Bangladesh Navy

The Bangladesh Navy was created as part of Bangladesh Forces during Bangladesh's 1971 liberation war against Pakistan. Its official creation date is July 1971 during the Bangladesh Sector Commanders Conference 1971. In 1971, with West Pakistan imposing a brutal military crackdown in East Pakistan, the Bangladesh Liberation War was already underway. Many Bengali sailors and officers in the Pakistan Navy defected to form the nascent Bangladesh Navy. Initially, there were two ships, PADMA and PALASH, and 45 navy personnel. On 9 November 1971, the first naval fleet, consisting of six small patrol vessels, was inaugurated.[7] These ships tried to carry out raids on the Pakistani fleet, but were mistakenly hit and sunk by the Indian Air Force on 10 December 1971. The next major attack was launched on Mongla seaport. According to official figures from the Bangladesh Navy, a total of 334 sailors were involved with the newly created navy, with 22 being killed in action.[8]

The navy carried out around 45 operations during the war: traditional naval operations and unconventional commando operations including guerrilla warfare. In the first leg of the war, defecting Bengali sailors joined the guerrilla forces. It was the eight sailors who defected from the Pakistan Navy submarine PNS Mangro, under construction in France, that pioneered the formation of the naval element during the Liberation War. Later many other naval personnel participated. During the Liberation War, East Pakistan was divided into 11 sectors. Each sector had a Commander and a demarcated area of responsibility except sector 10. Sector 10 was nominally responsible for the coastal belt but actually operated over the entire country.[9]

In 1971, it was imperative for the occupation force to keep ports and harbours operative and the sea lines of communication open. The Bangladesh Navy fought to block the sea lines of communication, and to make the sea and river ports inoperative. They attacked all the seaports including many river ports. Operation Jackpot is one of the best known and most successful operations. They carried out mining in the Pasur River Channel by patrol craft. With other fighters they also carried out attacks against the Pakistan Army. As a result, Bangladesh became an independent state within the shortest possible time.[10]

After independence, especially in the 1970s, additional naval infrastructure was required. Two ex-Royal Navy frigates joined the Bangladesh Navy as BNS Umar Farooq and BNS Ali Haider in 1976 and 1978 respectively. In 1982 a third ex-Royal Navy frigate joined the BN as BNS Abu Bakar. The acquisition of these three frigates is considered the principal foundation of the Bangladesh Navy.[11]

Bangladesh Navy is the first force among Bangladeshi military services to induct female members. First batch of 14 female officers joined the navy in 2000.[12] In 2016, 44 female soldiers were added to the force for the first time.[13]

In 2011, the Bangladesh Navy's rescue and medical team, along with the Bangladesh Army was deployed to Japan after Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami.[14] Bangladesh Navy have been an active disaster recovery force abroad. In 2013, the navy deployed BNS Somudra Joy carrying humanitarian assistance worth of $1 million. Navy's medical team were also deployed to Philippines.[15]

The Bangladesh Navy joined in the search operation of missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 with BNS Bangabandhu, BNS Umar Farooq and a Dornier Do-228NG MPA in March 2014. The aircraft was a Boeing 777-200ER which gone missing with 12 Malaysian crew members and 227 passengers from 14 nations during the flight from Malaysia to China. Later, BNS Umar Farooq was replaced by BNS Somudra Joy. The search was renewed in May 2014 when an Australian exploration company claimed to have traced aircraft debris in the Bay of Bengal.[16] In 2014, during the Water Crisis in Maldives, the Bangladesh Navy was the first to launch humanitarian aid relief by deploying BNS Somudra Joy with 100 tonnes of bottled water.[17]

In 2009, the Bangladesh government adopted a long-term modernisation plan for its armed forces called Forces Goal 2030. As of 2013, about a third of the military hardware procured under the plan has been for the navy.[18] It procured two refurbished Type 053H2 (Jianghu III) frigates from China in 2014.[19] Two United States Coast Guard High Endurance Cutters joined the BN in 2013[20] and 2015[21] which are being used as patrol frigates. Navy also bought an ex-Royal Navy Roebuck-class survey vessel and two ex-Royal Navy Castle-class offshore patrol vessels (OPVs) which were converted to guided missile corvettes in 2011.[22] Two Type 056 corvettes joined the BN in 2016 while two more were ordered in July 2015 and they are awaiting commissioning.[23] Two Durjoy-class large patrol craft (LPCs) were built in China and joined the BN in 2013.[24] Two more ships of the same class with dedicated ASW capabilities were commissioned in 2017.[25] Five Padma-class patrol vessels have been commissioned into the navy in 2013.[26][27][28] Besides, multiple indigenous built LCUs and LCTs have been added to the navy.

The Bangladesh Navy opened its aviation wing on 14 July 2011 with the induction of two AgustaWestland AW109 helicopters. Later on, two Dornier Do-228NG MPA were introduced in 2013.[29] To attain underwater operational capabilities, the Bangladesh Navy inducted two off-the-shelf Type 035G (Ming class) submarines from China on 12 March 2017.[30][31]

A new base for the Bangladesh Navy, named BNS Sher-e-Bangla, is being constructed at Rabanabad in Patuakhali. It will be the largest naval base of the Bangladesh Navy with submarine berthing and aviation facilities.[32] Meanwhile, a separate submarine base, named BNS Sheikh Hasina, is under construction at Pekua in Cox's Bazar.[33] A full-fledged naval base, named BNS Sheikh Mujib, has been commissioned in Khilkhet, Dhaka. This is the only operational base in Dhaka naval region.[34]

Vice Admiral Ahmed received by Vice Chief of Naval Staff of the Indian Navy, Vice Admiral Sunil Lanba

BN Chief of Staff VA. Farid Habib with Vice Adm. Paul F. Zukunft, Pacific Area commander

A U.S. Marine assigned to Fleet Anti-terrorism Security Team Pacific and a Bangladesh Navy sailor with Special Warfare Diving and Salvage Command engage the enemy during a noncompliant boarding exercise aboard the Bangladesh Navy offshore patrol vessel BNS Sangu (P 713) during Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) 2012.

In 1993 the Bangladesh Navy joined United Nations Peacekeeping Operations.[35] Its first UN mission came in 2005, when a Bangladesh Navy contingent was sent to Sudan as Force Riverine Unit (FRU).[36] The Bangladesh Navy is currently serving in United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) in Lebanon since 2010, when two ships, BNS Osman and BNS Madhumati, were deployed there in May of that year. The BN is the third Asian and only subcontinental navy to serve in the volatile region. The BN maintained the two ships thousands of miles from Bangladesh in the Mediterranean Sea for four years until June 2014, when the ships were replaced by BNS Ali Haider and BNS Nirmul.[37]

BN ships regularly participate in exercises with other navies, gaining valuable experience and improving their fighting capabilities. CARAT is a yearly exercise conducted with the United States Navy in the Bay of Bengal since 2011.[38] The BN has sent an OPV to every MILAN multinational naval exercise held near the Andaman Islands since 2010.[39] AMAN, another multinational exercise held every two years in the Arab Sea, organised by the Pakistan Navy, has also seen participation by BN frigates since 2009.[40] BNS Bangabandhu participated in Exercise Ferocious Falcon, a Multinational Crisis Management Exercise, held at Doha, Qatar in November 2012,[41] while BNS Somudra Joy participated the same exercise in 2015.[42] BNS Abu Bakar took part in 14th Western Pacific Naval Symposium and International Fleet Review-2014 in Qingdao, Shandong Province of China in April 2014.[43] She also participated in Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition (LIMA)-2015 held at Malaysia.[44]

The exercise took place in the Bay of Bengal. It started on 16 November 2015 and lasted 15 days. During the exercise, the navy deployed most of its fleet, including frigates, corvettes, and maritime patrol aircraft. The exercise included search and rescue, logistical, maritime patrol, landing, and warfare exercises. During the exercise, the Navy successfully test launched missiles.[47]

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  Rank insignia of Master Chief Petty Officer for the Bangladesh Navy
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  Rank of Senior Chief Petty Officer (SCPO) of Bangladesh Navy
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  Rank insignia of Chief Petty Officer for the Bangladesh Navy

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  Rank insignia of Petty Officer for the Bangladesh Navy
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  Rank insignia of Leading Seaman of Bangladesh Navy

Bangladesh Navy entered into submarine era with the commissioning of two refurbished Type 035G (Ming class) submarines on 12 March 2017.[63][64]