INS Dunagiri (F36)

INS Dunagiri (F36) was a Nilgiri class frigate of the Indian Navy that served for 33 years between its commissioning on May 5, 1977 and its decommissioning on October 20, 2010.

Name
Named after the Himalayan peak, Dunagiri, the Dunagiri was a Nilgiri class frigate that was a part of the Navy's 14th Frigate Squadron. The Dunagiri's crest had a Himalayan Osprey on it and her motto read Victory is My Profession.

History
The Dunagiri was the fourth of the Nilgiri class frigates to be built at the Mazgaon Docks an it took almost 58 months from the commencement of production till her final delivery to the Navy. The Dunagiri however also had an large number of indigenously produced equipment in her although much of her firepower and radars and sensors were of British or Dutch origin. Vice-admiral S Jain who later served as flag-officer-commanding-in-chief of the Western Naval Command was the Dunagiri's first commanding officer.

Operational issues
The Dunagiri underwent a medium refit in 1990 but the process took 40 months against a normal schedule of 12 months, being finally completed in February 1994. India's Comptroller and Auditor General observed that the delay in the work had not only failed to rectify the ship's main defects but had also led to corrosive damage to it on account of prolonged detention at the shipyard that necessitated a short refit in 1995 and cost overruns of ₹4.52 crores.

In 2006 the Dunagiri was involved in an accident off the coast of Mumbai when it struck a Shipping Corporation of India merchant vessel, the MV Kiti. Although there were no casualties the Dunagiri suffered damage and required extensive repairs.

Commemoration
On its decommissioning a philatelic cover featuring the Dunagiri and a special cancellation mark featuring the ship's crest were issued by India Post.