INS Krishna: India’s First Indigenous Cadet Training Ship

1. Recently, the Indian Navy commissioned INS Krishna, the first of three indigenously built Cadet Training Ships (CTS), built at Kattupalli near Chennai.
2. It is designed as a “floating classroom and living laboratory” (moving academy on water) in order to:
   1. Train officer cadets (including women) after their basic shore training
   2. Host cadets from friendly foreign countries
   3. Provide practical exposure to life at sea (navigation, seamanship, and watch-keeping under real maritime conditions)
3. This makes learning more realistic, as cadets practise directly on operational platforms.
4. Apart from cadet instruction, it is also capable of non-combat missions such as:
   1. Non-combatant evacuation operations
   2. Humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR)
   3. Search and rescue
5. Training Infrastructure: INS Krishna can carry 20 officers, 150 sailors and 200 cadets at the same time. Training facilities include 3 classrooms (70 cadets each), a specialised training bridge and a dedicated chart room. This allows structured teaching alongside practical deck experience.
6. Key operational features:
   1. Displacement: nearly 4,700 tonnes
   2. Maximum speed: about 20 knots
   3. Endurance: up to 60 days at sea
   4. These capabilities enable long training voyages without frequent port calls.
7. INS Krishna represents a major shift from classroom-only learning to real-time ocean training—building future naval leaders while showcasing India’s growing indigenous maritime capability.

FAQs

Q1. What is INS Krishna? 

It is India’s first indigenously built Cadet Training Ship, designed as a “floating classroom” to train naval officer cadets.

Q2. Where was INS Krishna built? 

At Kattupalli near Chennai, showcasing India’s indigenous shipbuilding capability.

Q3. What is INS Krishna’s training capacity? 

It can carry 20 officers, 150 sailors, and 200 cadets, with classrooms, a specialised training bridge, and a chart room for structured learning.

Q4. What are INS Krishna’s operational features? 

Displacement ~4,700 tonnes, maximum speed ~20 knots, and endurance up to 60 days at sea.

Q5. What missions can INS Krishna perform apart from training? 

Non-combatant evacuation, HADR, and search-and-rescue operations.