INS Chapal (K94) is a preserved Indian Navy fast attack craft displayed as a museum ship on Rabindranath Tagore Beach in Karwar, Karnataka. Originally built in the Soviet Union as part of the Project 205 Osa II series, known in India as the Chamak class, Chapal served for nearly three decades as a high‑speed missile boat equipped with SS‑N‑2 Styx anti‑ship missiles and twin AK‑230 30mm gun mounts. These vessels formed an important part of India’s Cold War naval strategy, providing rapid coastal strike capability and operating within the 25th Missile Vessel Squadron, a formation famously known as “The Killers.” Although Chapal is sometimes incorrectly associated with the 1971 Indo‑Pak War, she was commissioned later, on 4 November 1976, and therefore did not participate in that conflict.
During her career, INS Chapal conducted patrols, fleet exercises, and readiness operations along India’s eastern seaboard. She took part in a live missile firing demonstration during Navy Day celebrations on 4 December 2004 off Visakhapatnam, one of her final major public operations. Chapal was decommissioned on 5 May 2005, alongside her sister ship INS Chamak. The ceremony was overseen by Rear Admiral Raman Prem Suthan, with Commander Harish Behl serving as Chapal’s final commanding officer. After decommissioning, the ship was transported to Karwar and permanently installed on a concrete cradle above the sand, becoming a public museum intended to showcase India’s missile‑boat heritage.
As a museum, INS Chapal offers visitors an accessible look at the interior spaces of a Cold War missile craft. The bridge, navigation areas, crew quarters, mess spaces, and missile deck are all open to the public, with mannequins and dioramas illustrating the roles of sailors who once served aboard. Replica missiles and explanatory panels describe the tactics and technology of Osa‑class boats, including their radar systems, propulsion layout, and the operational doctrine that made them effective in coastal strike missions. Although the engines are no longer operational, the engine room displays provide a sense of the compact, high‑power machinery that allowed these vessels to reach speeds exceeding 37 knots.
The museum sits directly on Rabindranath Tagore Beach, making it one of the most visually striking attractions in Karwar. Visitors reach the ship via a gangway from the beachfront promenade, where a small ticket booth handles admission. The museum is operated by the Karwar district administration with heritage oversight from the Indian Navy. Typical visiting hours run from late morning to late afternoon, with a midday break, and tickets are purchased on‑site. The location is easy to reach using the GPS‑friendly address “INS Chapal Warship Museum, Rabindranath Tagore Beach, Karwar 581301, Karnataka, India,” or by entering the Plus Code R47G+QR7, which places the visitor directly at the museum entrance.
INS Chapal is one of the few preserved Osa‑class missile boats in the world and one of the only examples displayed fully ashore. Her presence in Karwar provides a rare opportunity to explore a type of warship that played a significant role in India’s naval development during the late twentieth century. Today she stands not only as a museum but also as a landmark on the Karwar waterfront, offering visitors a close look at the compact, powerful missile craft that once formed the cutting edge of India’s coastal defense forces.