The Indian Navy is a naval unit of the Indian Armed Forces . The President of the country is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Navy. The chief of the naval staff, a four-star admiral, commands the fleet.
The origins
The Indian fleet originates from the marines of the East India Company, which was founded in 1612 to protect British merchant ships in the region. In 1793, she established her rule over the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent, that is, Bengal, but only in 1830 the colonial fleet was called the Indian fleet of His Majesty. When India became a republic in 1950, the Royal Navy of India, so named since 1934, was renamed the Indian Navy.
Targets and goals
The main goal of the Navy is to protect the country's borders and, together with other armed forces of the Union, take actions to prevent any threats or aggression against the territory, people or sea interests of India, both in war and in the world. Through joint exercises, goodwill visits, and humanitarian missions, including assistance in the event of natural disasters, the Indian Navy promotes the development of bilateral relations between nations.
Current state
What can be said about the naval composition of the Indian Navy? As of July 1, 2017, 67,228 people are in the arsenal of the Navy. The operational fleet consists of one aircraft carrier, one landing transport dock, eight tanks of landing ships, 11 destroyers, 13 frigates, one nuclear submarine, one submarine with ballistic missiles, 14 conventional submarines, 22 corvettes, one mine ship, four tankers and other auxiliary vessels.
Through the depths of the seas and centuries
The marine history of India is associated with the birth of the art of navigation during the civilization of the Indus Valley. In the logbook of the registration of the seaman Kutcha of the XIX century it was recorded that the first tidal dock of India was built in Lothal around 2,300 BC e. during the civilization of the Indus Valley, near the modern Mangrol harbor on the coast of Gujarat. The Rig Veda ascribes to Varuna, the Hindu god of water and the heavenly ocean, knowledge of ocean routes and describes the use of ships with hundreds of oars in Indian naval expeditions. There are also links to the side wing of the ship called “melt”, which stabilizes the ship during storms. Float is considered the precursor of modern stabilizers. The first use of a sailor's compass called Matsya Yantra was recorded in the fourth century AD.
National issue
Since the inception of the Indian Navy, some senior Indian politicians have expressed concern about the degree of Indianization of the Navy and its subordination to the Royal Navy in all important aspects. On the eve of World War II, there was not a single Indian senior officer in the RIN.
The middle of the last century
Even towards the end of the war , the navy remained predominantly an employee in Britain. In 1945, not one of the Indian officers had a rank higher than the commander of engineers, and not a single Indian officer in the executive branch had a significant rank of senior officer. This situation, combined with inadequate training and discipline, poor communication between officers, cases of racial discrimination and ongoing trials of former Indian National Army personnel, led to the rebellion of the Royal Indian Navy in 1946.
Great strike
A total of 78 ships, 20 coastal facilities and 20,000 sailors were involved in the strike, which swept most of India. After the strike began, sailors received support from the Communist Party in India. The unrest spread from naval ships and led to student and work hartals in Bombay. The strike ultimately failed because the sailors did not receive significant support from either the Indian army or political leaders in Congress or the Muslim League.
Declaration of independence
After independence and the partition of India on August 15, 1947, the depleted fleet of ships and the remaining personnel were divided between the new independent alliance of India and the dominion of Pakistan. The same day (August 15) can also be perceived as the day of the Indian Navy. 21 percent of the fleet’s officers and 47 percent of its sailors decided to join the part of the fleet that became the Royal Navy of Pakistan. Starting on the same date, all British officers were obligatory dismissed from the navy and its reserve components, while Indian officers were appointed in place of the British senior officers.
British heritage
However, a number of British senior officers were invited to continue serving at the RIN. After gaining independence, the share of the Indian Navy consisted of 32 ships and 11,000 people. Rear Admiral John Talbot Savignac Hall led the navy as the first commander in chief. When India became a republic on January 26, 1950, the prefix "Royal" was deleted, and the name "Navy of India" was officially adopted. The prefix for naval vessels has been changed from His Majesty's Indian Ship (HMIS) to Indian Naval Ship (INS).
Command
While the President of India is the supreme commander of the armed forces of India, the organizational structure of the fleet is led by the commander in chief of the Indian Navy, who has the rank of admiral.
The deputy chief of the naval staff (VCNS), vice admiral helps to lead; CNS also heads the United States Department of Defense (IHQ) Joint Headquarters (IHQ), based in New Delhi. The Deputy Chief of Naval Staff (DCNS), Vice Admiral, is the Chief Staff Officer along with the Chief of Human Resources (COP) and the Chief of Materiel (COM), both of whom are also vice admirals. The General Director of the Medical Service (Navy) is the vice admiral of the surgeon and heads the medical services in the Indian Navy.
The Indian Navy has three operational commands. Each of them is headed by a commander in chief with the rank of vice admiral. Each East and West Command has a fleet commanded by Rear Admiral, and each also has submarine commanders. The southern naval command is home to naval flagship officers.
In addition, the Andaman and Nicobar Command is the joint command of the Indian Navy, Indian Armed Forces, Indian Air Force and the Indian Coast Guard Theater, based in the country's capital, Port Blair.
Commanders-in-chief receive staffing support and report directly to the Chairperson of the Staff Committee (COSC) in New Delhi. The command was created in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in 2001. The Indian Navy has a special training team, which is responsible for organizing, conducting and monitoring all basic, professional and special training in the entire fleet. The head of the personnel department at the headquarters of the Indian Navy is responsible for the training structure through the Directorate of the Navy Training (DNT).
Training and education
The academic year for the Indian Navy is determined from July 1 to June 30 of the next year. Officers are trained at the Indian Naval Academy (INA) in Ejimal, on the coast of Kerala. Founded in 2009, it is the largest naval academy in Asia. The Navy also has specialized educational institutions for aviation, leadership, logistics, music, medicine, physical education, training, engineering, hydrography, submarines, etc. at several naval bases along the coast of India. Officers also attend the College of National Defense and the College of Defense Services to attend various staff courses in order to be appointed to higher positions. The Indian Navy also trains officers and people from the naval forces of friendly foreign countries. The form of the Indian Navy varies slightly among different officers.
Ranks
India uses the rank of midshipman in its fleet, and all future officers receive it after entering the Naval Academy of India. They are appointed deputy lieutenants at the end of the training course.
Although the provision on the rank of fleet admiral exists, it is primarily intended for military use. Not a single officer, except the top commander of the Indian Navy, has been awarded this title. Both in the army and in the air force there were officers who were assigned the equivalent rank — field marshals Sam Manekshaw and Kariappa from the army and Marshal of the Indian Air Force (MIAF) Arjan Singh.
The top-level naval officer in the organizational structure is the chief of naval staff, who has the rank of admiral.