Indian Western Naval Command at Fifty

sea-faring prowess has a timeline dating atleast five millennia from the present day. This is revealed through historical evidence along the Kutch, Kathiawar and the Konkan coasts. For centuries, maritime activity was conducted to promote trade, exchange of people and beliefs and adhered to the tenets of freedom of the seas. It is only the turn to the dawn of the sixteenth century that unfolded militarization of the seas along with the advent of the colonialists. The colonial era witnessed a convergence of naval action on the western seaboard. Soon, Mumbai would begin a transition from seven islands to Urbs Prima Indis and evolve as a cosmopolitan city with a maritime core. In this journey, one constant was the growth of a marine force, that started as a small squadron at Surat in 1612. Through many changes in name and form, the Indian Navy would emerge over the next 300 plus years. With fresh experience of World War II, the stage was set for the sentinels of significance of a nascent India, to evolve into a Navy of independent India.

The Navy was the first Indian Armed Force to receive the President’s Colors on 27 May 1951. Young naval planners worked tirelessly over the following decades to ensure the gradual and systematic growth in every dimension. Organisationally, a coming of age occurred when on 01 March 1968, the Western Naval Command (WNC) was formally constituted, with its headquarters at Mumbai. In just over three years after its formation, the Western Naval Command was in war-deployment mode. The action of the OSA-class Missile Boats of the 25th Killer Squadron would go on to set Karachi ablaze during Operation Trident and Operation Python in early December 1971. The same period also was when the Navy lost INS Khukri to a submarine attack. The incident is better known for the gallant response of its Commanding Officer Captain Mahendra Nath Mulla, who gave his life jacket to another sailor and chose to go down with the ship.

The submarine arm of the Indian Navy had come into existence on 08 December 1967, just a few months prior to the constitution of the Western Naval Command. During the 1971 operations these underwater sentinels from the WNC spent countless days on combat patrol. They have continued to do so in warlike patrols through times of peace or conflict. The Western Naval Command provided the supervision and support for the newly inducted Shishumar class submarines from 1986 including the indigenous construction of Shalki and Shankul in 1992 and 1994 respectively at the Mazgon Docks Limited.

Naval Aviation had been growing since the early 1960s with both shore based and carrier borne air operations right across the western waters. The mid 1970s saw a new era of maritime reconnaissance operations from INS Hansa in Goa and also in the later years from INS Rajali at Arakonam. By the mid-1980’s, the carrier borne Sea-Harrier aircraft were based at Goa. With the arrival of INS Vikramaditya, the MIG 29K Squadron is now the lead naval strike element since 2013.

The full scope of operations from coastal defence to blue water deployments grew with the concurrent development of local naval operations from Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa and Karnataka. In 1988 Indian Naval units came to the aid of Maldives during Operation Cactus. Ships were also sent as part of the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) as Operation Pawan. Coastal security operations were intensified in the aftermath of the Mumbai blasts of 1993. During the Kargil conflict of 1999 and Operation Parakram in 2001, the Western Naval Command Fleet units held sway over the North-Arabian sea. This effectively thwarted any adversarial intent by the classic naval deployment in support of operations on land.

Ships of the Western Naval Command were among the first international naval responders to the growth of piracy in the Gulf of Aden from mid-2008. INS Tabar and INS Talwar saw major direct action that led to a gradual decline in piracy by 2014. WNC Ships have remained deployed for over a decade for anti-piracy operations. The larger Indian diaspora spread through most of the Arabian gulf and North Africa have a sense of security due to the history of timely response of NEO (Non-Combatant Evacuation Operations) be it Operation Sukoon from Lebanon in 2006 to Operation Safe-Homecoming in Libya in 2011. WNC has been active in benign operations as well as humanitarian assistance. An unexpected shutdown of the major freshwater generator at Male on 04 December 2014 led to a major drinking water crisis. WNC provided a prompt response with Operation Neer. INS Deepak was sent within 48 hours to reach Male. Using on-board stored water and from that produced by the RO plants, 2000 tonnes of water was supplied to Maldives while, concurrently, the Indian Air-Force (IAF) had brought in 150 tonnes of packaged water. Operation Raahat off Yemen in 2015 witnessed medical assistance and rescue to other nationalities also.

Beyond naval operations, associated technical and logistics support functions, the Western Naval Command is at the forefront of a vibrant community life. It reaches out, both internally and to the populace at large, especially on occasion such as setting up food stalls for stranded commuters during the flash floods in Mumbai in 2017. Indeed the local units across the western coast reach out to connect with communities for coastal security networking and social outreach. Recent opportunities for the public at large to visit naval ships have seen enthusiastic crowds patiently line up.

The sentinels of excellence on the Western Seaboard the Western Naval Command of the Indian Navy, remains mission deployed and totally focused towards the building of a resurgent maritime India.