just got back from a week at t200/ifos great show and celebration managed to get aboard all the shipsexcept the korean and german. highlight was the look round the ins mumbai and the pns tippu sultan. went on the dutch ship rotterdam god knows how it floats big as a cathedral on the dock area.

hello David


I did a google search on the INS MUMBAI.
She sure is impressive.
INS MUMBAI


Do you have any pictures which you would like to share?

Also, I was wondering if this is the ms Rotterdam you were talking about? ms Rotterdam

Thanks for the message, and please, if you have some pics, please post them. There will always be people interested in them

brgds
Warvos

hi yep thats em i got a pics wil post them when i get them devloped took a lot of the mumbai. any body know why the indian navy flys the white ensign with the indian flag in the corner????

Envious - as a Sea Cadet Corps instructor I was at the last FOS, but now I no longer do that I didn't get to this one! It looked fantastic on the TV.
I'll look forward to you posting some of the pics.

Purely a guess,

but probably for inferring some link with the British Navy? Similar to the White Ensign with the Union Jack in the corner.

And as far as the Rotterdam goes,

apparently she is more or less jointly used by the British and the Dutch. IIRC the Dutch Royal Marines and the British Royal Marines (the oldest two Marine Corps in the world) cooperate a lot. I believe the deal was more or less: the Dutch build the ships and in return can use UK helicopters and armor if needed. We will have two of them actually, Hr.Ms. Rotterdam and Hr.Ms. Johan de Witt (by 2007).

They are capable of carrying a full battalion of marines, 32 leopard II's and (my guess is actually or) 90 YPR's, Patriot missile units or equivalents.