Mumbai: ‘Home’ of Indian Navy

In a recent deliberation at an event organised by the Mumbai Research Centre (MRC) at the Asiatic Society Mumbai, the connections between the city and the Indian Navy came up for discussion. Initially, I was a little bemused and presumed that the linkages were clear and obvious, but later realised that it may not be so, especially among the young Mumbaikars, where many subjects battle for their attention.

The common stereotype or folklore is of Mumbai as the city of cinema (Bollywood), the home of cricket, trade and finance, suburban railways, and mills, a city of dreams (maya nagari), where stories of rags to riches are common. The architectural landmarks with which the city is associated are the Gateway of India, Marine Drive, Bandra-Worli Sealink, the recently constructed Atal Setu, and the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CST), among others. While many of them are associated with the sea, the memory of these images is not located within the maritime realm. Mumbai’s public culture too reflects the absence of the maritime in its discourse. It is no wonder then that the former Chief of Naval Staff, the late Admiral JG Nadkarni, once woefully remarked, “In Mumbai, people go to the beach not to wet their feet but to eat bhel puri."

Cities by the sea usually forge a natural association with maritime elements. However, Mumbai’s vast and multifarious offerings tend to push the maritime in the background, in the public imagination. This article, therefore, seeks to bring out the close connections between the city and Navy that have been formed over many centuries.

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Historical Bonds

The Indian Navy and its forbears have had a long association with the city, witnessing its transformation and being a vital part of it. History reveals the intimate bonds between the city and Navy in fascinating detail. In a sense, the Indian Navy’s first avatar in the modern era, the Bombay Marine, was formed in the same year, 1686, that the East India Company shifted its headquarters to Mumbai. Thus, the Navy and Mumbai grew together. For example, the Mumbai Dockyard was built in 1735 and is one of the oldest structures in Mumbai. Today, it straddles the vast area encompassing the Naval Dockyard and the Mazagon Docks. One of the ships built in this dockyard, HMS Trincomalee, celebrated 200 years of commissioning in October 2017 and is the second oldest ship afloat in the world.

This may surprise many to know that the first ship by the name of Bombay was built in 1739, and till date, there have been 11 ships named Bombay/Mumbai, all built in this city. While the first Bombay was built to the Maratha Ghurab (Grab) design, the latest version, INS Mumbai, is a sleek, state-of-the art destroyer that oozes sophistication and power, much like the city.

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The above implies that the principal combatants of the Navy were always based in Mumbai, and almost all the important operations carried out by the various previous avatars of the Indian Navy were planned and executed from Mumbai. The Royal Indian Navy (RIN), the immediate predecessor of the Indian Navy, was formed in Mumbai on October 2, 1934. While the headquarters shifted to Delhi a few years later, ships homeported in Mumbai played an active role in both the World Wars, especially World War 2.

While many ships and units displayed gallantry and courage, none was more stirring than that of HMIS Bengal, a minesweeper of merely 733 tonnes, which on November 11, 1942, when escorting the Dutch tanker MV Ondina from Freemantle to Deigo Garcia, encountered two Japanese raiders that were ten times heavier than Bengal and carried much more armament. Despite this asymmetry, Bengal sank the bigger of the two ships in a gun battle, kept the other raider at bay, and brought Ondina safely back to Freemantle. While HMIS Bengal’s actions were very well received within the military, it must be noted that ‘the citizens of Mumbai hosted a public reception for the entire crew at the Cowasji Jehangir Hall’.

INS Angre and the British Empire

Going further back in history, the Indian Navy is the inheritor of the strong military and maritime traditions of the city and the state. Chhatrapati Shivaji was among the first Indian rulers to recognise the need for a strong navy, and his first naval craft was built in Kalyan Creek, close to Mumbai. His capture of Khanderi island in 1679, just at the entrance to the Mumbai harbour, was to become a perpetual thorn to the British in Mumbai. Kanhoji Angre, one of India’s greatest admirals, held sway over the waters in the adjoining Konkan region. That tradition endures even today and inspires legions of sailors, as reflected in the names of our naval establishments: INS Shivaji in Lonavla, INS Tanaji in Mankhurd, and INS Angre in the Fort area. In fact, the Manor House, the first modern construction in Mumbai, is within INS Angre (formerly Bombay Castle or Castle Barracks) and houses the office of the Admiral-in-Charge of the Maharashtra Naval Area. The Royal Charter between the King of England and the British East India Company, which led to the transfer of Bombay to the latter, was signed on March 27, 1668, and led to Bombay Castle becoming the seat of power in what was soon to become ‘Urbs Prima in Indis’.

Therefore, Manor House and Bombay Castle can, arguably, claim to be where the story of modern Mumbai began. Housing the headquarters and residence of the governor, it came to be the place from which the fortunes of India and this region came to be controlled. Bombay Castle was not merely the seat of power but an important driver of Pax Britannica.

In the words of the venerable late Vice Admiral MP Awati, “Within these walls, Bombay grew from a small Portuguese settlement around the Manor House to a powerful Presidency whose British Governors ruled over a vast territory between Karachi and Mangalore."

From Gerald Aungier in 1669 to Bartle Frere two centuries later, the structures of the Fort and other infrastructure came to be built and dismantled. The Company came to be replaced by the Crown, but the role of Bombay Castle, or later Castle Barracks, as the focal point of empire building did not cease.

If the Castle was the administrative headquarters, the adjacent precincts of the then-Bombay Dock provided the operational resources. Together, these two entities sustained the Empire. To quote Awati again, “Though the Fort vanished in course of time, it left behind an enduring legacy in Bombay Castle and Dockyard, both now in the care of the Indian Navy." From “Lusitanian occupation to British tenancy” to rightful Indian ownership has been a long, eventful historical journey. The physical remnants are many, the imposing Castle entrance with ornate doors of teak, the Portuguese sundial, the four bastions, fort walls, ramparts, dungeons, cannons, facades, and sculpture, and, above all, the more than 250-year-old banyan trees in the courtyard/parade ground. Possibly, they all could tell tales of this journey if they could speak.

Coming to the recent past (and present), in July 1940, Castle Barracks was commissioned as HMIS Dalhousie (INS Dalhousie after January 26, 1950) until it was renamed INS Angre on September 15, 1951, after the great Maratha Admiral (Sarkhel) Kanhoji Angre (1669–1729) who fought the Europeans and remained undefeated at sea. Interestingly, during World War II, ‘Bombay Fort’ was the callsign of the Bombay Naval Communication Station, within Castle ramparts. This station served the Allied Navy between Suez and the Pacific and often took on the responsibilities of Whitehall WT when it was overloaded. ‘Bombay Fort’ was well known for its efficiency and promptness. Over the last 70 plus years, almost all naval personnel have passed through INS Angre, breathed its history, taken in wonderment at its antiquity, marvelled at its surroundings, been inspired by its past, and been awed by its aura. While it has played a big role in the growth of the contemporary Indian Navy, its historical past makes it an important landmark in the city.

Naval Uprising and Blood of Mumbai

In February 1946, Mumbai turned out to be the fulcrum of the naval uprising, which sounded the death knell for the British and hastened their exit. Naval ratings in Mumbai rose in revolt against the British and produced the last ‘fight for independence’ as some have described it. While the uprising was widespread across India, its maximum impact was in Mumbai. While various ships and shore establishments were involved, HMIS Talwar, near present-day Wodehouse Road, and the aforementioned HMIS Dalhousie witnessed the most action.

Ratings took over ships, and their guns were trained at the Gateway of India, the Taj Mahal hotel, and the Yacht Club adjacent to it. They also took over Butcher Island, the ammunition depot for the British. A meeting was called in Azad Maidan by the ‘mutineers’, as the British termed them. While the revolt by the ratings resulted in two deaths and six injuries in the naval precincts, a parallel movement was unfolding in the city.

Very significantly, Mumbai witnessed mass protests by citizens coming out in support of the ratings. A general strike in support of the revolt took place in the city on February 22. Civilian port and dockyard workers, millhands, railway workers, and students’ unions joined in the protest. The public transport system came to a halt; trains were burned, roadblocks were erected, and commercial establishments were shut down.

Banks, government grain and cloth shops, post offices, and police stations were targeted by the protestors. Several parts of Mumbai—Fort, PM Road, Hornby Road, Gateway of India, JJ Hospital, Kalbadevi, Girgaum, Bhuleshwar, Sandhurst Bridge, Elphinstone Bridge, Mumbadevi, Bhendi Bazar, Pydhonie, Ripon Road, Northbrooke Gardens, Abdul Rehman Street, Crawford Market, Dhobi Talao, Dadar, Mahim—saw firing, arson, or varied forms of protest and counterreaction.

The mass civil unrest resulted in curfews being imposed and police and military firing on unruly mobs. A knee-jerk reaction from a panicky establishment caused considerable blood to be spilled, as more than 400 people were killed and nearly 1500 injured. As author Pramod Kapoor in his book ‘1946: The Last War of Independence’ puts it, “Starting February 22, Bombay burnt for three days”.

The statement by the Ratings when they surrendered was memorably worded. It said, “Our strike has been a historic event in the life of the nation. For the first time, the blood of the men in the services and the people flowed together in a common cause. We in the services will never forget this. We also know that you, our brothers and sisters, will not forget. Jai Hind”.

Sadly, in the aftermath of the surrender, the Ratings were dismissed from service and herded to camps in Mulund and Thane, where they were interned and sent home. In this context, it is important to note that despite similar casualty figures as Jallianwala Bagh, the Naval Uprising and protests in Mumbai have been obscured in history books. Many of today’s Mumbai’s denizens would not be aware of this extremely important historical event that saw the navyman and citizen come together in the freedom struggle.

Fittingly, therefore, recognising their contribution to the freedom movement, in 1996, the Indian Navy characterised the event not as a mutiny but as an uprising. The Navy honoured two of the leaders of the uprising—BC Dutt and Madan Singh—by naming two yardcraft in Mumbai’s dockyard after them. Further, on Navy Day 2001, Vice Admiral Vinod Pasricha, then FOCinC (Western Naval Command), inaugurated the ‘Uprising Memorial’ at Cooperage, Mumbai. This memorial needs to have greater footfalls and be seen more by residents of Mumbai and visitors alike.

Modern Ties: The Sword Arm Comes to the Fore

Let us now come to the post-independence era. History is fascinating when there is a time-space continuum or when there is relevance to the present. In that respect, if the Kolis or fishermen were considered the original inhabitants of this group of islands, then their successors today and the Indian Navy operate in the maritime domain together, wherein we provide protection and security to them to continue with their business, unlike the Kolis of yore, who were pushed to the periphery by the Colonials. Similarly, it needs emphasis that Mumbai’s reputation as a trading city rests on the fact that the Indian Navy ensures that our Sea Lines of Communication (SLOCs) are kept peaceful and an enabling environment for trade is nurtured.

From the very beginning, since 1947, Mumbai has been where the Navy’s most formidable assets are located. This was an organic continuity from pre-independence times, but it also laid the foundation for the impressive post-independence expansion and growth of the Navy. Mumbai has been successively the headquarters of the Indian Naval Squadron, Flotilla, Indian Fleet, and then the Western Fleet. Since March 1, 1968, Mumbai has also been the headquarters of the Western Naval Command, which is the biggest (and premier) command of the Navy. Some of our earliest iconic ships—the cruisers Delhi and Mysore, the aircraft carriers Vikrant and Viraat, and the first generation of destroyers and frigates—were all based in Mumbai. Admiral SM Nanda recollects in his book ‘The Man who Bombed Karachi’ that, in the 1960s, the boats ferrying from the Gateway of India to Elephanta Island would often charge tourists a few extra annas to have a look through their ‘telescopes’ at Delhi, Mysore, and Vikrant at anchorage. They were stately, magnificent, and tourist attractions. Over the course of time, as required in a growing Navy, our principal surface combatants (as big ships are known) have been distributed in different ports, especially Visakhapatnam, but Mumbai is still home to many powerful men of war, most of them built in India and many of them, probably, built at the city’s Mazagon Dock.

Ships and other combat units from Mumbai’s Western Naval Command have brought great distinction to the city with their exemplary performance in various campaigns and operations. It was ships from Mumbai that were involved in the Junagadh coercive operation (Op Peace), the Goa liberation operation in 1961, and the India-Pakistan war of 1965. In the 1971 war, the spectacular attack on Karachi was mounted by missile boats based in Mumbai while the Western Fleet dominated the Arabian Sea. Ships from the Western Command, including INS Vikrant, were also deployed in the Bay of Bengal, where they covered themselves with glory. It bears mention that INS Khukri, which went down off Diu, was also based in Mumbai. Capt. MN Mulla and the other personnel of that ship who were killed in action can as much be termed ‘Martyrs of Mumbai’ as their home towns.

This point is being particularly highlighted because an average Mumbaikar may reply in the negative if asked whether the city was involved in any wars. The fact that units and personnel located in Mumbai were participating in the war escapes them and results in memory voids for the city and its denizens of these important events. A 2011 cricket victory in Mumbai is remembered and celebrated more than the 1971 war victory, and that tells a tale. In this connection, the most instructive story is from INS Panvel. This small ship, weighing just 90 tonnes and merely 29 metres long, led a force of four ships called Force Alpha, with Cdr MNR Samant as the overall incharge, raiding Mongla and Khulna, through the Pussur river in then-East Pakistan. Their daring action resulted in a large number of gallantry awards. 3 Maha Vir Chakra, 5 Vir Chakra, 2 Nao Sena Medal Gallantry, and 2 Mention-in-Dispatches was the rich haul garnered by this small force of less than 100 people in all. Pro-rata wise, this would possibly be the highest among any unit and certainly the highest in the Indian Navy.

In 1971, when INS Panvel was blazing a trail of glory, the town it was named after, was a small outpost near Mumbai. The town has an illustrious history as an ‘influential province in the Maratha Empire’. Due to its proximity to Bombay and the maritime connect with the Arabian Sea through the ‘Panvel Creek’, she continued to be important throughout the British Era. Today, Panvel is a bustling, densely populated city and part of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region. However, there is no trace of the modern Panvel remembering its ship namesake that garnered so much glory. MNR Samant passed away in his beloved Mumbai in March 2019. Apart from close relatives and the military and naval fraternity, his passing went largely unnoticed. We owe it to the memory of the valiant crew that the deeds of INS Panvel are recounted for posterity.

Subsequent campaigns of the Indian Navy, such as Op Pawan (Sri Lanka), Op Cactus (Maldives), Op Bolster and Shield (Somalia), Op Talwar (Kargil conflict), and Op Parakram, have also seen ships from the Western Command at the forefront. They have also won many accolades for responding to disasters and calamities, be it post-tsunami in 2005 or thereafter in Lebanon (Op Sukoon), Libya (Op Blossom), Yemen (Op Rahat), and Sudan (Op Kaveri), to name just a few. They have also been the first responders to crises in our part of the world, as evidenced by our counter-piracy patrols in the Gulf of Aden (2008–2012) and the West Indian Ocean Region.

Mumbaikars were also witnesses to Navy commandos being the first to respond to the terror strikes on November 26, as brought out by Sandeep Unnithan in his book ‘The Black Tornado’ and naval aircraft being used to flush out terrorists from the buildings. Similarly, aircraft, submarines, dockyards, logistics organisations, and other Navy units have played their own quiet role in all these missions.

The finest example of this high operational tempo is the recent ‘Op Sankalp’ in the North West Arabian Sea, where the Indian Navy is showing the entire range of its capabilities. Whether it is countering piracy, rescuing ships attacked by pirates or Houthi rebels, assisting ships with machinery or other breakdowns, putting out fires, or controlling flooding, the Navy is doing it all.

These operations being carried out under Western Naval Command have seen the extensive deployment of ships, submarines, aircraft, drones, and other assets. They have resulted in saving close to 150 lives (many of them foreigners) and nearly 20 lakh metric tonnes of critical commodities being safely escorted.

In particular, the action on March 17 this year, involving the rescue of MV Ruen hijacked by pirates by Navy ships, aircraft, and commandos in concert with Air Force aircraft, earned kudos from foreign observers and Indian experts alike for the high degree of professionalism, chutzpah, and daring. However, it is unclear whether the average Mumbaikar is even aware of these accomplishments.

The Human and Social Interfaces

As with all other things, ultimately the most cherished connections are at the social and human levels. Here too, by its involvement in several Mumbai centric activities, the Navy shows that it dares and cares in equal measure. When any climate event or big accident unfortunately takes place, the Navy is usually the first responder, especially if it is sea or water related.

Be it when torrential rains lash Mumbai, leaving many stranded, or when floods are caused by these rains, or when bridges collapse or rivers are in spate or a high-rise building is on fire or when a merchant ship at sea needs casualty evacuation or when the off-shore oil fields need assistance, the Navy is in the forefront of providing rescue and relief.

In particular, the divers, aviators, and medical personnel are the key personnel in this effort. This is in addition to the many relief missions carried out elsewhere by Mumbai-based assets. The most important recent ones that come to memory are during Covid when ships evacuated personnel or acted as oxygen cylinder carriers.

The outstanding exploits of the Indian Navy ships, based in Mumbai during Cyclone Tauktae, in May 2021, when nearly 200 personnel were rescued and many ships saved, is the stuff of legend. While it has won the Navy international awards, it runs the risk of being relegated to footnotes of local history if not adequately commemorated.

Despite the demands imposed by an extensive operational mandate and constraints of security, the Navy in Mumbai is not just about cantonment soldiering. It engages with the Mumbaikars in many ways and at different levels. While an earlier generation of Mumbaikar may wistfully recollect New Year parties on ships or Navy Queen events, the current interactions are more vigorous and multi-pronged. Every year, between October and December, the Navy in Mumbai undertakes several social outreach activities that vary from free medical camps, programmes for veterans, senior citizens and the differently abled, ship visits, families’ day at sea, history seminars, Navy Marathon and other sports programmes.

Further, the Navy Nite, Beating Retreat at the Gateway of India and the Naval Band Concert are glamorous events in the city’s social calendar. In addition, throughout the year, Senior navy officers visit and interact with business forums, think tanks, universities, schools, and colleges to spread maritime and security awareness.

The Navy also regularly participates in coastal clean-up and beach cleaning activities. When and where possible, the Navy also conducts operational demonstrations of its ships, small vessels and aircraft.

In recent years, the Navy has been participating in the Kala Ghoda festival and Navy stalls have attracted a huge number of visitors. Within the constraints of the security situation, visits to Naval Dockyard and Angre historical precincts are also organised for interested citizens groups.

Equally noteworthy is the fact that more than 10,000 Mumbaikars form a part of the Navy’s civilian workforce. Further, Organisations like the Maritime History Society (MHS) over the last 45 years, have done splendid work to preserve our Maritime Heritage and popularise the study of Maritime History and are an important link between the city and the Navy.

While the Navy contributes in several sporting disciplines, of particular note as far as Mumbai is concerned, is in the field of sailing and yachting. The Indian Naval Watermanship Training Centre (INWTC), at Colaba, has, over the years, produced several sailing champions and international medallists. We need to know more about them and celebrate their achievements, which are as noteworthy as cricketers or other sportsmen. More recently, in 2012, the Ocean sailing legend, Cdr Abhilash Tomy began and ended his ocean solo circumnavigation odyssey, Sagar Parikrama II, from the Gateway of India.

Tomy’s epic 23,100 naval miles (more than 40,000 km) voyage needs greater physical markers at the Gateway, in the form of a mural or plaque. It is necessary that Mumbaikars reimagine their spaces. For example, instead of thinking of Gateway as the place that commemorates the landing of King George V and Queen Mary or from where the last British troops left, why don’t we now celebrate it as ‘Tomy’s Parikrama point’.

It is also worth mentioning that many Navy veterans charmed by the city’s offerings have ‘dropped anchor’ and settled down in Mumbai despite not being from the city originally. They include wizened Admirals, Chiefs of Navy, other senior personnel, war heroes, sports champions and folks with several distinctions or with many years of distinguished service. While they choose to stay away from the limelight it might be useful for the social and cultural landscape of the city to hear about their exploits and learn from their experiences. Let us recognise our heroes in their times and not after.

Conclusion

The Indian Navy and Mumbai share deep bonds, nurtured over centuries. Mumbai is the city of the ‘Sword Arm’, not just of Cricket or Bollywood or Finance. Cities and towns with a sense of history cherish their associations with entities that give them certain brand equity, identity, recognition and distinction. It is but natural that in huge metropolises many entities would vie for that space.

However, the Navy does not advertise or scream aloud its presence. The Navy is often called the silent service because it operates beyond the horizon. It depends upon the enlightened citizens and other actors in the sphere of public culture to note and recognise what it does, not for ‘celebrity status’ but for awareness and education. A board in the ‘Naturals Ice-cream Parlour’ outlet in Colaba, talks of Colaba as the home of the Indian Navy. One would wish that more Mumbaikars thought that way.

Ultimately, the Navy represents the spirit of Mumbai — like it, the navyman is cosmopolitan in approach, open minded, welcoming of diversity and hailing from distant corners of the country representing the ‘microcosm that is India’. An unabashed sentiment would be that the ‘Navy is the jewel in the crown that is Mumbai’ but men of arms need to be more prosaic and simply say that the ‘Maritime Manoos’ is the quintessential Mumbaikar and Mumbai is the home of the Indian Navy. One hopes that this would ultimately inspire more Mumbaikars to tack towards the seas.

Cmde Srikant Kesnur, is a Navy veteran who writes on maritime issues. Some parts of this article have been extracted from his talks about the ‘City and Navy’ at different forums. The views in this article are his own and do not represent those of Firstpost. Photographs courtesy Indian Navy.