Indian Navy Ranks: Indian Navy jobs are one of the most prestigious jobs among the three armed forces. We get here the opportunity to serve our nation and to enhance our honour and pride. One who is seeking to join the Indian navy should know the jobs and ranks possessed by the organisation. Candidates after clearing their recruitment rounds are joined as either a sailor or an officer, based on their qualifications. The highest-ranked officer in the Indian Navy is the Chief of the Naval Staff.
Both sailors and officers have a number of ranks starting from low to high. You get promoted to a higher level based on your performances. To make a career in the Navy more important, there are many opportunities for the sailors and officers here. After joining the Indian Navy, you always have the chance to go up in the ranks. In the Indian Navy, you are not just an employee but a source for higher ranks. Indian Navy offers the best professional support system where you are trained and groomed for higher ladders in careers.
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In the Indian Navy, the promotions are offered in a very fair and systematic way based on your hard work, sincerity, skills and talent. You will be equally recognised and rewarded here. Let us see the rank and insignia system in Indian Navy here.
Indian Navy Ranks and Insignia
In Indian Navy ranks and insignia are defined for each position. Candidates who apply for Indian Navy jobs should know the ranks and insignia, under Sailor and Officer positions. Both positions have different levels of ranks, where the promotion is based on current rank performance.
As an officer, the candidate is joined for the position of Midshipman. Then based on the performances they are promoted to a higher level. The highest rank in the official position is the post of Admiral.
As a sailor, the candidates are joined for the position of Seaman 2nd Class. After this, they are promoted to a higher level of sailors position based on the hard work, skills and performances. The highest rank in sailor positions is Master Chief Petty Officer 1st Class.
Let us see the officers and sailors’ ranks and badges for the Indian Navy.
Indian Navy Ranks for Officers Positions
The ranks for the officer positions in the Indian Navy given below in the table:
| S.No | Ranks |
| 1 | Admiral |
| 2 | Vice Admiral |
| 3 | Rear Admiral |
| 4 | Commodore |
| 5 | Captain |
| 6 | Commander |
| 7 | Lieutenant Commander |
| 8 | Lieutenant |
| 9 | Sub Lieutenant |
| 10 | Midshipman |
The qualified candidates are selected as an officer for the rank position of Midshipman. This is the lowest position in Indian Navy Officer positions. Later on, based on the performance of the individuals, the officers are promoted to higher levels such as Sub Lieutenant, Lieutenant, and so on. The highest position is of Admiral and is held by the Chief of the Naval Staff. When the Admiral is in wartime, then they use Admiral of the Fleet rank.
Indian Navy Officers Insignia and Batches
The below images show the batches for each rank. The ranks are Admiral, Vice Admiral, Rear Admiral, Commodore, Captain, Commander, Lieutenant Commander, Lieutenant, Sub Lieutenant, and Midshipman.
The ranks can be represented as:
Admiral > Vice Admiral > Rear Admiral > Commodore > Captain > Commander > Lieutenant Commander > Lieutenant > Sub Lieutenant > Midshipman.
Indian Navy Ranks for Sailors
The different ranks of the sailors from to bottom are given below in the table.
| S.No. | Ranks |
| 1 | Master Chief Petty Officer 1st Class |
| 2 | Master Chief Petty Officer 2nd Class |
| 3 | Chief Petty Officer |
| 4 | Petty Officer |
| 5 | Leading Seaman |
| 6 | Seaman 1st Class |
| 7 | Seaman 2nd Class |
We can show the ranks in the way they are promoted such as:
Seaman 2nd Class < Seaman 1st Class < Leading Seaman < Petty Officer < Chief Petty Officer < Master Chief Petty Officer 2nd Class < Master Chief Petty Officer 1st Class.
Now let us check with the batches each rank holds.
Indian Navy Sailors Batches and Insignia
The batches for Indian Navy Sailors start from Leading Seaman. Below given image shows the batches for sailors when they attain the ranks of Leading Seaman, Petty Officer, Chief Petty Officer, Master Chief Petty Officer 2nd Class and Master Chief Petty Officer 1st Class.
Promotion to Officer Rank
To become Commissioned Officer in the Navy, Sailors should have unique leadership qualities and they should meet the required condition based on age limit and education. This promotion is possible through Commission worthy (CW) scheme and Special Duties (SD) scheme. They can also get promoted to Command Ships and Units and even for the Admirals positions. This is the way the Indian Navy gives the opportunity to its employees internally. The deserving candidates who because of some unforeseen reason could not join as an officer, it is the best opportunity for them.
How to Join the Indian Navy?
Candidates who want to serve our country through one of the best-armed forces can join Indian Navy. Before they apply for the Indian Navy, they should know the different ways through which they can join based on their age and educational qualification.
Basically there are five different ways to join the Indian Navy as an officer.
- National Defence Academy (NDA)
- 10+2 B.Tech. Entry
- Combined Defence Service (CDS)
- University Entry Scheme or UEE
- Direct Entries
Candidates who want to join Indian Navy as a Sailor can check these options:
- Artificer Apprentice (AA)
- Senior Secondary Recruit (SSR)
- Matric Recruit (MR)
- Non-Matric Recruit
Each entry has its own eligibility criteria defined. To check the complete requirements candidates can visit the official website of the Indian Navy (http://www.joinindiannavy.gov.in).
FAQ’s on Indian Navy Ranks
Question 1.
How many ranks are there for Indian Navy Officers and what are they?
Answer:
There are in total 10 ranks for Officers in the Indian Navy. They are: Admiral, Vice Admiral, Rear Admiral, Commodore, Captain, Commander, Lieutenant Commander, Lieutenant, Sub Lieutenant and Midshipman.
Question 2.
How many ranks are there for Indian Navy Sailors and what are they?
Answer:
In general, there are 7 ranks for Indian Navy Sailors. They are:
Seaman 2nd Class < Seaman 1st Class < Leading Seaman < Petty Officer < Chief Petty Officer < Master Chief Petty Officer 2nd Class < Master Chief Petty Officer 1st Class.
Question 3.
Which is the highest rank for Officers in the Indian Navy?
Answer:
The highest rank for officers in the Indian Navy is Admiral. It is held by the Chief of the Naval Staff. Whereas Admiral on the Fleet rank is the wartime rank of honorary rank.
Question 4.
What is the lowest rank in the Indian Navy?
Answer:
The lowest rank in the Indian Navy is Seaman 2nd Class.