INS Vajrabahu
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| INS Vajrabahu | |
|---|---|
| Mumbai, Maharashtra | |
 | |
| Site information | |
| Type | Naval station |
| Controlled by | Indian Navy |
| Condition | Operational |
 | |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1 February 1996 |
| In use | 1987-present |
| Garrison information | |
| Occupants | Western Naval Command |
INS Vajrabahu is an Indian Navy submarine base of the Western Naval Command located near Mumbai in Maharashtra.[1] It was commissioned on 1 February 1996.[2]
After the Indian Navy acquired the Vela class submarines in 1973 from the Soviet Union, the submarine base operated from temporary facilities in Mumbai. The base hosted the office of Captain Submarines (SM), 9th submarine squadron (who was initially the ex-officio Commanding Officer of the submarine depot ship, INS Amba. The facilities for the submarine base continued to expand over time. A submarine base complex (SMBC) was commissioned on 22 August 1987 as A-14 building by the then Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral R. H. Tahiliani in Mumbai for the submarine fleet of the Western Naval Command.[3]
This operations base was expanded to include submarine support facilities and commissioned as INS Vajrabahu on 1 February 1996 by Admiral Vijai Singh Shekhawat. In the ensuing years, a Submarine Motion Control Simulator, Attack Simulator and a water tower building were added to the base.[4]
