India Navy Ranks

• The Indian Navy is the naval branch of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Navy.
• Indian Navy, also known as the Bhartiya Nau Sena, is a naval branch of the Indian armed forces whose history can be traced back to 1612.
• It is the world’s fifth largest and trustworthy 3-dimensional force capable of operating above, on and underwaters.
• A fleet of destroyers, submarines, freights and another vessels function under the Indian Navy.
• The Indian Navy is responsible for the defence and protection of maritime interests of India.

Ranks in the Indian Navy:

The ranks in the Indian Navy are divided into Commissioned, Junior Commissioned, and Non-Commissioned Officer.

Commissioned Officer Ranks:

Rank	Description
Admiral of the fleet	1. Admiral of the fleet is a military naval officer of the highest rank in the Indian Navy. 2. It is an honorary rank, which is reserved for wartime or ceremonial appointments. 3. Till now, no officer in the Indian Navy has been bestowed with this rank.
Admiral	1. The Chief of the Naval Staff (Admiral) is the commander and the highest-ranking officer in the Indian Navy. 2. The position of the Chief of the Naval Staff is held by a four-star officer in the rank of Admiral.
Vice Admiral	1. Vice Admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, senior to a rear admiral and junior to an admiral.
Rear Admiral	1. Rear Admiral is generally regarded as the lowest of the “admiral” ranks, sometimes referred to as “flag officers” or “flag ranks”. 2. It is a rank above Commodore, and below a Vice Admiral.
Commodore	1. Commodore is a naval rank, superior to a navy captain, but below a rear admiral.
Captain	1. Captain is equal to the army rank of colonel. 2. Any naval officer who commands a ship is addressed by naval custom as “captain”.
Commander	1. Commander is a naval officer rank equal to a lieutenant colonel in the Indian army. 2. Commander is also a generic term for an officer commanding any armed forces unit.
Lieutenant Commander	1. The Lieutenant Commander is a commissioned officer rank in the Indian Navy. 2. This rank is superior to a lieutenant and subordinate to a commander.
Lieutenant	1. Lieutenant is a commissioned officer rank in the Indian Navy. 2. It is typically the most senior of junior officer ranks. 3. The navy rank of lieutenant is equivalent to an army captain.
Sub Lieutenant	1. A sub-lieutenant is a commissioned officer in the Indian Navy, ranking below a lieutenant.

Junior Commissioned Officers Ranks:

Rank	Description
Master Chief Petty Officer (1st Class)	1. Master Chief Petty Officer (1st Class) is the senior rank of junior commissioned officer in the Indian Navy. 2. Although they are commissioned officers but fulfil a role similar to that of the most senior non-commissioned officers.
Master Chief Petty Officer (2nd Class)	1. A Master Chief Petty Officer (2nd Class) is an officer in the Indian Navy who is designated as a junior commissioned officer distinguished from the commissioned ones. 2. A non-commissioned officer who is designated often by virtue of seniority.
Chief Petty Officer	1. Chief petty officer is a junior commissioned rank in the Indian Navy. 2. They are below commissioned ranks and above non-commissioned ranks. 3. A Chief Petty Officer is responsible for the training of junior officers and leading his division of sailors and petty officers.

Non-Commissioned Officers Ranks:

Rank	Description
Petty Officer	1. A petty officer is a non-commissioned officer in the Indian Navy. 2. This rank is equivalent to a sergeant in the Indian Army and Indian Air Force.
Leading Seaman	1. Leading seaman is a junior non-commissioned rank equivalent to the army and air force rank of corporal.
Seaman 1 and 2	1. Seaman is a naval rank. 2. It is either the lowest or one of the lowest ranks in most navies around the world.

Interesting Facts:

• Originally called the Royal Indian Navy, our supreme naval branch of the armed forces of India was founded in 1612 by the East India Company and renamed the Indian Navy on 26th January, 1950 after independence.
• The Indian Navy’s first independent mission was against the Portuguese Navy during the liberation of Goa in 1961.
• India’s naval forces played a key role in the Second World War.
• The Indian Navy is among the top ten naval forces of the world.
• The missile BrahMos, is the fastest cruise missile in the world with a speed of Mach (ratio between the speed of the object and the speed of sound) 2.8 – 3.0.
• The Ezhimala Naval Academy in Kerala is the largest naval academy in Asia.