Sailing on the big blue

SOURCE: THE HINDU

Who I am: I am the Indian Navy, the naval branch of the Indian Armed Forces.

My Supreme Commander: The President of India.

My beginnings: My story began in 1612 when Captain Thomas Best of the English East India Company (EEIC) was defeated by the Portuguese, in the Battle of Swally. The EEIC decided it needed a naval force to protect its interest. It built a port in Surat, Gujarat.

Change of name: Till 1830, I was known as the colonial navy. Later, I was named His Majesty’s Navy. In 1934, my name was changed to the Royal Indian Navy. When India became a Republic in 1950, I was once again renamed. This time, as the Indian Navy.

My job: To safeguard the nation’s maritime borders.

My strength: As of 2019, I have 67,252 active and 55,000 reserve personnel in service. I have a fleet of 300 ships and boats and 300 aircraft.

My specialities: All my in-service ships and naval bases have a prefix INS, which stands for Indian Naval Ship or Indian Naval Station. My sail boats are prefixed with INSV — Indian Naval Sailing Vessel.

My pride: INS Vikramaditya. It means ‘brave as the Sun’. It is a modified Kiev-class aircraft carrier and is my flagship. It entered my service in 2013.

My secret weapons: As of October, this year, my sub-surface fleet includes one nuclear-powered attack submarine, two ballistic submarines and 15 conventionally-powered attack submarines.

My adventures: My ships go on many expeditions. For example, on January 23, 2003, INS Tarangini began circumnavigating the world to foster good relations with various other nations. She came back to India May 2004, after having visited 36 ports in 18 nations.

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