On Navy Day, Here are 23 Incredible facts about the Indian Navy that'll fill you with pride

1. Originally called the Royal Indian Navy, our supreme naval branch of the armed forces of India was founded in 1612 by the East India Company and renamed the Indian Navy on 26th January, 1950 after independence.

2. Navy Day does not commemorate the day the Indian Navy was founded. Rather, it is the day the Indian Navy successfully executed Operation Trident, an attack on Pakistani Naval Headquarters in Karachi.

3. The Indian Navy's first independent mission was against the Portuguese Navy during the liberation of Goa in 1961.

4. India's naval forces played a key role in the Second World War.

5. The Indian Navy fought one of the largest naval conflicts since the Second World War.

6. The Indian Navy is among the top ten naval forces of the world.

7. The missile BrahMos , is the fastest cruise missile in the world with a speed of Mach (ratio between the speed of the object and the speed of sound) 2.8 – 3.0.

8. The Ezhimala Naval Academy in Kerala is the largest naval academy in Asia.

9. Chhatrapati Shivaji Raje Bhosale is considered as the Father of Indian Navy.

10. INS (Indian Naval Ship) Viraat was the navy’s first aircraft carrier and the oldest aircraft carrier in the world.

11. Most Indian Navy ships and submarines are now manufactured indigenously .

12. The INS Arihant is a 6,000 tonne vessel and the lead ship in India's nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines.

13. The Sagar Prahari Bal (SPB) formed in March 2009 after the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, is the unit of the Indian Navy responsible for patrolling India’s coastal waters.

14. MARCOS or Marine Commandos, nicknamed magarmach, are the special operations (very secretive) unit of the Indian Navy.

15. The MARCOS are given rigourous training that they can undertake operation on any terrain. They face a 90% drop-out rate during training and recruitment.

16. There are only two naval aerobatic teams in the world and one of them is our country’s navy. It is known as Saagar Pawan .

17. Indian Navy uses a multi-brand communication satellite called GSAT – 7.

18. The Indian Navy has successfully completed an expedition to the North Pole and the South Pole.

19. Indian Navy was the first navy to send a submariner on an expedition to Mt. Everest!

20. India also uses its navy to enhance the international relations by conducting frequent port visits and going on humanitarian missions like providing disaster relief.

21. The current flag of Indian Navy incorporates St. George’s Cross design, a part of the Union Jack.

22. Indian Navy expects to be a force of 150 ships and 500 aircraft by 2027.

23. India will have its first supercarrier in INS Vishal by 2025.