Naval Dockyard, Mumbai

PREAMBLE
Maritime activities including shipbuilding in India trace their genesis to as far back as 2600 BC. Naval Dockyard, Mumbai, the premier Dockyard of our nation, has contributed in ample measure to this heritage since its inception in 1735.

Bombay (Mumbai) was given as a dowry gift by the Portuguese to King Charles II of England, when he married Princess Catherine of Braganza in 1662. In 1668, Bombay was transferred to the East India Company at a nominal rent of £10 per annum. In 1736, the company brought Lowjee Nusserwanjee, a master shipwright, from Surat to Bombay and assigned him the task of constructing ships for the British fleet and also the selection of a site for a dock. He set a trend in shipbuilding that was to be perpetuated by the next seven generations of his descendants, known as Wadias. His excellent craftsmanship combined with the durability of Malabar teak, brought worldwide fame to Bombay Dockyard. During the 150 years that Wadias were the Master Builders, they built more than 400 ships, all of them from Indian Malabar Teak. Bombay Dockyard became known for excellence in workmanship and quality. A tribute to the skill and craftsmanship of the Wadias and workforce of the yard has been HMS Trincomalee launched in 1817 which is, perhaps, the second oldest “Man of War” in the world, still afloat in U.K.

The Bombay Dockyard was established with limited dry docking facilities together with carpentry and smithy shops. Over the period the yard has grown from strength to strength with steadily planned expansion of facilities.

The old heritage buildings of Naval Dockyard (from Lion Gate to Old Customs House) with the clock tower (opposite Great Western Building) on the east side of Shahid Bhagat Singh Road, belong to the original dockyard constructed by Lowji Wadia. The Dock frontage on the Shahid Bhaghat Singh Road forms a facade/magnificent wall which has remained almost unchanged over the past 200 years. Early prints and engravings depict it as one of the main street fronts of early Bombay, overlooking the street which led past the Scots Kirk (also known as the Church of St Andrews and St Columbus Scottish Church fashioned after the popular design of St Martin-in-the-Fields London) built in the year 1815, and Great Western Hotel (formerly the Admiralty House) built in the year 1764, both still standing.

The main gate of earlier years was a little away from Lion gate. Located above the entrance were some rooms. Perched on the top of them was the clock tower. The existing clock was manufactured and fitted by M/s Lund and Blockley, the Turret Clock Manufacturers, in the year 1904.

The Torpedo Dock, so named because it was meant for Torpedo Boats, was built in 1890 and enlarged in 1944 to take bigger ships of Bangor, Bathurst and Barat Classes and `S’ Class Submarines. As this dock opened into the Wet Basin, it could be operated at any time, independent of tides in the harbour. The Torpedo Dock is closed by a floating caisson.

The Wet Basin came into existence in 1889. The Basin has been used for berthing as well as for repairs and refit of ships and submarines.

Extensive repairs to vessels are undertaken in the basin. The basin is an artificially enclosed space of water with a watertight sliding caisson at its entrance which is 60 feet wide. The Wet Basin sliding caisson serves as the lock gate of the Wet Basin. It provides access to the Wet Basin and also can be used to maintain the water levels inside the Wet Basin. For opening the Wet Basin gate, water level on both sides are first equalised. The caisson is then drawn into the wet basin wall with the help of electrical winches. The original construction was undertaken by Sir W.Armstrong Mitchell & Co. Ltd of Newcastle Upon Tyne, U.K in the year 1892.

The Main Administrative Building a heritage building constructed in the year 1807 at a cost of Rs.1,36,000/-. It houses the offices of the Admiral Superintendent, Naval Dockyard and the top management of the premier yard. The building has been constructed on load bearing walls, dressed stone pillars and uncoarsed rubble masonry wall with plaster.

The Duncan Dock named after Jonathan Duncan, then Governor of Bombay, consists of two dry docks, namely the Upper Duncan Dry Dock built in 1807 and Lower Duncan Dry Dock built in 1810. This dock is fully operational today and is very exploited externally.

HMS Minden, an Indian teakwood vessel was the first ship to be launched from Duncan Dock. This was also the first ship commissioned in the Royal Navy from India. The Star-spangled Banner, the National anthem of USA, was composed on board this ship in 1814 by Francis Scott Key in Baltimore harbour when he was a prisoner of the British on board this ship.

Construction of the Bombay Dock, though contemplated since the seventies of the seventeenth century, was commenced only in 1735 under the leadership of Lowji Nusservanji Wadia. This is the oldest and the first dry dock in Asia, comprising three docks in line, the “Upper Old Bombay Dock” built in 1750, the “Middle Old Bombay Dock” built in 1762 and the “Lower Old Bombay Dock” built in 1765. Such a design was envisaged because firstly 3 small ships could be dry docked simultaneously; secondly a big and a small ship could be docked in line and undocked separately; thirdly by judicious planning a ship requiring longer refit could be undisturbed in the upper dock and the middle/lower docks used for ships requiring a shorter refit. These docks were built in stages. Designing of a dry dock calls for engineering acumen. The foundations had to be deep, through layers of various soil conditions. The dock had to support the weight of a ship, the pressure of the surrounding sea, the stress and strain due to the tides. This dock is being extensively utilised ever today

PORCH	USED AS DOCKYARD DISPENSARY SCHOOL AND DISPENSARY SINCE 1942
	OLD ADMIN OFFICE OF ROYAL INDIAN NAVY

This building was used to house the main administration offices and the headquarters of the Royal Indian Navy (RIN) accommodating offices of the Captain Superintendent. It was constructed in May 1930. There was adequate space in front for parading guards of honour. Subsequently, a few buildings namely Vertical Plate Facility, Canteen, Plant Maintenance Building came up and occupied this space. The headquarters of the RIN moved to New Delhi in 1941.

The building now houses the Naval Dockyard Dispensary which was set up in 1941 and the Dockyard Apprentice School which has evolved from the `Mechanics Institute’ established in May 1848 in the Clock Tower Building at the then main entrance to the Dockyard. The institute trained both service ratings and civilian personnel as Steam Engine Mechanics till January 1945.Thereafter in December 1946, it was converted to a full fledged Dockyard Apprentice School for training of civilian technical manpower.

The porch at the entrance has jack arches and the sides are made up of random rubble masonry. The building’s doors, window shutters and the staircases are made of Burma teak and teakwood balustrades still exist in their original grandeur. The ground floor was originally made up of Burma teakwood deck. It has now been changed to paved mosaic tiles. The roof is of Mangalore tiles over teakwood trusses and battens and appropriate drainage accessories. The first and second floor decks are made of ornamental brick tiles which are still holding strong.

A brief history of a few important ships built in the Bombay Dockyard is given below:

HCS Bombay (Grab) : There have been 10 vessels by the name of Bombay, built in this dockyard. This is the first vessel, Bombay, a grab built in the year 1739. She served in the Honourable Company’s Service.

HMS Minden : This Indian teakwood vessel was the first ship to be launched from Duncan Dock in 1810. This was also first ship commissioned in the Royal Navy from India. The Star-Spangled Banner, National Anthem of USA, was composed on board this ship, by Francis Scott Key in Baltimore harbour.

HMS Cornwallis : Built in the year 1813, this is the ship on which the historic Treaty of Nanking, ceding Hong Kong to the British, was signed.

HMS Trincomalee : A Napoleonic, triple-masted, 38-gun, 1447-tons, Leda class frigate, was built on 12 October 1817 of Malabar teak. She is the world’s second oldest warship still afloat and docked at Hartlepool (UK). In 1902 her name was changed to HMS Foudroyant. Later in 1992, she was again renamed HMS Trincomalee.

HMS Asia : Built in 1824 for the Royal Navy, this 84 gun, 2nd Rate was the flagship of Admiral Codrington at the Battle of Navarino in 1843, the last Naval battle fought wholly under sail

HMS Bombay : HMS Bombay was built in 1828. A 2285 tons ship of the line with 84 guns, she was 185 feet in length with a beam of 52 feet. She served the Royal Navy till 1867.