Submarine Museum, Visakhapatnam

The Submarine Museum is located in Visakhapatnam and houses a Kursura submarine. INS Kursura(S20) was a Kalvari-class(first submarines entered into service with the Indian Navy) diesel-electric submarine of the Indian Navy. It was India's fourth submarine and was formally introduced on 18 December 1969 and was discontinued on 27 February 2001 after 31 years of service.

Kursura has a length of 300 ft, a beam(total ship width at the widest section) of 25 ft and a draught or draft (depth of the vessel below the waterline) of 20 ft. The submarine has three shafts, each with a six-blade propeller. It also has three electric motors, two of them with 1,010 kW and one with 2,000 kW.

History:

Kursura's first commanding officer was Commander Arun Auditto. Kursura and its sister submarine INS Karanj became active in the Indian Navy under the Western Naval Command and reported to the top officer in charge, known as the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Western Naval Command(FOCINCWEST).

In 1970, Karanj was badly damaged after a collision with the destroyer Ranjit when she surfaced directly below the ship. It was repaired within months, in time to join the Indo-Pakistan War of 1971.

During the war, Kursura operated in the Arabian Sea with patrol duties at two designated areas before the war started. It was started from the home port on 13 November 1971 and reached patrol location by 18 Nov. The patrol was until 25 Nov there and then moved to a new location that last until 30 Nov.

During the patrols, it encountered fair weather and monitored a number of tankers and commercial aircraft flying on international routes.

How To Reach:

This museum is located at a distance of around 3.9 KM from Vizag bus stand. You can reach the museum by taking a local bus like 10K, 28H or 28K pass through bus stand to beach. From beach, it is walkable distance to museum. Else, take a auto from the bus stand.