Commodore Rank in the Indian Navy: Equivalence and Promotion

When considering the introduction and equivalence of the Commodore rank in the Indian Navy (IN), a comparison with historical and contemporary armed services can provide valuable insights. The Royal Navy (RN) has a long history of using the Commodore rank, dating back to at least the 18th century. The IN, in its various pre-independence forms, followed suit and adopted the same rank structure.

Understanding the Commodore Rank

The role and structure of a Commodore in the RN are distinct from its usage in the IN. In the RN, a Commodore can be of two types, each with unique responsibilities:

Commodore First Class

A Commodore First Class is a permanent promotion between the ranks of Captain and Rear Admiral. This rank is seldom used in the IN and is more common in the RN.

Commodore Second Class

A Commodore Second Class is a temporary appointment, typically given to a senior Captain who temporarily commands a detached squadron with two or more ships, each commanded by a Post Captain. In such a role, the Commodore might serve both as the squadron commander and the captain of his own ship. This rank is most commonly associated with the IN.

Commodore in the Indian Navy

The IN has never officially embraced the Commodore First Class. Officers who are constituted as Commodores without being promoted are given the Commodore Second Class rank. This rank has been simplified to simply Commodore, and officers now fly the broad pennant that was previously reserved for Commodores Second Class.

Appointment and Structure

Historically, Commodores in the IN were appointed based on specific appointments or inter-service roles. For instance, a Commodore in Charge of a specific coast (e.g., Commodore in Charge of Cochin, COMCHIN) would oversee multiple Captains under command. Other appointments included roles that were rotated or where the officer's counterpart in the Army was a Brigadier or in the Air Force an Air Commodore.

Modern Practice

A decision was made to constitute every Captain with three years of seniority as a Commodore. This decision was influenced by changes in the promotion system, where the age of eligibility for Captain changed from 21 to 18 years, and was later raised to 6 years. This change has led to some anomalous situations.

Ranking and Seniority

Unlike the RN, where Commodores are permanent promotions, in the IN, Commodores are given the rank of a Captain and are not themselves Commanding Officers (CO) of the ships they command. Instead, they designate another Captain to command their ships. This means that senior Captains commanding warships are technically junior to Commodores with less seniority. This can lead to situations where a Commodore, such as Commodore Vidhyadhar Harke, the CO Designate of INS Vikrant, wears the four stripes of a Captain during his commissioning ceremony, which might be confusing to those unfamiliar with the naval structure.

Regulations and Procedures

According to Regulations Navy Part III Reg 215, a Captain may be converted to a Commodore if deemed expedient. A Commodore is granted the command of a ship in which his broad pennant is hoisted, and there is no captain under him unless specially authorized. Additionally, Commodores play a crucial role in certain warrant approvals, which require their current as opposed to seniority-based rank.

While there is no additional financial commitment for constituting every Captain as a Commodore, the fait accompli of such a conversion is such that no Captain ever retires on superannuation without being promoted to a higher rank. In the event of not being promoted to flag rank, a Captain will retire as a Commodore.

The following picture from an old Navy list illustrates the structure. Here, Debras is a Captain, followed by Tandon, a Commodore. Scrolling down, you will find another Commodore, Mandal, who is technically senior to all the Captains listed above him.