Shipbuilding at Bombay

HISTORICAL COMMENTARY AND NOTES Shipbuilding at Bombay R. K. Kochhar The arrival of the Portuguese by sea in marine was meant to protect the coastal dated 23 June 1661, her dowry included 1498 introduced navy as a new para area, whereas the navy could cast its net 'the Port and Island of Bomhay in tttl: meter in the Indian geopolitical equa wider. It is said that at one time when East Indies, together with all the rights. tions, placing the Indian rulers at a Lord Nelson, 'the future victor of Nile profits, territories, and appurtenance~ disadvantage for all times to come. The and Trafalgar was in embarrassed thereof whatsoever'. The small island, Portuguese and the Dutch success in circumstances, he was a candidate for some eight miics long and three miles East Indies as brought home by the the appointment of the superintendent wide~ no doubt mattered little to the capture of their ships brought the of the Bombay marine,4. king of Portugal. But it enclosed a land British to the Indian shores in 1608. The The seaport of Surat was located some locked bay and its natural harbour could trade was extremely lucrative despite 12 miles to the west at a village called shelter a large fleet. When the news the risks. During the third voyage cloves Swally. The British repaired their old reached India, the Portuguese- circles in were purchased at Moluccas for £2948, ships here and in course of time started India were dismayed and immediately which on return to England fetched building new ones. Surat had a long pointed out the disadvantages of making £36,287. The first 11 years of trading tradition of shipbuilding and even the such a gi ft. An attempt was nlade to with East Indies- (including India) "gave Mughal emperors got their ships built purchase the island back from England, clear profits, seldom below one here. (Figure I shows a traditional boat but Charles II wanted such large sums hundred~ and often more than two that was used on the eastern waters.) 'that they reach to millions'. The island hundred, per cent, on the capital Once the British shifted from Surat to of Bombay was finally transferred to invested on the voyage'. The Portuguese Bombay~ shipbuilding activity was also England on 8 February 1665, without violently opposed the British presence transferred. The tirst Europeans to touch any trace of grace or pleasantness that in what they considered to be their own Bombay were the Portuguese who one normally associates with a bride's zone of influence. The British decided arrived at Mahim in 1509 and took over dowry. The king's govcrnor of Bombay to meet force with force and inflicted a the island in 1534. In 1538 (or 1541) soon discovered that the island cost crushing defeat on the Portuguese on Bombay was rented in perpetuity to more to govern than it yielded as sea in 1612. The chain of events that Garcia d 'Orta., a physician and professor revenue. By a charter datcd 23 March culminated in the 1757 battle of Plassey of Lisbon (and said to be a converted 1668, Charles II granted the port and in Bengal had its beginning in this sea Jew). He paid a yearly quit rent of about island of Bomhay to the East India skirmish. The naval prowess and the £85. In 1563 he wrote a book Company 'to be held to the said religious neutrality of the British greatly "Dialogues on simples and drugs' where Company... in perpetuity and in free impressed the Mughal emperors who he mentions the island under the names and common soccage at a fee farm rent though powerful on land like the of Bombaim and Mombaim. D'Orta of £ 1() payable on the 30th or elephant were helpless on sea which was lived in India from 1534 to 1572 September yearly at the Custom-house'. infested with European crocodiles. The (ref. 5). The island of Bombay was formally British were asked to contain the handed over to the east India company fanatically anti-MusliIn Portuguese, on 23 September 1668. who were particu larly severe on the Haj Bombay While opposing the inclusion of' pilgrims. In return the English mer Bombay in the dowry. the Portuguese chants received attractive business con While Portugal and Britain were viceroy of Goa f Antonio de Mellow de 7 cessions. (Another factor in favour of engaged in bitter rivalry in India, they Castro] had' written , 'I foresee that the British was the expertise of its entered into a royal marriage contract India will be lost the same day on which ships' doctors, which was made which had far reaching consequenceso. the English Nation is settled in available to the Mughal umra, that is The English king Charles II married Bombay.' These words were prophetic nobility.)2 princess Infanta Catherine of the House indeed. The British shifted their capital To protect its trade from the of Braganza of Portugal. According to from Surat to Bombay in 1686. The Portuguese and the pirates, the English the 11th article of the treaty of marriage, little island' became the naval fortress merchants at Surat locally established, from where Britain went ahead to build in 1613. east India company's marine. Table 1. The evolution of I ndian navy a vast overseas colonial empire. The small naval service consisted of 1612-1950 coastal boats. known as grabs and gallivats, on which were mounted two to 1613-1686 East India company's marine Dockyard six guns and which were manned by 1686-1830 Bombay marine Her majesty's Indian navy volunteers from the company's ships 1830-1863 Bombay h:ad taken to shipbuilding in 1863-1877 Bomqay marine who fought as well as traded. This the Portuguese time itself. In 1625 when 1877-1892 Her majesty's Indian marine service developed first into Bombay the English and the Dutch jointly raided 1892-1950 Royal Indian navy marine and finally into Indian navy3 Bombay they found two boats under 1950- Indian navy (see Table 1). Generally speaking, , constructi'On which they pron1ptly put to CURRENT SCIENCE, VOL. 66. NO. 12~ 25 JUNE 1994 965 HISTORICAL COMMENTARY AND 'NOTES first dry dock to be built in India is still in use, now known as the upper old Bombay dock. Others were built in the following years. In the first phase of shipbuilding the emphasis had been on repairs and construction of coastal boats for protection. The things however soon changed. Increasing prosperity of the east India company meant building of bigger and larger number of ships in England. This and the marine rivalry in Europe resulted in large scale fell ing of oak trees in Britain. Accordingly in 1772 the company was prohibited from building any large ships. They were asked instead to either build their vessels in India or colonies or to charter vessels built there. Preservation of British oak forests was one rcason. >, • , , , ,',\ ' Superiority of teak over oak was '.' I" another. Oak contains lignic acid ·which corrodes and consumes the very metal Figure 1. 'Decca Pulwar', of 17 ton burden, used on the eastern branches and upper (iron) which is employed to unite and channels of the deltas of Ganga and Brahmaputra. The bottom of the boat resembles secure it in the various forms into wh.ich the immersed portion of the nautilus shell. 'These are well-built boats of hard wood, it is converted for the purposes of naval and use square sails.' (Henderson A., British Association for the Advancement of architecture'. In contrast teak "abounds Science Report for 1858, p. 272.) with oleaginous particles. the best and certain defence of iron from corrosion flames. As soon as Bombay passed into or Lowji's son and successor l\1aneckji by the action of the acid'. In addition "teak was not disposed to splinter to the the British hands~ repairs and Lowji. The surname Wadia was shipbuilding were started under the new not appended inofficial correspon same extent as oak' and thus "the eflcct auspices. The British repaired their dence.) of shot upon teak is Hu less dangerous than upon oak 10 merchant ships. In addition they built This was tl1~' lime when the British new ones to deal with the menace of were engaged 1n a bitter fight against piracy from Indian and foreign the piracy 01 ! Il~ Angrias, which lasted adventures as well as to meet the threat morc than -4( I )- cars from about 1707 to from their European competitors. There 1751. COnlld.l(;(; or Kanhojec [Kanha-ji] were problems~ though. The Portuguese Angria ,\ as a common seaman in obstructed the supply of timber~ and the Shivaji's neet, but rose to command a Mughal authorities did not permit good fleet of his own. •Animated by a lust for carpenters to leave Surat. Most of the plunder, there now flocked to his carpenters at Surat were Parsis. A letter standard numerous adventurers, includ from Bombay to Surat dated 10 January ing renegade Christians. mostly Dutch 1736 states that 'We have intention to and Portuguese, Arabs, Mussulmen and build a new grab but we are in want of a Negroes, a most daring and desperate good carpenter. We are told that there is band,0. (Note the selective use of the one in Surat named Lowjee. If he will adjective renegady.) Kanha-jee Angria , , ' come hither he shall have aJl fitting died in about 1731 and was suceeded by encouragement'. Lowjee Nusserwanjee his son Sambh~~ee. He was finally [Wadia] arrived in Bombay from Surat defeated by the British in 1751. During in March 1736~ accompanied by ten the period Bomba:v built a number of other carpenters.

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