The Indian Navy

Where did it all begin?

In 1612, the East India Company set up a small fleet. Its job was simple: protect the company’s trading ships from pirates and rivals. That small fleet is the seed of today’s Navy.

How many times did the name change?

• The fleet changed names several times as control passed from hand to hand.
• In 1934, under the British Crown, it became the Royal Indian Navy.
• On 26 January 1950, it became simply the Indian Navy.
• That was the very day India’s Constitution came into force and India became a republic.

Here’s the trap. Many students guess 15 August 1947. But the “Royal” tag stayed until India became a republic.

What are the three commands?

India has a long coastline on two seas. So the Navy splits its work into three commands. Each has its own headquarters.

• Western Naval Command, at Mumbai, looks after the Arabian Sea side.
• Eastern Naval Command, at Visakhapatnam, looks after the Bay of Bengal side.
• Southern Naval Command, at Kochi, mainly trains officers and sailors.

Why split it this way?

Think of a school with two big gates. You post one guard at each gate. Then you keep a third team for training new guards. Both coasts stay watched, while the next batch learns.

What is the Navy’s motto?

The motto is “Sam No Varunah”. It comes from the Rig Veda. It means “may the Lord of the Oceans be auspicious to us”.

What is INS Vikramaditya?

• It began life as the Soviet-era carrier Admiral Gorshkov.
• Russia rebuilt it for India.
• It was commissioned on 16 November 2013.

What is INS Vikrant?

• It is India’s first home-built aircraft carrier.
• Cochin Shipyard Limited built it.
• It is the largest and most complex warship ever built in India.
• It was commissioned on 2 September 2022.

Where do the two carriers live?

Both carriers now share one home base: INS Kadamba at Karwar, in Karnataka. Each carrier leads its own carrier battle group of escort ships. Two groups mean India can cover a lot more sea at once.

What changed with Vikrant?

For decades, India bought its carriers from abroad. Vikrant broke that habit. India designed and built it at home. Only a handful of countries can build a carrier.

Why is a carrier so hard to build?

A carrier is like a small floating town with an airport on top. Many hard skills must work together.

• Special steel strong enough for the hull and flight deck.
• Engines powerful enough to move a giant ship.
• Weapons, radars and aircraft systems that all talk to each other.
• The design skill to fit it all together.

What does India gain?

• Self-reliance: India no longer waits on a foreign seller for its biggest ships.
• Jobs and skills: the orders, work and know-how stay in Indian shipyards.
• Reach: two carrier groups can cover both the eastern and western seas.

What role does India claim at sea?

India sees itself as a main keeper of peace and safety across the Indian Ocean Region. Most of India’s trade moves by sea. So safe sea lanes matter for India’s economy too.

What are some of its named missions?

• Operation Sankalp began in June 2019. It protects Indian-flagged ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
• Mission Sagar-II, in 2020, saw INS Airavat carry food aid to Sudan, South Sudan, Djibouti and Kenya.
• The Navy also runs HADR work: Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief, after cyclones or tsunamis.

Why does this matter?

A strong navy is like a good neighbour with a big boat. It guards its own house. It also helps others when storms hit. That builds trust with smaller countries around the Indian Ocean.

What is Samarthak?

• On 27 August 2026, L&T delivered Samarthak to the Navy at its Kattupalli shipyard, near Chennai.
• It is the Navy’s first home-built Multi-Purpose Vessel.
• Over 75% of it is made in India.
• Its main job is testing new weapons and systems. It can also patrol, watch the sea and help in disasters.

(Source: Naval Technology)

What is INS Nipun?

• INS Nipun was commissioned on 31 August 2026, at the Naval Dockyard in Mumbai.
• It is the second Nistar-class Diving Support Vessel.
• Hindustan Shipyard Limited, Visakhapatnam, designed and built it.
• It supports diving down to 300 metres. It can also act as a mother ship for submarine rescue.

(Source: Marine Insight)

What did the Defence Ministry decide about missiles?

• On 25 August 2026, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh approved a big transfer of technology.
• DRDO will hand its technology for all conventional missile systems to Indian industry.
• Strategic missiles, such as the Agni series, are not part of it.
• The aim is more missiles made in India, by Indian firms.

(Source: DD India)