NAVY DAY 2020: 10 INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT INDIAN NAVY DAY

December 4 is celebrated annually in India as Navy Day with the aim of honouring and recognising the Indian Navy’s achievements and role in the country. Below are 10 fascinating facts that show that the World is a powerful power.

1. The Indian Navy is actually the seventh-largest maritime force on the planet, with only the United States, Russia, China, Japan, the United Kingdom, and France ahead of it. The force has 150 submarines and ships and 300 aircraft as of June 2019, as well as 67,252 active and 55,000 reserve personnel in service.
2. The Indian Navy’s anti-ship cruise missile BrahMos is the fastest operational system in its class in the world. The Defence Research and Development organisation Organization (DRDO) has recently increased the range of the missile system from 298 km to almost 450 km.
3. The Special Operations Unit of the Indian Navy, MARCOS (originally called the Marine Commando Force), established in 1987, is trained and equipped to carry out operations in all environments – at sea, on land, and in the air. The force has acquired international recognition for its professionalism.
4. The Sagar Pawan Indian Navy, founded in 2003, is one of the only two naval aerobatic teams in the world, the other being the Blue Angels US Navy.
5. During the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, the Indian Navy played a major role in carrying out two major naval attacks – Operation Trident and Operation Python – on Pakistan’s port city of Karachi.
6. The Indian Navy completed successful expeditions to Mount Everest, the South Pole and the North Pole in 2004, 2006, and 2008.
7. The Indian Naval Academy, situated in Ezhimala, Kerala district of Kannur, is the largest naval academy in Asia.
8. The Indian Navy is the main user of India’s first GSAT-7 exclusive defence satellite. It allows the maritime fighting force to extend its blue water capabilities.
9. With the start of World War 2, the Indian Navy, originally known as the Royal Indian Navy, played an instrumental role in maintaining supplies to the United Kingdom.
10. The Indian Navy has provided humanitarian and disaster relief overseas. The naval force conducted ‘Operation Vanilla’ to the affected population of Madagascar after the devastation caused by Cyclone Diane. In September of this year, our Navy INS Nireekshak joined the Mauritian National Coast Guard in search and rescue of the Mauritius Port Authority (MPA) tug Sir Gaetan.