Fit-out includes advanced diving systems, underwater video monitoring and tracking, and a two-man recompression chamber to enable safer, longer missions.
- The craft is intended for underwater repairs and inspections, harbour clearance, salvage assistance and other coastal tasks, with officials linking the induction to the Aatmanirbhar Bharat drive; reports also note it is the Navy’s 11th commissioning this year.