Sailing through the 75-year history of shipbuilding in India

SS Jala Usha, the first modern steamship of free India, was launched from the slipway of the Hindustan Shipyard Limited in Visakhapatnam on March 14, 1948

March 14, 1948 has registered itself in golden letters in the annals of the history of Visakhaptnam and India. It was on this day 75 years ago, the first modern steamship SS Jala Usha was launched from the slipway of the Hindustan Shipyard Limited (HSL), heralding an industrial surge by free India.

“Shipbuilding Industry in India will not suffer and will go on at all costs and at every cost. Rest assured that the government is intimately interested in encouraging this industry,” the first Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru had said while launching SS Jala Usha on this day.

The HSL was founded by industrialist Walchand Hirachand and was then called Scindia Shipyard, which was part of the Scindia Steam Navigation Company Limited.

“During the Swadeshi Movement that was launched by Mahatma Gandhi, two businessmen from erstwhile Bombay—Walchand Hirachand and Narottam Morarjee—wanted to enter the challenging business of shipping by establishing a company and as per old records, they realised that the shipping industry could grow only when it is supported by the shipbuilding industry,” says Edward Paul, history chronicler of Visakhapatnam.

Initially, Calcutta (now Kolkata) and Bombay (now Mumbai) were their choices, but later Walchand zeroed down on Visakhapatnam, because of its natural inner harbour, adds Mr. Paul.  

The company had initially acquired 55 acres for the shipyard and another 300 acres for the township.  The foundation stone for the shipyard was laid on June 21, 1941, by the then President of Indian National Congress Rajendra Prasad, who later became the first President of the free India.

According to Mr. Paul, this move by Walchand was in defiance to the deliberate curtailment of the construction of ships in India to safeguard their own shipbuilders back at home.