Navy Day in India is celebrated on 4 December every year to recognize the achievements and role of the Indian Navy to the country. 4 December was chosen as on that day in 1971, during Operation Trident, the Indian Navy sank four Pakistani vessels including PNS Khaibar, killing hundreds of Pakistani Navy personnel.[2][3] On this day, those killed in the Indo-Pakistan War of 1971 are also remembered.[4]
Beating Retreat and Tattoo ceremony on Navy Day 2018
During the days leading up to Navy Day, during Navy Week and the days prior to that, various events take place such as an open sea swimming competition, ships are open for visitors and school children, there is a veteran sailors lunch, performances by the Naval Symphonic Orchestra take place, an Indian Navy Inter School Quiz Competition happens, a Navy Half Marathon as well as an air display for school children and the beating retreat and tattoo ceremonies happen.[5][6]
Overview
Background
The Indian Navy is the naval branch of the Indian Armed Forces and is led by the President of India as Commander-in-Chief.[7] The Indian Navy has an important role in securing the marine borders of the country as well as enhancing the international relations of India through seaport visits, joint exercises, humanitarian calamity relief and so on. The modern Indian Navy is undergoing a speedy renovation in order to improve its position in the Indian Ocean region. The strength of the Indian Navy includes over 67,000 personnel and about 150 ships and submarines.[8][9]
Reason for celebrating Navy Day
Navy Day in India originally coincided with the Royal Navy'sTrafalgar Day. On 21 October 1944, the Royal Indian Navy celebrated Navy Day for the first time. The idea behind celebrating Navy Day was to boost outreach and increase awareness about the Navy amongst the general public.[10] Navy Day celebrations traditionally witnessed parades at various port cities as well as organizing public meetings at inland Naval establishments. From 1945 onwards, after World War II, Navy Day was celebrated on 1 December. On the night of 30 November 1945, on the eve of the Navy Day celebrations, Indian ratings painted the slogans such as Inqualab Zindabad.[11] In due course and until 1972, given the enthusiasm among the public, Navy Day was celebrated on 15 December, and the week in which 15 December fell was observed as Navy Week. In 1972, old traditions gave way to new reasons to celebrate the day.[11] At the Senior Naval Officer's Conference in May 1972, it was decided that Navy Day would be celebrated on 4 December to commemorate the actions of the Indian Navy during the 1971 Indo-Pakistan War, and Navy Week would be observed from 1 to 7 December.[12]
Navy Day in India is now celebrated to commemorate Operation Trident,[13] which was the attack on the Karachi harbor during the Indo-Pakistan war (on 4 December 1971) by the Indian Naval Missile boats as well in to reverence all the martyrs of that war. During the attack, Indian sailors communicated in Russian to avoid detection. No Indian sailors were killed in the attack.[14][15] The theme of Navy Day 2021 is "Swarnim Vijay Varsh". "Covid-19 and Chinese attempts to change status quo along northern borders have posed new challenges. The Navy is ready to face both these challenges," Admiral Karambir Singh, the Navy chief said at a press conference on the eve of Navy Day, 2020.[16]
Navy Week Celebrations
Aerial view of celebrations on Navy Day 2014
Various events take place during Navy Week with the finale on Navy Day. On this day the warships and aircraft of the Indian Navy are open to visitors such as school children.[5] The Military Photo Exhibition is also performed by photojournalists of the Ernakulum in the Navy fest.[17] Other events such as blood donation camps are also held.[18] A community service for the Indian Navy is conducted by the Naval Institute of Aeronautical Technology (NIAT) at Good Hope Old Age Home, Fort Kochi in which the students from the Navy Children School Chair take turns to entertain the inmates and Naval doctors (from INHS Sanjivani) provides medical checkup to the inmates. The Navy Ball and Navy Queen contests including the Navy fest are held to celebrate Navy Day.[19] Year 2020 celebrations will take the viewers to a 360 degree Virtual Reality Tour of the INS Vikramaditya, commissioned on 16 November 2013.
Themes
It is celebrated using a particular theme (like "Safe Seas and Secure Coasts for a strong Nation") of the year:
Theme of 2020 was, "Indian Navy Combat Ready, Credible & Cohesive".[20]
Theme of 2019 was "Indian Navy – Silent, Strong and Swift".[21]
Theme of 2018 was "Indian Navy, Mission-deployed and Combat-ready".[22]
Theme of 2015 was "Indian Navy – Ensuring Secure Seas for a Resurgent Nation."[citation needed]
Theme of 2014 was "Indian Navy – Ensuring Secure Seas for a Resurgent Nation."[citation needed]
Theme of 2012 was "Indian Navy – Maritime Power for National Prosperity".[citation needed]
Theme of 2008 was "Reaching Out to Maritime Neighbours".[citation needed]
The Indian Navy is the maritime branch of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Navy. The Chief of Naval Staff, a four-star admiral, commands the navy. As a blue-water navy, it operates significantly in the Persian Gulf Region, the Horn of Africa, the Strait of Malacca, and routinely conducts anti-piracy operations and partners with other navies in the region. It also conducts routine two to three month-long deployments in the South and East China seas as well as in the western Mediterranean sea simultaneously.
Several nations observe or have observed a Navy Day to recognize their navy.
Operation Trident was an offensive operation launched by the Indian Navy on Pakistan's port city of Karachi during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. Operation Trident saw the first use of anti-ship missiles in combat in the region. The operation was conducted on the night of 4–5 December and inflicted heavy damage on Pakistani vessels and facilities. While India suffered no losses, Pakistan lost a minesweeper, a destroyer, a cargo vessel carrying ammunition, and fuel storage tanks in Karachi. Another destroyer was also badly damaged and eventually scrapped. India celebrates its Navy Day annually on 4 December to mark this operation. Trident was followed up by Operation Python three days later.
Operation Dwarka, codenamed as Operation Somnath, was a naval operation by the Pakistan Navy to attack the Indian coastal town of Dwarka on 7 and 8 September 1965. This instance was the first engagement by the Pakistan Navy in any of the Indo-Pakistan Wars.
Operation Python, a follow-up to Operation Trident, was the code name of a naval attack launched on West Pakistan's port city of Karachi by the Indian Navy during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. After the first attack during Operation Trident on the Port of Karachi, Pakistan stepped up aerial surveillance of its coast as the presence of large Indian Navy ships gave the impression that another attack was being planned. Pakistani warships attempted to outsmart the Indian Navy by mingling with merchant shipping. To counter these moves, Operation Python was launched on the night of 8/9 December 1971. A strike group consisting of one missile boat and two frigates attacked the group of ships off the coast of Karachi. While India suffered no losses, Pakistani fleet tanker PNS Dacca was damaged beyond repair, and the Kemari Oil Storage facility was lost. Two other foreign ships stationed in Karachi were also sunk during the attack.
Naval tactics and doctrine is the collective name for methods of engaging and defeating an enemy ship or fleet in battle at sea during naval warfare, the naval equivalent of military tactics on land.
The Arihant-class is a class of Indian nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines being built for the Indian Navy. They were developed under the ₹900 billion (US$11 billion) Advanced Technology Vessel (ATV) project to design and build nuclear-powered submarines. These vessels are classified as 'strategic strike nuclear submarines' by India.
Admiral Sardarilal Mathradas 'Charles' Nanda, PVSM, AVSM was an Indian Navy admiral who served as the 7th Chief of the Naval Staff from 1 March 1970 until 28 February 1973. He led the Indian Navy during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 and successfully executed a naval blockade of both West and East Pakistan, helping India achieve an overwhelming victory during the war. For the important role he played in the war, the Government of India awarded him the Padma Vibhushan, India's second-highest civilian award. He is one of the most notable commanders of the Indian Navy.
The Veer-class corvettes of the Indian Navy are a customised Indian variant of the Soviet Tarantul class. They form the 22nd Missile Vessel Squadron.
INS Kursura (S20) was a Kalvari-class diesel-electric submarine of the Indian Navy. It was India's fourth submarine. Kursura was commissioned on 18 December 1969 and was decommissioned on 27 February 2001 after 31 years of service. It participated in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, where it played a key role in patrol missions. It later participated in naval exercises with other nations and made many goodwill visits to other countries.
The Vidyut-class missile boats of the Indian Navy were an Indian variant of the Soviet Osa I class.
The Indo-Pakistani Naval War of 1971 refers to the maritime military engagements between the Indian Navy and the Pakistan Navy during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. The series of naval operations began with the Indian Navy's exertion of pressure on Pakistan from the Indian Ocean, while the Indian Army and Indian Air Force moved in to choke Pakistani forces operating in East Pakistan on land. Indian naval operations comprised naval interdiction, air defence, ground support, and logistics missions.
Arnala class was an Indian designation for the Petya III-class vessels of the Indian Navy.
Admiral Sourendra Nath Kohli, PVSM was an Indian Navy admiral who served as the 8th Chief of the Naval Staff from 1 March 1973 until 29 February 1976. Kohli served as the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief (FOC-IN-C) of the Western Naval Command during the Indo-Pakistan War of 1971 and successfully led Indian Navy's Western Fleet in Operation Trident and Operation Python against the Pakistan Navy fleet in Karachi. His prior commands include those as the commanding officer of INS Mysore (C60) and INS Rana (D115).
Commodore Babru Bhan Yadav, MVC, also known as B.B. Yadav, was a former Indian Navy Officer. He led the 25th Missile Boat Squadron during Operation Trident in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971.
PNS Babur (D-182) was a Tariq-class destroyer that served in the Surface Command of the Pakistan Navy from 1993 until being decommissioned in 2014. Before commissioning in the Pakistan Navy, she served in the Royal Navy, formerly designated as HMS Amazon as a general purpose frigate.
The Western Fleet is a Naval fleet of the Indian Navy. It is known as the 'Sword Arm' of the Indian Navy. It is headquartered at Mumbai, Maharashtra on the west coast of India. It is a part of the Western Naval Command and is responsible for the naval forces in the Arabian Sea and parts of the Indian Ocean.
The Eastern Fleet is a Naval fleet of the Indian Navy. It is known as the 'Sword Arm' of the Eastern Naval Command and called the Sunrise Fleet. It is headquartered at Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh on the east coast of India. It is a part of the Eastern Naval Command and is responsible for the naval forces in the Bay of Bengal and parts of the Indian Ocean.
Vice Admiral Sree Harilal Sarma, PVSM was an Indian Navy admiral who served as Flag Officer Commanding Eastern Fleet (FOCEF) during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. He later served as the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Eastern Naval Command from 1 March 1977 to 2 February 1978.
Vice Admiral Elenjikal Chandy Kuruvila, PVSM, AVSM was a former Flag officer in the Indian Navy. He was the Fleet commander of the Western Fleet during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, for which he was awarded the Param Vishisht Seva Medal. He later led the Southern Naval Area and then served as the chairman and managing director of Mazagon Dock Limited.
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