Captain is a rank in the

Indian Navy 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 sig ...

. Captain ranks above the rank of

Commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain ...

and lower than a Commodore. It is equivalent to

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge ...

in the

Indian Army The Indian Army is the land-based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head is the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), who is a four ...

and

group captain Group captain is a senior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force, where it originated, as well as the air forces of many countries that have historical British influence. It is sometimes used as the English translation of an equivalent rank i ...

in the

Indian Air Force The Indian Air Force (IAF) is the air arm of the Indian Armed Forces. Its complement of personnel and aircraft assets ranks third amongst the air forces of the world. Its primary mission is to secure Indian airspace and to conduct aerial w ...

Terminology

An officer in command of any

warship A warship or combatant ship is a naval ship that is built and primarily intended for naval warfare. Usually they belong to the armed forces of a state. As well as being armed, warships are designed to withstand damage and are usually faster a ...

is informally referred to as "the captain" on board, even if holding a junior rank. The formal title is ''

Commanding officer The commanding officer (CO) or sometimes, if the incumbent is a general officer, commanding general (CG), is the officer in command of a military unit. The commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually given wide latit ...

'' (CO). Destroyers and frigates afloat were grouped into squadrons, which was commanded by the Captain (D) and Captain (F) respectively. Apart from operational command of the squadron, he also commanded the lead ship of the squadron. To distinguish the rank from the junior rank of

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

in the

, the term ''Captain (IN)'' is used.

History

On 21 July 1947, Commanders HMS Choudri and

Bhaskar Sadashiv Soman Admiral Bhaskar Sadashiv Soman (30 March 1913 – 8 February 1995) was an Indian Navy Admiral. He was in command of the Indian Navy from 1962 to 1966 as the 5th Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS). Early life Soman was born in Gwalior, the capita ...

were promoted to the acting rank of Captain, the first Indians to attain the rank. Soman was appointed

Chief of Personnel Chief of Personnel may refer to: * Chief of Personnel (Indian Navy), of the Indian Navy * Chief of Defence People, earlier called ''Chief of Defence Personnel'', of the British Armed Forces * Chief of Military Personnel, of the Canadian Armed Fo ...

in this rank. After the

partition of India The Partition of British India in 1947 was the Partition (politics), change of political borders and the division of other assets that accompanied the dissolution of the British Raj in South Asia and the creation of two independent dominions: ...

, Choudri opted to join the Pakistan Navy and rose to become the first native Commander-in-Chief.

Appointments

Captains in the Indian Navy command the important ships. Officers in the rank of captain also serve as

executive officer An executive officer is a person who is principally responsible for leading all or part of an organization, although the exact nature of the role varies depending on the organization. In many militaries and police forces, an executive officer, ...

s of shore establishments like INS Valsura, INS Shivaji, etc. The naval attachés and naval advisors at India's high commissions and embassies in most countries are officers of the rank of captain. At Naval headquarters, captains hold the appointments of directors of directorates and branches.

Insignia

The badge of rank consists of four rings of gold braid with a loop in the upper ring. A captain wears gorget patches which are golden patches with white braids. In addition to this, the double-breasted reefer jacket has four golden sleeve stripes with a circle above.

Pay scale

Captains are at pay level 13, with a monthly pay between ₹130,600 and ₹215,900 with a monthly service pay of ₹15,500. This is the first selection-grade rank. The promotion to the rank can happen through selection or on time-scale basis. A minimum of 15 years of commissioned service is required for an officer to be considered in the selection grade. This is the highest rank which may be attained by officers on time-scale promotion if not promoted to captain by selection after 26 years of commissioned service.

References

{{Indian Navy

India Navy 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 sign ...

Indian Navy Military ranks of the Indian Navy

Terminology

History

Appointments

Insignia

Pay scale

See also

References