Cam Ranh Bay

About Cam ranh bay:

• Location: Cam Ranh Bay is a deep-water bay located in Khánh Hòa Province, Vietnam, on the South China Sea.
• Size: It is approximately 20 miles (32 km) long from north to south and up to 10 miles (16 km) wide.
• Depth: The bay is up to 164 feet (50 m) deep, making it one of the deepest natural harbours in Southeast Asia.
• Facilities: The port has two main piers, one for general cargo and one for oil tankers. It also has a number of other facilities, including a repair yard, a fuel depot, and a container terminal.
• It is a major refuelling and repair station for ships in the South China Sea.
• Historical Significance:
  • During the colonial era, it was controlled by the Champa Kingdom and later became part of the Vietnamese territories.
  • In the 19th century, the French established a major military presence in the bay.
  • During the Vietnam War, Cam Ranh Bay gained significant importance as a strategic military base for both the United States and South Vietnam. The United States constructed extensive facilities, including an airbase and a deep-water port, to support its military activities during the war.
  • Following the end of the Vietnam War in 1975, Cam Ranh Bay came under the control of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.
  • The Soviet Union subsequently leased the former American facilities and established a major naval base there.
  • The Soviet Navy maintained a presence in Cam Ranh Bay throughout the Cold War until the early 2000s.

Key facts about INS Kirpan:

• It is an indigenously-built in-service missile Corvette.
• It is a Khukri class missile corvette commissioned into the Navy on January 12, 1991.
• Features:
  • It has a displacing capacity of close to 1,400 tonnes.
  • It is capable of a speed of more than 25 knots.
  • The Khukri class are equipped with Diesel Engines assembled in India.
  • The ship is fitted with a medium-range gun, 30 mm close-range guns, chaff launchers, and surface-to-surface missiles.
  • It performs a wide variety of roles, including coastal and offshore patrol, coastal security, surface warfare, anti-piracy, and Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) operations.