Royal Indian Navy

This article is about the navy of the British ruled India (1612–1947) and the navy of the Dominion of India (1947–1950). For the current navy of the Republic of India, see Indian Navy. For the current navy of Pakistan, see Pakistan Navy.

Royal Indian Navy
Active5 September 1612 – 26 January 1950[1]
CountryIndia
East India Company Company Raj
 India
 Dominion of India
TypeNavy
Size20,000 personnel During WW2 (1943)[2] to 9,600 personnel by Independence after post war demobilization (1947)[3][4]
Garrison/HQBombay
Nickname(s)RIN
EngagementsSeven Years' War
American War of Independence
Napoleonic Wars
Anglo-Burmese Wars
First Opium War
Second Opium War
First World War
Second World War
Insignia
Naval Ensign (1877-1928)[5] & Naval Jack (1928-1947)[6]
Naval Ensign (1928-1950)

The Royal Indian Navy (RIN) was the naval force of British India and the Dominion of India. Along with the Presidency armies, later the Indian Army, and from 1932 the Royal Indian Air Force, it was one of the Armed Forces of British India.

From its origins in 1612 as the East India Company's Marine, the Navy underwent various changes, including changes to its name. Over time it was named the Bombay Marine (1686), the Bombay Marine Corps (1829), the Indian Navy (1830), Her Majesty's Indian Navy (1858), the Bombay and Bengal Marine (1863), the Indian Defence Force (1871), Her Majesty's Indian Marine (1877) and the Royal Indian Marine (1892). It was finally named the Royal Indian Navy in 1934. However, it remained a relatively small force until the Second World War, when it was greatly expanded.

After the partition of India into two independent states in 1947, the Navy was split between India and Pakistan. One-third of the assets and personnel were assigned to the Royal Pakistan Navy. Approximately two thirds of the fleet remained with the Union of India, as did all land assets within its territory. This force, still under the name of "Royal Indian Navy", became the navy of the Dominion of India until the country became a republic on 26 January 1950. It was then renamed the Indian Navy.

  1. ^ "Genesis of Indian Navy". Retrieved 8 January 2022.
  2. ^ Mollo, Andrew (1976). Naval, Marine and Air Force uniforms of World War 2. Macmillan. p. 144. ISBN 0-02-579391-8.
  3. ^ Goldrick, James Vincent Purcell (1997). "The Pakistan Navy (1947-71)" (PDF). No Easy Answers: The development of the navies of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka (1945-1996) (1st ed.). London, UK: Lancer Publishers. p. 270. ISBN 9781897829-028. Retrieved 29 January 2019.
  4. ^ According to Rear Admiral Goldrick, one-third of the Navy personnel went to join the Pakistan Navy, which was about ~3200 personnel, while overwhelmingly two-thirds of the personnel were retained in the Indian Navy after the partition. One-thirds of the ~9,600 is ~3,200.
  5. ^ "Ensign of the Royal Indian Marine (1927-1947)". www.rmg.co.uk. National Maritime Museum: Royal Museums Greenwich. Archived from the original on 7 September 2024. Retrieved 8 September 2024.
  6. ^ "Royal Indian Navy Jack with Star of India Badge". www.flagcollection.com. Zaricor Flag Collection. Archived from the original on 7 September 2024. Retrieved 13 September 2024.