Naval Dockyard (Visakhapatnam)


The Naval Dockyard in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, is one of the most important dockyards in India, after the Bombay Dockyard.

History

In December 1941, shortly after the beginning of World War I in Europe, the Royal Indian Navy set up a "Boat Repair Workshop" in Visakhapatnam to support the Indian army units in Burma. In March 1942, as part of the Navy's initiative to set up coastal forces in several Indian coastal cities, the facility in Visakhapatnam was upgraded to include blacksmith and carpentry workshops, and machine tools, all of which were hosted abroad the naval base INS Circars. This was further upgraded to a centre for maintenance of ships with a 200-tonne slipway in 1947. In 1953, the facility was expanded into a Base Repair Organisation and existing workshop units moved into the new BRO complex.
In 1958, the Union Cabinet approved the proposal for establishing a naval base and dockyard in Vizag. In 1962, a new jetty and a workshop building were sanctioned, as well as the acquisition of 550 acres of land from the Port Trust. In 1972, the BRO was renamed as Naval Dockyard.