His Majesty's Indian Naval Dockyard, Bombay | |
|---|---|
| Bombay in India | |
| Site information | |
| Type | Naval Base andNaval Dockyard |
| Operator | Royal Navy |
| Controlled by | Navy Board,Board of Admiralty |
| Site history | |
| In use | 1670–1949 |
| Garrison information | |
| Occupants | East India Marine Bombay Marine Royal Navy East Indies Squadron Royal Indian Navy |
Bombay Dockyard, or formallyHis Majesty's Indian Dockyard, Bombay, was originally a naval facility developed by theEast India Company beginning in 1670. It was formally established as aRoyal Navy Dockyard in 1811 and base of theEast Indies Station when theDepartment of Admiralty in London took over it. The yard was initially managed by theNavy Board through itsResident Commissioner, Bombay until 1832 when administration of the yard was taken over by theBoard of Admiralty.
After theIndependence of India the dockyard was taken over by theIndian Navy.
Britain's representation in theEast Indies was dominated by theEnglish East India Company formed in 1600.[1] The company created its own navy as early as 1613 and became known as the East India Marine and equipment for building ships atBombay was sent directly from England.[1] Around 1670, Bombay began to be developed as a shipyard, and by 1686, it had become the headquarters of the English East India Company and its fleet in India was renamed the Bombay Marine.[1] To support the Bombay Marine, a refit yard was built with a supporting shore organisation consisting of a marine storekeeper, Mr. William Minchen, who was appointed in 1670, and a master shipbuilder, Mr. Warwick Pett. The structure followed that of otherRoyal Navy Dockyards such as those in England where in the early 17th century the naval storekeeper and master shipwright were key posts.[2] The development in the administrative structure was notable for the combination of shore and ship establishments.[2]
In 1735 by theEast India Company, brought in shipwrights from their base atSurat in order to construct vessels usingMalabarteak. One of their number,Lovji Nusserwanjee Wadia, was (along with several generations of his descendants) a key figure in the success of the Yard, as indicated inThe New Cambridge History of India: Science, Technology and Medicine in Colonial India.[3] In 1742 a post of Superintendent of the Bombay Marine was created along with a Commodore, Bombay Marine and seven other commanders. The superintendent controlled the dockyard with the commodore reporting to him, a purser of the marine being in charge of accounts, a master builder, and storekeeper in charge of their departments.[4] Additionally in 1742 aBombay Marine Board was established to administer the dockyard consisting of the superintendent, the commodore and two senior captains as the facilities customers, and the superintendent’s deputy, the master attendant.[5]
In the first decade of the 19th century theDepartment of Admiralty in London gradually took over responsibility for the yard, and day to administration of the yard passed from the superintendent to theNavy Boards,Resident Commissioner, Bombay, who continued working with theWadia family as Master Shipwrights. There was much construction on the site around this time. Duncan Dock, which was the largest dry dock outside Europe at the time, was constructed in 1807–1810, and remains in use today.[6] The main Dockyard building, which fronts onto Shahid Bhagat Singh Road, dates from 1807, as does the administration block. In 1832 the Navy Board was abolished and responsibility for the management of the yard passed to theBoard of Admiralty.
The nearbyGreat Western Building (formerly Admiralty House) had housed thePort Admiral from around 1764–1792.
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