The Indian Navy commissioned its third Scorpene (French for “scorpion”) submarine, INS Karanj, into service on Wednesday. The submarine has been built at Mazagon Dock Limited, Mumbai under transfer of technology from French shipyard, Naval Group. In keeping with hoary naval tradition, the Karanj took its name from an earlier Foxtrot-class boat (as navies traditionally refer to submarines) that India bought from the Soviet Union in 1969 and decommissioned in 2003. The chief guest at the commissioning in Mumbai was former navy chief, Admiral V S Shekhawat, who was part of the commissioning crew of the old Karanj. He went on to become its commanding officer during the 1971 India-Pakistan war, and was awarded a Vir Chakra for exceptional gallantry.