INS Shivaji is an Indian naval station located in

Lonavala Lonavala (ISO: Loṇāvaḷā) is a hill station town and a Municipal Council in the Pune district, Maharashtra, India. It is about west of Pune and to the east of Mumbai. It is known for its production of the hard candy ''chikki'' and is a ...

Maharashtra Maharashtra (; , abbr. MH or Maha) is a state in the western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. Maharashtra is the second-most populous state in India and the second-most populous country subdi ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...

. It houses the Naval College of Engineering which trains officers of 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 si ...

and the

Indian Coast Guard The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) is a maritime law enforcement and search and rescue agency of India with jurisdiction over its territorial waters including its contiguous zone and exclusive economic zone. The Indian Coast Guard was formally es ...

. It was commissioned on 15 February 1945 as HMIS Shivaji. It is located close to the

Bhushi Dam The Bhushi Dam is a masonry dam on the Indrayani River in Lonavala, Maharashtra, India. In 2014, the Indian Railways announced plans to develop Bhushi Dam as a tourist resort with participation from the private sector. History The dam was buil ...

. It is located on of land.

already operates a first damage control simulator Akshat at ''INS Shivaji'' to train its officers and sailors on damage control on a warship at sea. Indian Navy's Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Defence (NBCD) School and Center for Marine Engineering Technology are also based here. Engineers at work in INS Shivaji

History

INS Shivaji had its humble origin as replacement for the ‘Stokers’ Training School’ at

HMIS Dalhousie INS ''Angre'' is a " stone frigate" (shore establishment) of the Indian Navy in Mumbai. It is the shore-based logistics and administrative support establishment of the Western Naval Command. It is also the base depot ship of the Command and is ...

, in Naval Dockyard, Bombay (now Mumbai). Commissioned by the then Governor of Bombay, John Colville, as HMIS Shivaji on 15 February 1945, it became INS Shivaji on 26 January 1950. To provide scope for further expansion and to isolate the trainee sailors from the country's politics, the Royal Indian Navy decided to shift the training establishment from Bombay to a quieter place. While the British were on the lookout for a suitable location, coincidentally an air accident took place in the Sahyadri Ranges. Those who came to investigate the accident found more than what they sought. Sandwiched between a sheer vertical rock face, covering the entire height of the hill range (the Tiger's Leap) on one side and another imposing rock formation (the Duke's Nose or Nagphani) on the other, here was this flat piece of land.

Schools

INS Shivaji has three premier institutions viz. Centre of Marine Engineering and Technology (CMET), Centre of Excellence (CoE) and Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Defence (NBCD) School. INS Shivaji has an annual training throughput of more than 2800 officers and 7800 sailors from the Indian Navy. It also trains personnel from the navies of 20 friendly countries worldwide with an annual throughput of over 250 international trainees on an average.

Naval College of Engineering

The Naval College of Engineering undertakes B.Tech. courses at the entry-level for technical officers’ entry into the Service. It is affiliated to

Jawaharlal Nehru University Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) is a public major research university located in New Delhi, India. It was established in 1969 and named after Jawaharlal Nehru, India's first Prime Minister. The university is known for leading faculties an ...

New Delhi New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the capital of India and a part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament Hous ...

. The faculty is a mix of (Defence Research and Development Organisation) DRDscientists and Naval officers.

Centre of Marine Engineering Technology (CMET)

The Centre of Marine Engineering Technology (CMET) is a vast facility equipped to undertake ab initio, qualifying and marine specialisation courses for officers, sailors and civilians. It also undertakes a specialised pre-commissioning training of officers and sailors on actual equipment fitment onboard war vessels prior to appointment. The training wings also include the EPCT School. It has a Cadet’s Training Department which is similar to an Officers’ Training Academy which undertakes training of cadets in personality development, leadership qualities and waterman ship, so as to groom them into effective leaders of men and efficient managers of technology.

Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical Defense (NBCD) School

The NBCD School conducts training in nuclear, biological and chemical aspects, damage control and fire-fighting. It has a world class damage control simulator namely Akshat. It is an excellent facility for practical training in simulated damage control procedures on board the ship.

Awards

India's President Ram Nath Kovind awarded the coveted President’s Colours to INS Shivaji on 13 Feb 2020. The President’s Colour is the highest honour that can be bestowed upon any military unit in India.

References

External links

INS Shivaji
on the website of the

{{Indian Navy

Shivaji Shivaji Bhonsale I (; 19 February 1630 – 3 April 1680), also referred to as Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, was an Indian ruler and a member of the Bhonsle Maratha clan. Shivaji carved out his own independent kingdom from the declining Adil ...

Monuments and memorials to Shivaji Buildings and structures in Lonavala-Khandala