The ship was later sold off to India in January 1957 after long negotiations. It was Lord Louis Mountbatten who convinced Pundit Nehru to make the massive purchase. Remaining work of the massive vessel was undertaken at Harland and Wolff at Belfast. The designs were modified taking into account modern needs and the ship was refitted. The ship was customized to function as Fleet Commander’s flagship.
The ship was commissioned on 4th March 1961 by the then Indian high commissioner to Britain Vijayalakshmi Pundit. Inspite of this the ship wasn’t put into active duty till 3rd November of the same year. After being docked at Belfast, Northern Ireland, it finally began service in Ballard Pier, Bombay and was received by Pundit Nehru himself!
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