| Captain | |
|---|---|
 Rank insignia of a captain of the Indian Navy | |
| Country |  India |
| Service branch |  Indian Navy |
| Abbreviation | Capt |
| Rank | Captain |
| Next higher rank | Commodore |
| Next lower rank | Commander |
| Equivalent ranks | Colonel (Indian Army) Group captain (Indian Air Force) |
Captain is a rank in the Indian Navy. Captain ranks above the rank of Commander and lower than a Commodore. It is equivalent to colonel in the Indian Army and group captain in the Indian Air Force.
An officer in command of any warship is informally referred to as "the captain" on board, even if holding a junior rank. The formal title is Commanding officer (CO). Destroyers and frigates afloat were grouped into squadrons, which was commanded by the Captain (D) and Captain (F) respectively. [1] Apart from operational command of the squadron, he also commanded the lead ship of the squadron.
To distinguish the rank from the junior rank of captain in the Indian Army, the term Captain (IN) is used. [2]
On 21 July 1947, Commanders HMS Choudri and Bhaskar Sadashiv Soman were promoted to the acting rank of Captain, the first Indians to attain the rank. Soman was appointed Chief of Personnel in this rank. After the partition of India, Choudri opted to join the Pakistan Navy and rose to become the first native Commander-in-Chief. [3]
Captains in the Indian Navy command the important ships. Officers in the rank of captain also serve as executive officers of shore establishments like INS Valsura, INS Shivaji, etc. [4] [5] The naval attachés and naval advisors at India's high commissions and embassies in most countries are officers of the rank of captain. [6] [7] [8] At Naval headquarters, captains hold the appointments of directors of directorates and branches.
The badge of rank consists of four rings of gold braid with a loop in the upper ring. A captain wears gorget patches which are golden patches with white braids. In addition to this, the double-breasted reefer jacket has four golden sleeve stripes with a circle above.
Captains are at pay level 13, with a monthly pay between ₹130,600 and ₹215,900 with a monthly service pay of ₹15,500. This is the first selection-grade rank. The promotion to the rank can happen through selection or on time-scale basis. A minimum of 15 years of commissioned service is required for an officer to be considered in the selection grade. This is the highest rank which may be attained by officers on time-scale promotion if not promoted to captain by selection after 26 years of commissioned service. [9] [10] [11]
Captain Mahendra Nath Mulla, MVC was an officer of the Indian Navy. As the Commanding Officer of INS Khukri, he chose to go down with his ship when his ship was sunk during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971.
Admiral Ram Dass Katari was an Indian Navy Admiral who served as the 3rd Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS) from 22 April 1958 to 4 June 1962. He was the first Indian to hold the office and succeeded the last British officer to the post, Vice Admiral Sir Stephen Hope Carlill.
Colonel is a rank in the Indian Army. Like other armies, this rank is higher than lieutenant colonel and lower than a brigadier. It is equivalent to captain in the Indian Navy and group captain in the Indian Air Force.
The Western Naval Command is one of the three command–level formations of the Indian Navy. It is headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra. As the senior–most of the three formations, the command is responsible for the all naval forces in the Arabian Sea and western parts of the Indian Ocean and the naval establishments on the west coast of India.
The Eastern Naval Command is one of the three command-level formations of the Indian Navy. It is headquartered in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. The command is responsible for the all naval forces in the Bay of Bengal and parts of the Indian Ocean and the naval establishments on the east coast of India.
Admiral Ronald Lynsdale 'Ronnie' Pereira, PVSM, AVSM was a flag officer in the Indian Navy. He served as the ninth Chief of Naval Staff from 1979 to 1982. He is considered to be one of the architects of the modern Indian Navy.
Admiral Adhar Kumar Chatterji was an Admiral in the Indian Navy. He served as the 6th Chief of the Naval Staff, from 4 March 1966, until 28 February 1970. He was the first Indian officer of the navy to hold the rank of full Admiral. He is credited with the transformation of the Indian Navy. He made sweeping changes and restructured the navy, creating the Western and Eastern Naval Commands and the Western Fleet. Under him, the Indian Navy also entered the submarine age, with the commissioning of INS Kalvari (S23) in 1967.
The Commandant of the Indian Naval Academy is the head and in-charge of all the functioning of the Indian Naval Academy. The commandant of the academy is a three-star rank officer holding the rank of vice admiral. He is supported by the deputy commandant, a two-star appointment and the heads of the Academic Wing, Training Wing and the Admin wing. The current commandant is Vice Admiral Puneet Kumar Bahl.
Admiral is a four-star naval flag officer rank in the Indian Navy. It is the highest active rank in the Indian Navy. Admiral ranks above the three-star rank of vice admiral and below the five-star rank of admiral of the fleet, which has never been awarded or held.
Flag Officer Commanding Western Fleet (FOCWF) is the title of the Indian Navy Officer who commands the Western Fleet, headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra. The FOCWF is a two star admiral holding the rank of Rear Admiral. The appointment is considered to be an important and a coveted one. The Current FOCWF is Rear Admiral Vineet McCarty, who assumed office on 15 November 2022.
Flag Officer Commanding Eastern Fleet (FOCEF) is the title of the Indian Navy Officer who commands the Eastern Fleet, headquartered in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. The FOCEF is a Two Star Officer holding the rank of Rear Admiral. The Current FOCEF is Rear Admiral Gurcharan Singh, who assumed office on 30 November 2022.
The Deputy Chief of the Naval Staff (DCNS) is a senior appointment in the Indian Navy. The DCNS is a PSO at Naval Headquarters in New Delhi. The office is held by a Three star officer in the rank of Vice Admiral. The current DCNS is Vice Admiral Tarun Sobti who took over Vice Admiral Sanjay Mahindru on 1 October 2023.
Rear admiral is a two-star flag officer rank in the Indian Navy. It is the third-highest active rank in the Indian Navy. Rear admiral ranks above the one-star rank of commodore and below the three-star rank of vice admiral.
Rear Admiral Sadashiv Ganesh Karmarkar, MBE was a flag officer in the Indian Navy. He was the first Indian officer to command a ship of the Royal Indian Navy. During World War II, he commanded the auxiliary patrol vessel HMIS Ratnagiri, for which he was awarded the Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE). He later became the first Indian to command British officers, when he commanded the sloop HMIS Kistna. He last served as the Flag Officer Bombay, from 1960 to 1964, before retiring.
Commodore is a one-star rank in the Indian Navy. Commodore ranks above the rank of captain and below the two-star rank of rear admiral.
The Commodore Commanding Submarines (East) is an operational appointment in the Indian Navy. The COMCOS (E) is the commander of the all submarines and allied units of Eastern Naval Command. Based in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, the COMCOS is also the Commanding Officer of the submarine base INS Virbahu. Currently, there are two COMCOS in the Indian Navy, COMCOS (East) and COMCOS (West). The COMCOS (E) is a one star officer holding the rank of Commodore. The current COMCOS (E) is Commodore K. Venkatraman, VSM who took over on 20 February 2020.
Air Commodore is a One-star rank in the Indian Air Force. Air Commodore ranks above the rank of Group Captain and below the two-star rank of air vice marshal.
Group Captain is a rank in the Indian Air Force. Group Captain ranks above the rank of Wing commander and lower than an Air Commodore. It is equivalent to colonel in the Indian Army and captain in the Indian Navy.
Vice Admiral Puneet Kumar Bahl, AVSM, VSM is a serving officer in the Indian Navy. He currently serves as the Commandant of the Indian Naval Academy. He previously served as the Director General Project Seabird, Flag Officer Commanding Maharashtra Naval Area (FOMA) in Mumbai and as the Flag Officer Commanding Goa Naval Area (FOGA) and Flag Officer Naval Aviation (FONA) in Goa.
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