A 21-meter-long ship, constructed using ancient stitched

shipbuilding method (Tankai method) is set to embark on a

voyage from Odisha to Bali in Indonesia in November 2025.

 Manned by a crew from the Indian Navy, this project not

only showcases India's maritime tradition but also sheds
light on its seafaring history.

Early Evidence of Maritime Trade:

o Indus Valley and Mesopotamia: The earliest known
instances of people from the Indian subcontinent
engaging in sea trade date back to around 3300-1300
BCE.
 The dock at Lothal (in present-day Gujarat), shows
the civilisation’s deep understanding of the workings
of tides and winds.

 Diverse Boat-Building Traditions: Ancient Indian boat-

building traditions were diverse and included the coir-
sewn tradition of the Arabian Sea, the jong tradition of
Southeast Asia, and the Austronesian tradition of
outrigger boats.
o These traditions often employed stitching instead of
nails for construction.
o Different types of wood were used for shipbuilding,
with mangrove wood being ideal for dowels and teak
for planks, keels, stem, and stern posts.
 Evidence of these wood usages can be found in
coastal communities and archaeological sites
across the Indian Ocean.
India as the Center of Trade: By the Common Era, the Indian
Ocean had become a vibrant "trade lake," with India at its
heart:
o Western Trade Route: India connected to Europe through
the Middle East and Africa, with ports like Bharuch and
Muziris serving as vital trade hubs.
o Eastern Trade Route: Evidence of Indian artifacts in Hepu,
China, dating back to the 3rd century BCE, suggests
a maritime route linking India to China and Malaysia.
o HOW THE BRITISH KILLED THE MARINE INDUSTRY OF
INDIA
o When the westerners made contact with India, they were
amazed to see their ships. Until the 17th century,
European ships were a maximum of 600 tonnes. But in
India, they saw such big ships as the Gogha, which was
more than 1500 tonnes. The European companies started
using these ships and opened many new factories to make
Indian artisans manufacture ships. In 1811,
o "The ships in the British fleet had to be repaired every
12th year. But the Indian ships made of teak would
function for more than 50 years without any repair." The
East India Company had a ship called Dariya Daulat which
worked for 87 years without any repairs. Durable woods
like rosewood, sal and teak were used for this purpose.
o The French traveler Waltzer Salvins writes in his book Le
Hindu, in 1811, "Hindus were in the forefront of ship-
building and even today they can teach a lesson or two to
the Europeans. The British, who were very apt at learning
the arts, learnt a lot of things about ship building from the
Hindus. There is a very good blend of beauty and utility in
Indian ships and they are examples of Indian handicrafts
and their patience.
o " Between 1736 and 1863, 300 ships were built at
factories in Mumbai. Many of them were included in the
Royal Fleet. Of these, the ship called Asia was 2289
tonnes and had 84 cannons. Ship building factories were
set up in Hoogly, Chittagong, Dacca, etc. In the period
between 1781 to 1821, in Hoogly alone 272 ships were
manufactured which together weighed 122,693 tonnes.
o In this connection, Suresh Soni, in his book India’s
Glorious Scientific Tradition, explains how India was
deprived of its marine industry, but also from any notation
in its ancient history of its ship-building ability. He writes:
o "The shipping magnates of Britain could not tolerate the
Indian art of ship manufacturing and they started
compelling the East India Company not to use Indian
ships. Investigations were frequently carried out in this
regard. In 1811, Col. Walker gave statistics to prove that
it was much cheaper to make Indian ships and that they
were very sturdy. If only Indian ships were included in the
British fleet, it would lead to great savings. This pinched
the British shipbuilders and the traders. Dr. Taylor writes,
‘When the Indian ships laden with Indian goods reached
the port of London, it created such a panic amongst the
British traders as would not have been created, had they
seen the enemy fleet of ships on the River Thames, ready
for attack.’

o "The workers at the London Port were among the first to

make hue and cry and said that ‘all our work will be
ruined and families will starve to death.’ The Board of
Directors of East India Company wrote that ‘all the fear
and respect that the Indian seamen had towards
European behavior was lost when they saw our social life
once they came here. When they return to their country,
they will propagate bad things about us amongst the
Asians and we will lose our superiority and the effect will
be harmful.’ At this, the British Parliament set up a
committee under the chairmanship of Sir Robert Peel.
o "Despite disagreement amongst the members of the
committee on the basis of this report, a law was passed in
1814 according to which the Indians lost the right to
become British sailors and it became compulsory to
employ at least three-fourth British sailors on British
ships.
o No ship which did not have a British master was allowed
to enter London Port and a rule was made that only ships
made by the British in England could bring goods to
 England. For many reasons, there was laxity in enforcing
these rules, but from 1863 they were observed strictly.
Such rules which would end the ancient art of ship-
building, were formulated in India also. Tax on goods
brought in Indian ships was raised and efforts were made
to isolate them from trade. Sir William Digby has rightly
written, ‘This way, the Queen of the western world killed
the Queen of the eastern oceans.’ In short, this is the
story about the destruction of the Indian art of ship-
building." 20

=========================================

01 May 1830 The East India Company came under the British
Crown and acquired combatant status. The service was then
named the Indian Navy.

The Bombay Marine was the fighting navy of the East India
Company in Asian waters, as opposed to its mercantile marine.
In 1830 the Bombay Marine was renamed the Indian Navy. The
Navy was abolished in 1863, being replaced by a revived, non-
combatant, Bombay Marine.
By 1845, the Indian Navy had completed the conversion from
sail to steam.
In 1858 The service was then named the Indian Navy.

In 1863 it was reorganized into two branches; one at Bombay

and the other at Calcutta, as the Bombay Marine and the
Bengal Marine. The protection of Indian waters was then taken
over by the Royal Navy.
Her Majesty's Indian Navy resumed the name "Bombay Marine"
In 1877, when it was renamed "Her Majesty's Indian Marine"
(HMIM). The Marine then had two divisions; an Eastern Division
at Calcutta and a Western Division at Bombay.

In 1877 the revived Bombay Marine and the Bengal Marine

were combined to form HM Indian Marine , which became
the Royal Indian Marine in 1892 and the Royal Indian Navy in
1935.

As the HMIM wasn't covered by "Naval Discipline Act, 1866" or

the "Merchant Shipping Act, 1854", the Governor General in
Council was empowered to by the "Indian Marine Service Act,
1884"[12] to help formulate maritime and naval laws. These
laws were first formulated and codified in the "Indian Marine
Act, 1887 and followed by an amendment act to the same in
the next year.

The former adopted the general lines of the Naval Discipline

and Indian Navy Acts as far as possible, whilst the latter
merely supplied deficiencies in regard to grading and rating.

In 1892 , in recognition of its fighting services, HMIM was given

the title of "Royal Indian Marine" - By this time it consisted of
over fifty vessels.

In 1905, the service was described as having "Government

vessels engaged in troop-ship, surveying, police or revenue
duties in the East Indies". The first Indian to be granted a
commission was Engineer Sub-Lieutenant D.N. Mukherji, who
joined the Royal Indian Marine as an officer on 6 January 1923

In 1934, the Royal Indian Marine changed its name, with the
enactment of the Indian Navy (Discipline) Act of 1934. The
Royal Indian Navy was formally inaugurated on 2 October
1934, at Bombay. Its ships carried the prefix HMIS, for Her
Majesty's Indian Ship
On 1 March 1947, the designation of "Flag Officer
Commanding, Royal Indian Navy" was replaced with that of
"Commander-in-Chief, Royal Indian Navy.

On 26 January 1950,With the partition of India, post-

independence, the Royal Indian Navy was divided into the
Royal Indian Navy and the Royal Pakistan Navy. With India
becoming a Republic the prefix 'Royal' was dropped and it was
rechristened as the Indian Navy.

On 26 January 1950, the Crown of the Royal Indian Navy's

Crest was replaced by Ashoka Lion Motif for the Indian Navy's
Emblem. The invocation to Lord Varuna (The Sea God) in the
Vedas was adopted by the Indian Navy for its emblem, with the
Motto: “Sam no Varunah”, meaning: “Be auspicious unto us Oh
Varuna”. The inscription of “Satyamev Jayate” below the State
Emblem was included in the Indian Navy's Crest.

Naval Forces under the British Raj 1858-

1947

(Her Majesty’s) Indian Navy 1858-63

The Bombay Marine 1863-77
(H.M.) Indian Marine 1877-92
Royal Indian Marine 1892-1934
Royal Indian Navy 1934-1945
Royal Indian Naval Reserve, Royal Indian Naval Volunteer
Reserve, Royal Indian Fleet Reserve & Communications
Reserve 1938-45
The R.I.N. and its Reserves 1945-47 (with reference to the
Royal Pakistan Navy)