Indian Navy

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Indian Navy
Emblem of the Indian Navy
Founded26 January 1950; 74 years ago (26 January 1950) (as current service)

5 September 1612; 411 years ago (5 September 1612) (as East India Company's Marine)[1][2]


Country 
force projection, sealift, nuclear deterrence
Size64,000 active personnel[3]
50,000 reserve personnel[4]
(250 including auxiliaries)
Approx. 300 aircraft
Part of Indian Armed Forces
HeadquartersIntegrated Defence Headquarters, Ministry of Defence, New Delhi
Motto(s)शं नो वरुणः  ; Shaṁ No Varuna (ISO)
transl. 'May the Lord of Water be auspicious unto us'
ColoursNavy blue, gold and white
     
March
  • Quick: Jai Bharati
    (Victory to India)
  • Slow: Anand Lok
    (Realm of Joy)
AnniversariesNavy Day: 4 December
Operational fleet
as of January 2024
  • 2
    Replenishment Oilers

    Other auxiliary vessels
Engagements
Major wars and Operations
Websiteindiannavy.nic.in
Commanders
Commander-in-ChiefIndia President Droupadi Murmu
Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan
Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS) Admiral R. Hari Kumar
Vice Chief of the Naval Staff (VCNS) Vice Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi
Notable
commanders
Insignia

The Indian Navy is the

four-star admiral, commands the navy. As a blue-water navy, it operates significantly in the Persian Gulf Region, the Horn of Africa, the Strait of Malacca, and routinely conducts anti-piracy operations and partners with other navies in the region. It also conducts routine two to three month-long deployments in the South and East China seas as well as in the western Mediterranean sea
simultaneously.

The primary objective of the navy is to safeguard the nation's maritime borders, and in conjunction with other Armed Forces of the union, act to deter or defeat any threats or aggression against the territory, people or maritime interests of India, both in war and peace. Through joint exercises, goodwill visits and humanitarian missions, including disaster relief, the Indian Navy promotes bilateral relations between nations.

As of June 2019, the Indian Navy has 67,252 active

mine countermeasure vessel, 4 fleet tankers and numerous other auxiliary vessels, small patrol boats and sophisticated ships. It is considered as a multi-regional power projection blue-water navy.[8][9]

History

Sātavāhana Empire
, during the 1st–2nd century CE.

Early Maritime History

Three-mast sailship, Ajanta Caves Cave No.2 c. 5th century.
Sculptured frieze depicting two Boitas of Ancient Kalinga found near Brahmeswara Temple. 10th century.

The

celestial ocean,[11] with knowledge of the ocean routes and describes the use of ships having hundred oars in the naval expeditions by Indians. There are also references to the side wings of a ship called Plava, which stabilise the vessel during storms. Plava are considered to be the precursors of modern-day stabilisers.[12]

Alexander the Great, during his campaigns in India, built a harbour at Patala. His army retreated to Mesopotamia using ships built at Sindh. In the period after his conquest, records show that the Emperor of Maurya Empire, Chandragupta Maurya, as a part of his war office, established an Admiralty Division. Many historians from ancient India recorded Indian trade relations. Indian trade reached Java and Sumatra. There were also references to the trade routes of countries in the Pacific and Indian Ocean. India also had trade relations with the Greeks and the Romans. At one instance Roman historian Gaius Plinius Secundus mentioned Indian traders carrying away large masses of gold and silver from Rome, in payment for skins, precious stones, clothes, indigo, sandalwood, herbs, perfumes, and spices.[12]

During 5–10 AD, Kalinga conquered Western Java, Sumatra and Malaya. The Andaman and Nicobar Islands served as an important halt point for trade ships en route to these nations and as well as China.

Middle Ages

Burma, Sumatra, Sri Lanka, and Malaya, and simultaneously repressed pirate activities by Sumatran warlords.[12][13]

Marco Polo's remark on Indian ships (1292 AD)

... built of fir timber, having a sheath of boards laid over the planking in every part, caulked with oakum and fastened with iron nails. The bottoms were smeared with a preparation of quicklime and hemp, pounded together and mixed with oil from a certain tree which is a better material than pith

[12]

During 14th and 15th centuries, Indian shipbuilding skills and their maritime ability was sophisticated enough to produce ships with a capacity to carry over hundred men. Ships also had compartments included in their design, so that even if one compartment was damaged, the ship would remain afloat. These features of ships were developed by Indians even before Europeans were aware of the idea.[12]

Decline

By the end of 15th century Indian naval power had started to decline, and had reached its low by the time the Portuguese entered India. Soon after they set foot in India, the Portuguese started to seize all Asian vessels not permitting their trade. Amidst this, in 1529, a naval war at

Battle of Cochin, was fought in 1504, and the second engagement happened four years later off Diu. Both these wars exposed the weakness of Indian maritime power and simultaneously helped the Portuguese to gain mastery over the Indian waters.[12]
However, in 1526 the Zamorin launched a
Calicut, successfully eliminating Portuguese influence in the city.[14]

Later Revival

The

Anglo-Mughal War. [16] [17] One of the best-documented naval campaign of the Mughal empire were provided during the conflict against kingdom of Arakan, where in December 1665, Aurangzeb dispatched Shaista Khan, his governor of Bengal to command 288 vessels and more than 20,000 men to pacify the pirate activities within Arakan territory and to capture Chittagong,[18]

The Ganj-i-Sawai, one of the largest trade ships in the 17th century.

Empress Mariam-uz-Zamani maintained large fleets of trade ships including the Rahīmī and Ganj-i-Sawai.[19][20] The Rahimi was the largest of the Indian ships trading in the Red Sea.[21] After being sacked by pirates, this ship was replaced by the Ganj-i-Sawa. This ship was eventully scaked by English Pirate Henry Every.[22]

A depiction of a Maratha naval attack in 1812 against the East India Company's ship Aurora.

The

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, started creating his own fleet. His fleet was commanded by notable admirals like Sidhoji Gujar and Kanhoji Angre. The Maratha Navy under the leadership of Angre kept the English, Dutch and Portuguese away from the Konkan coast. However, the Marathas witnessed remarkable decline in their naval capabilities following the death of Angre in 1729.[12]

1612 origins to independence