Russia: Aircraft Carrier INS Vikramaditya Becomes Entirely Self-Contained

Yet another stage began at Sevmash Shipyard with the repair and modernization of the aircraft carrier “Vikramaditya”. Over the last weekend the ship was unmoored from the outfitting quay wall and moved to the wiping station. During next 20 days the shipyard will be measuring the magnetic field of the aircraft. This procedure is essential for all naval ships and for their protection against mine-and-torpedo weapons reacting to a ship’s magnetic field.

“The most important thing for us is that the aircraft carrier has become entirely self-contained: all internal systems and mechanisms, the ship’s propulsion system, galley, water supply system are operable,” reports the commissioning manager Igor Leonov, “the ship’s board has been uploaded with the foodstuffs for 30 days, there is the Russian crew constantly present on the aircraft carrier”.

The movement operation itself, according to Igor Leonov, passed with success although not without some difficulties – the shipyard’s water area is still covered with ice.

The works on the aircraft carrier are going on day and night. At the same time there are up to 1100 workers on the ship, who get there by tugs. The next important stage is a heeling test: the ship’s board will be uploaded with the weights of 360 tons, which are to be transferred from one side to another at a certain time. The ship’s heel is used for calculation of its center of gravity, what is very important for estimation of stability. After all arrangements on the shipyard’s water area the aircraft carrier will sail to sea for sea trials. The departure is scheduled for the 25th of May.

[mappress]

Source: sevmash, April 19, 2012