The Indian Naval Hydrographic Department (INHD), headed by the Chief Hydrographer to the

Government of India The Government of India (ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, c ...

, is an Indian government agency responsible for hydrographic surveys and nautical charting in India. Its headquarters

National Hydrographic Office A hydrographic office is an organization which is devoted to acquiring and publishing hydrography, hydrographic information. Historically, the main tasks of hydrographic offices were the conduction of hydrographic surveys and the publication of ...

is located in

Dehradun Dehradun () is the capital and the most populous city of the Indian state of Uttarakhand. It is the administrative headquarters of the eponymous district and is governed by the Dehradun Municipal Corporation, with the Uttarakhand Legislative As ...

Uttarakhand Uttarakhand ( , or ; , ), also known as Uttaranchal ( ; the official name until 2007), is a state in the northern part of India. It is often referred to as the "Devbhumi" (literally 'Land of the Gods') due to its religious significance and ...

beside the Principal Controller of Defense Accounts Office (Air Force). Presently, the department is equipped with Seven indigenously built survey ships including a catamaran hull survey vessel (CHSV). The National Institute of Hydrography is the training institute to impart knowledge regarding

hydrography Hydrography is the branch of applied sciences which deals with the measurement and description of the physical features of oceans, seas, coastal areas, lakes and rivers, as well as with the prediction of their change over time, for the primary p ...

and to train its personnel. Two more ships are currently being constructed and is expected to be commissioned into service by 2025-26. The department is also responsible for making electronic navigational charts officially on behalf of the government of India. The department has also signed memoranda of understanding with various countries for surveying their waters as part of international cooperation. INS Makar - 2

History

Pre-independence

Hydrography in India originated back in the 17th century. The first chart of Indian Ocean was compiled by Thorntons of the

British East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and Southea ...

in 1703, which is considered as a major step towards the development of nautical charts of India. In 1874, the Indian Marine Survey Department was established in

Calcutta Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, the official name until 2001) is the Capital city, capital of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal, on the eastern ba ...

; later it became a part of

Royal Indian Navy The Royal Indian Navy (RIN) was the naval force of British India and the Dominion of India. Along with the Presidency armies, later the Indian Army, and from 1932 the Royal Indian Air Force, it was one of the Armed Forces of British India. Fr ...

Post-independence

After Indian independence in 1947, the department continued its functions under the Surveyor-in-Charge of the Marine Survey of India from Bombay. Later the office was shifted to

by renaming it as Naval Hydrographic Office headed by Chief Hydrographer of the Navy, which was later re-designated Chief Hydrographer to the Government of India in 1964. In view of international role of India in hydrography, the office was renamed once again in 1997 as National Hydrographic Office.

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 ...

(later

Admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in some navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force, and is above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet, ...

and Chief of the Naval Staff)

Jal Cursetji Admiral Jal Cursetji, PVSM (20 May 1919 – 29 January 1991) was a former Flag Officer in the Indian Navy. He served as the ninth Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS) from 1 March 1976 until 28 February 1979. He was the first hydrographer to serve a ...

was the first Indian to serve as the Chief Hydrographer of the Navy.

National Hydrographic Office

The National Hydrographic Office, headed by the Chief Hydrographer to the Government of India, is the headquarters of Indian Naval Hydrographic Department stationed at Dehradun. It is responsible for the publication of nautical charts relating to Indian on behalf of the government.

Chief Hydrographer to the Government of India

The Chief Hydrographer to the Government of India is the executive head of the Indian Naval Hydrographic Department. The Chief Hydrographer is a vice admiral from 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 ...

. The Chief Hydrographer is also the coordinator for charting Area "J" in the

North Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or ~19.8% of the water on Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia (continent), Australia to the east. To the so ...

and NAVAREA VIII coordinator.

Organisational structure

The department is headed by Chief Hydrographer, assisted by a staff officer. The organisation is further divided into 6 divisions. Organisational Structure of Indian Naval Hydrographic Department

Ships

Presently 7 ocean-going survey ships are in service with the department. All these ships belong to Sandhayak class, whose design was adopted as basic one, and later added on with minor changes in tandem with the existing technology, except INS Makar which belongs to Makar class.

References

{{reflist Indian Navy National hydrographic offices