RANK STRUCTURE OF THE INDIAN NAVY
The Indian Navy always standing upright to protect us at the seas is the naval branch of our very own Indian Armed Forces. The Indian Navy has the President of India as the Supreme commander. The Chief of Naval Staff, the four star admiral, commands the navy. With the motto of Shaṁ No Varunaḥ or ‘May the Lord of Water be auspicious unto us’ it stands strong to protect us in any situation.
Every year a large number of youth aspires to be a part of this amazing organisation. But only a few make the mark.
That being said one of the most important things to know about any organisation is its ranking structure. Our very own Indian Navy is also blessed with such a well-planned structure presented as below;
|
COMMISSIONED |
JUNIOR |
NON COMMISSIONED OFFICERS |
|
Admiral of the Fleet |
Master Chief Petty |
Petty Officer |
|
Admiral |
Master Chief Petty |
Leading Seaman |
|
Vice Admiral |
Chief Petty Officer |
Seaman |
|
Rear Admiral |
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|
Commodore |
||
|
Captain |
||
|
Commander |
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|
Lieutenant |
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|
Lieutenant |
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|
Sub Lieutenant |
Officer ranks in detail:
Despite a provision for the rank of Admiral of the Fleet existing, it is primarily intended for major wartime use and honour. No officer from the Indian Navy has yet been conferred this rank. Both the Army and Air Force have had officers who have been conferred with the equivalent rank – Field Marshals Sam Manekshaw and K. M. Cariappa from the Indian Army and Marshal of the Indian Air Force (MIAF) Arjan Singh.
The highest ranked naval officer of our Indian Navy is the Chief of Naval Staff.
1. Admiral of the Fleet
{FIVE STAR RANK}
Admiral of the Fleet or Fleet Admiral is basically an honorary five-star rank of the highest order. No officer of the Indian Navy has yet been awarded with this rank.
2. Admiral
{FOUR STAR RANK}
The Admiral rank also known as The Chief of the Naval Staff (Admiral) is the commander and the highest-ranking officer in the Indian Navy. The rank is equivalent to “General” in the Indian Army & “Air Chief Marshal” in the Indian Air force.
3. Vice Admiral
{THREE STAR RANK}
Vice Admiral is next in hierarchy after the Admiral. The rank of Vice Admiral is equivalent to “Lieutenant-general” in Indian Army & “Air Marshal” in Indian Air force.
4. Rear Admiral
{TWO STAR RANK}
Rear Admiral takes its position as the lowest of the “admiral” ranks, sometimes referred to as “flag officers” or “flag ranks”. The rank of Rear Admiral can be equated with is “Major general” in the Indian army and “Air Vice Marshal” in the Indian Air force.
5. Commodore
A commodore is typically responsible for commanding a squadron or flotilla of ships, as part of a larger task force commanded by an admiral. The rank of Commodore in the Indian Navy can be equated with “Brigadier” in Indian Army and “Air Commodore” in Indian Air force
6. Captain
The rank of Captain in the Indian Navy is equivalent to “Colonel” in Indian Army and “Group Captain” in Indian Air force. Typically a navy officer who commands a ship is addressed as captain.
7. Commander
Commander is basically a term used for an officer commanding any armed force unit. It is a common rank in the Indian Navy as well as the Indian Air force. The rank of Commander in the Indian Navy can be compared with “Lieutenant Colonel” in Indian Army and “wing commander” in the Indian Airforce.
8. Lieutenant Commander
Lieutenant commander is usually a commanding officer of a small ship or installations. Lieutenant Commander rank is comparable to “Major” in Indian Army and “Squadron leader” in Indian Air force.
9. Lieutenant
Lieutenant is one rank senior to sub-lieutenant. The rank of Lieutenant in the Indian Navy can be compared to “Captain” rank in Indian Army and “Flight Lieutenant” in Indian Air force.
10. Sub Lieutenant
Sub-lieutenant is the lowest commissioned officer rank in Indian Navy. It is the first-rank given to the candidate who successfully completes the prescribed training of the Indian Navy. Sub Lieutenant Rank in Indian navy is equivalent to “Lieutenant” rank in Indian Army and “Flying Officer” in Indian Air force.
Insignia of the ranks;
Junior Commissioned Officer ranks in detail:
1. Master Chief Petty Officer (First Class)
The Master Chief Petty Officer First Class takes its place as the senior-most rank of junior commissioned officer in the Indian Navy. This rank can be equated with “Subedar Major” in Indian Army & “Master Warrant Officer” in Indian Air force.
2. Master Chief Petty Officer (Second Class)
Master Chief Petty Officer Second Class rank is the next in hierarchy. The rank of Master Chief Petty Officer (2nd class) can be compared with “Subedar” in Indian Army & “Warrant Officer” in Indian Air force.
3. Chief Petty Officer
The main responsibility of a Chief Petty Officer is to train junior officers and leading his division of sailors and petty officers. The rank of Chief Petty Officer in the Indian Navy is equivalent to “Naib Subedar” in Indian Army & “Junior Warrant Officer” in Indian Air force.
Non Commissioned officer ranks in detail:
1. Petty officer
A Petty Officer is the senior most non- commissioned officer in the Indian Navy. This rank is equivalent to “Havildar” in the Indian Army & “Sergeant” in the Indian Air force. The main responsibility of this rank is the training and recruitment of new members in Indian Navy.
2. Leading Seaman
The Leading seaman rank comes next in the hierarchy after the rank of Petty Officer.
3. Seaman
The Ordinary Seaman rank has a plethora of responsibilities concerned with the operation and upkeep of deck department areas and equipment.
Insignia of the ranks;
RANKS IN COMPARISON WITH THE INDIAN ARMY AND INDIAN AIRFORCE;
The Indian Navy thus is very well structured. A life here is meant to be lived and experienced.
SOURCES:
1. Wikipedia
2. Indian navy official website
- MUSKAAN SHARMA