Here is a story of a unique museum with glorious past and offering a rich panorama of nostalgic glimpses.

Kursura, the Soviet built 1-641 class submarine designed for long range ocean patrol and underwater attack deep inside enemy waters, was inducted into the Indian Navy on December 18, 1969. This class of submarines is one of the most successful designs acknowledged world over and formed part of the formidable underwater force of the former Soviet Navy during the years of Cold War. The Indian Navy procured eight such submarines. Kursura, during its operational period undertook numerous patrols and took part in various exercises with Indian and foreign navies. It played a stellar role in the 1971 Indo-Pak conflict. After 31 years of glorious service to the nation, the submarine was decommissioned on February 27, 2001.

In the past, Kursura has been a training forum for submariners. It would be appropriate here to mention some of the rigorous stages the Indian submariners have to undergo during their training. The training includes theory classes, practical briefings, damage control exercises, drills and handling emergencies and manoeuvring escapes. After six months of sea experience in submarines, the officers and sailors face a board to qualify for the prestigious Dolphin Badge envied world over.

Space is premium in a submarine with equipment, ammunition, life saving systems etc taking priority. Officers and sailors do 'hot bunking' which is sharing limited bed space by turn. The normal day in a submarine includes action stations, tactical exercises, weapon firing, crew work-up and maintenance. Two wash basins and two toilets are shared by about 80 people (both officers and men) for months at sea. Two cooks prepare all meals for the crew in one galley (kitchen) of size 4'x6'. Kursura proved to be an ideal submarine for the tough levels of training for our submariners.

INS Kursura, now converted into a museum, is the first of its kind in this subcontinent. The complete submarine including her weapon package was hauled up from sea to land and positioned on a concrete foundation. Minimum modification to the structure has been made to retain the originality of submarine life. The museum contains milestones of the evolution of the submarine arm chronicled through photographs, written scripts and artifacts.

The museum has been established with the aim of showcasing the Indian Naval submarine arm and presenting to everyone a glimpse of the life inside a submarine and the hardships encountered by the submariners at sea. The museum also beckons the people to delve deep into the history of the Indian submarines and motivates the youth to be a part of the Indian Navy.

Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, Mr N Chandrababu Naidu, recently dedicated this submarine museum to the nation. Speaking on the occasion, he said that the museum would motivate the youth of the region to join the defence forces and educate people about the Navy. He thanked the Navy for handing over its maintenance to the state government as soon as the state government asked for it. The Chief Minister also promised to transform Visakhapatnam into the most modern city and the best destination for tourism. Dubai and Singapore had exploited the sea-front in terms of tourism and the same could be done in Vishakhapatnam also, he opined. The FOC-in-C, Eastern Naval Command, Vice Admiral Raman Puri said that it was apt to have the submarine museum at Visakhapatnam as the region had a rich maritime history and the submarine arm of the Indian Navy was born here some 30 years ago. Vice Admiral Puri thanked the National Ship Design and Research Centre (NSDRC) which hauled the submarine onto the beach and positioned it at the designated spot in a unique operation. It carried out repairs, renovation and conversion work on the submarine. He also agreed to position another submarine on the banks of the Hussain Sagar in Hyderabad to add to the tourist attractions of the state capital.

It was a herculean task for NSDRC to haul Kursura towards the shore and then again over the beach before finally positioning it parallel to the Beach Road. NSDRC undertook some innovative techniques to complete the operation, as nowhere in the world had such task been taken up in the past. The 91 metre-long submarine, including its weapon package, was hauled up to the beach in a 10-month operation during 2000-01. It also has the unique distinction of being a submarine that has been decommissioned on a beach.