UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — INS NIPUN COMMISSIONED INTO THE INDIAN NAVY

Q1. Consider the following statements regarding the Indian Navy's present Nistar-class Diving Support Vessels and the earlier vessel of the same name: 1. The earlier Nistar was a submarine rescue vessel acquired from the erstwhile USSR in 1969 and commissioned in 1971, serving the Navy for about two decades in diving and submarine rescue roles. 2. The present Nistar-class vessels were acquired from a foreign shipyard and subsequently modified in India for the diving support role. 3. The present class is markedly smaller than its predecessor, displacing about 1,500 tonnes. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. The earlier Nistar was a submarine rescue vessel acquired from the erstwhile USSR in 1969 and commissioned in 1971, serving the Navy for about two decades in diving and submarine rescue roles.
  2. The present Nistar-class vessels were acquired from a foreign shipyard and subsequently modified in India for the diving support role.
  3. The present class is markedly smaller than its predecessor, displacing about 1,500 tonnes.
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 1 and 2 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1 and 3 only

Q2. Consider the following statements comparing two recent indigenous Indian Navy shipbuilding projects: 1. The Nistar-class Diving Support Vessels are built by Hindustan Shipyard Limited, Visakhapatnam, while the Arnala-class Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft are built by Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers, Kolkata. 2. The Arnala-class craft are meant for anti-submarine operations in coastal waters and low intensity maritime operations, whereas the Nistar-class is meant for deep sea saturation diving and submarine rescue. 3. The Arnala-class craft were constructed under a public-private partnership between the designing shipyard and Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited, Mumbai. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. The Nistar-class Diving Support Vessels are built by Hindustan Shipyard Limited, Visakhapatnam, while the Arnala-class Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft are built by Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers, Kolkata.
  2. The Arnala-class craft are meant for anti-submarine operations in coastal waters and low intensity maritime operations, whereas the Nistar-class is meant for deep sea saturation diving and submarine rescue.
  3. The Arnala-class craft were constructed under a public-private partnership between the designing shipyard and Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited, Mumbai.
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 1 and 2 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q3. In Indian naval shipbuilding practice, as reflected in the recorded milestones of the two Diving Support Vessels at Hindustan Shipyard Limited, Visakhapatnam, the 'launch' of a warship denotes which one of the following?

  • A. The formal handing over of the vessel by the shipyard to the Navy after the completion of successful sea trials and acceptance checks
  • B. The ceremonial induction of the vessel into the Navy, when the naval ensign is hoisted and the ship acquires the prefix 'INS'
  • C. The transfer of the built-up hull from the building berth into the water, after which fitting out and sea trials are carried out
  • D. The first cutting of steel plates for the hull of the ship in the fabrication shop of the shipyard, marking the start of construction

Q4. Consider the following statements about the two vessels of the Nistar-class Diving Support Vessel project: 1. The two vessels were launched on separate dates, the second vessel following the first by about three months. 2. The first-of-class was commissioned into the Indian Navy on 18 July 2025 at Visakhapatnam. 3. The second vessel of the class, Nipun, carries the builder's yard number 11191. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. The two vessels were launched on separate dates, the second vessel following the first by about three months.
  2. The first-of-class was commissioned into the Indian Navy on 18 July 2025 at Visakhapatnam.
  3. The second vessel of the class, Nipun, carries the builder's yard number 11191.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 1 and 3 only
  • C. 2 only
  • D. 2 and 3 only

Q5. With reference to the first-of-class Diving Support Vessel INS Nistar, consider the following: 1. It was launched at Hindustan Shipyard Limited, Visakhapatnam, in September 2022, on the same day as the second vessel of its class. 2. It was delivered to the Indian Navy by the shipyard in the same month in which it was commissioned. 3. Its commissioning preceded the commissioning of INS Androth into the Indian Navy. 4. It takes its name from the northernmost island of the Lakshadweep group. Which of the above is/are NOT correct?

  1. It was launched at Hindustan Shipyard Limited, Visakhapatnam, in September 2022, on the same day as the second vessel of its class.
  2. It was delivered to the Indian Navy by the shipyard in the same month in which it was commissioned.
  3. Its commissioning preceded the commissioning of INS Androth into the Indian Navy.
  4. It takes its name from the northernmost island of the Lakshadweep group.
  • A. 2 only
  • B. 4 only
  • C. 1 and 3
  • D. 3 and 4

Q6. Consider the following statements regarding India's submarine rescue architecture: 1. India's two Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicles, inducted in 2018-19 with one for each seaboard, are capable of rescue operations down to depths of about 650 metres. 2. The Nistar-class Diving Support Vessel, which acts as the mother ship for the Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicle, can itself undertake diving and salvage operations up to about 300 metres. 3. The deep sea submarine rescue system is operated and deployed by the Navy's Submarine Rescue Unit, the western unit being based at Mumbai. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. India's two Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicles, inducted in 2018-19 with one for each seaboard, are capable of rescue operations down to depths of about 650 metres.
  2. The Nistar-class Diving Support Vessel, which acts as the mother ship for the Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicle, can itself undertake diving and salvage operations up to about 300 metres.
  3. The deep sea submarine rescue system is operated and deployed by the Navy's Submarine Rescue Unit, the western unit being based at Mumbai.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q7. In India's submarine rescue arrangements, what precisely is the function of a 'mother ship' (MoSHIP) associated with the Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicle?

  • A. It is the shore-based command and coordination facility that directs the Submarine Rescue Units located on either seaboard of the country
  • B. It is the surface vessel that carries, launches and recovers the rescue vehicle at sea, localises the distressed submarine and supports evacuation of its crew
  • C. It is the deep-diving vehicle that mates with the escape hatch of the distressed submarine and lifts its crew to the surface in batches
  • D. It is the submarine depot ship that replenishes torpedoes, fuel and provisions to submarines operating far from their home base

Q8. Consider the following statements about recent indigenous inductions into the Indian Navy: 1. INS Arnala, the first Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft, and INS Nistar, the first indigenous Diving Support Vessel, were both commissioned during 2025 at Visakhapatnam. 2. Every ship of the Arnala class is being constructed by a single shipyard, namely Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers, Kolkata. 3. Both the Arnala-class craft and the Nistar-class Diving Support Vessels have been stated to incorporate more than 80% indigenous content. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. INS Arnala, the first Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft, and INS Nistar, the first indigenous Diving Support Vessel, were both commissioned during 2025 at Visakhapatnam.
  2. Every ship of the Arnala class is being constructed by a single shipyard, namely Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers, Kolkata.
  3. Both the Arnala-class craft and the Nistar-class Diving Support Vessels have been stated to incorporate more than 80% indigenous content.
  • A. 1 and 3 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1 and 2 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q9. The Arnala-class Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft, inducted alongside other indigenous platforms, were designed and constructed for the Indian Navy under which one of the following arrangements?

  • A. Designed by the Navy's own design organisation and built entirely by Cochin Shipyard Limited under a transfer of technology from a foreign yard
  • B. Designed in-house by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited, Mumbai and built jointly with Hindustan Shipyard Limited, Visakhapatnam
  • C. Designed by Goa Shipyard Limited and built entirely at Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers, Kolkata under the strategic partnership model
  • D. Designed in-house by Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers, Kolkata and built under a public-private partnership with L&T Shipbuilders

Q10. At Exercise Pacific Reach 2025 in September 2025, in which INS Nistar took part, India's Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicle recorded which one of the following firsts?

  • A. Its first mating with a distressed submarine at a depth exceeding 650 metres, a new record for the system
  • B. The first ever induction of a Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicle by a littoral navy of the Indian Ocean Region
  • C. Its first-ever dive outside the Indian Ocean Region, along with successful matings with foreign submarines
  • D. Its first deployment in support of the search for a missing submarine of a foreign navy in distress

Q11. The Indian Navy has revived the Sanskrit-derived name 'Nistar', meaning rescue or deliverance, for its new class of Diving Support Vessels. These vessels are being constructed at a shipyard that functions under the administrative control of which one of the following?

  • A. The Department of Military Affairs in the Ministry of Defence, which exercises control over the three armed services
  • B. The Department of Defence Production in the Ministry of Defence, which oversees the defence public sector undertakings
  • C. The Directorate General of Shipping under the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, which regulates Indian shipping
  • D. The Department of Defence Research and Development in the Ministry of Defence, which functions through its laboratories