The Karnataka government has shown interest in setting up INS Viraat aircraft carrier museum in Mangaluru.
This follows a letter by Rear Admiral SN Ghormade, Flag Officer Commanding, Karnataka Naval Area, Karwar, to the State Chief Secretary Kaushik Mukherjee, proposing to set up the aircraft carrier museum in Mangaluru after the decommissioning of INS Viraat.
In a letter to the Chief Secretary, Dakshina Kannada Deputy Commissioner AB Ibrahim said Mangaluru would be the suitable location to set up the museum.
The banks of both the Gurupura and the Nethravathi rivers, encircling Mangaluru city, will be the ideal location to set up the museum. Even a floating one can be explored on the Nethravathi, he said.
The aircraft carrier has served for over 56 years. It served as HMS Hermes in the Royal British Navy for 27 years. It was commissioned as INS Viraat on May 2 1987.
The aircraft carrier will be decommissioned after its participation in International Fleet Review in 2016.
Andhra Pradesh and Goa have also shown interest in setting up the aircraft carrier museum, Ibrahim told reporters here today.