Pakistan Navy

Pakistan Navy (PN; Urdu: پاکستان بحریہ‎; Pɑkistan Bahri’a) is the naval warfare uniform service branch of the Pakistan Armed Forces. It came into its modern existence from the Royal Indian Navy that ceased to exist following the partition of British India through a parliamentary act that established the independence of Pakistan from the United Kingdom on 14 August 1947.

The birth of Royal Pakistan Navy came with the creation of Pakistan on the historic day of 14 August 1947. Like other navies of the commonwealth, Pakistan’s Navy also had the prefix “Royal” until the country was proclaimed a republic in 1956. At 0800 on 14 August 1947, the flag of Rear Admiral J W Jefford, Flag Officer Commanding Royal Pakistan Navy was hosted on his Flagship HMPS GODAVARI. The Admiral’s first signal addressed to the officers and men of the RPN was flashed to all ships and shore establishments.

The PN share of the ships at the time of partition comprised 4 frigates/sloops, 4 fleet minesweepers, 8 motor minesweepers and horbour defence launches. The Naval Headquarters started functioning initially in one room office of the Naval Officer Incharge, Karachi.

NHQ was later shifted to a building at West Wharf and subsequently shifted to Napier Barracks (Liaquat Barracks) at Karachi.The training establishment HMPS HIMALAYA was commissioned as Gunnery and Radar School for the RIN on 27 Nov 1943. Soon after Independence it expanded into a combined training establishment housing the Signal, Torpedo and Anti-submarine, Tactics, Navigation and Direction, Supply and Secretariat and Cookery Schools.Just after independence on 14 August 1947 the Armed Forces Reconstitution Committee (AFRC) divided the Royal Indian Navy between both countries India and Pakistan. The Pakistan Navy secured two sloops, two frigates, four minesweepers, two trawlers, four harbour launches and some 3580 personnel (180 officers and 3400 ratings) and given the high percentage of delta areas on the Pakistan coast the Navy was given a number of Harbor Defence Motor Launches.