NAVAL ENGINEERING MUSEUM
History
The idea of having a Naval Engineering Museum in the Mecca of Marine Engineers, INS Shivaji was conceived when the erstwhile Steam Demonstration Room (SDR) was being considered for demolition in the late 1980s. The SDR, commissioned in 1949, had the privilege of training officers and men of the yesteryears using main and auxiliary machinery and equipment received from different ships of the Royal Navy of the World War II vintage. It was therefore felt that a great injustice would be done to the past generation of marine engineers, as well as the future, if this vital and valuable facility could not be retained and preserved for posterity.
Evolution of Naval Engineering Museum
The journey of evolution of Naval Engineering Museum has been possible due to dedicated and sincere efforts of officers and men of INS Shivaji since the 1980s. The concept of Naval Engineering Museum was first visualised by the then Commanding Officer Commodore MK Bangar, VSM in Nov 1988. He envisaged that these ageing but still steaming machinery would unfold to the budding marine engineers, the story of the past and growth of marine engineering technology through the ages. Inspired by the vision of the Commanding Officer, Lt Cdr MM Rehman, Oi/C Industrial Training Wing (ITW) and his dedicated and proud team of men comprising sailors and civilians of this prestigious establishment taxed their brains and brawn to transform their Commanding Officer’s vision to reality. V.Adm RP Sawhney, PVSM, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Southern Naval Command, formally inaugurated this magnificent museum on 23 Jan 1990 and christened the place as ‘Naval Engineering Museum’. The birth of the Naval Engineering Museum at INS Shivaji in 1990 was indeed a landmark in the history of INS Shivaji.
PHOTOS
Humble beginning in 1990
The Naval Engineering Museum saw its next major upgrade in the year 2003 when it was recreated with a theme to show the growth of marine engineering technology. Various changes in terms of its main entrance, partition at main entrance, display niches and stand-alone units for machinery were incorporated. The present day avatar of Naval Engineering Museum was realized in 2016 with the aim to bring this museum to international repute and to be the hallmark of the progress made by Indian Navy. The Naval Engineering Museum is the only one of its kind in the country depicting the evolution of marine propulsion. The prominent changes in the latest avatar of the museum are as follows:–
Entrance Canopy
The main entrance of the museum has seen a major transformation from being a humble shutter door in 1990 to a grander cemented entrance with a wooden door in 2003 to now being a fine teak wood antique canopy-like structure. The entrance has truly grown taller and majestic and is one of the major highlights of this museum.
PHOTOS
Main Entrance Partition
The entrance partition of the museum paves the way for the rest of the walk around. This entrance partition has now been clad in wood to merge with the entrance canopy and the theme of the museum.
Signage
Information displayed on the artifacts and display machinery has also been upgraded. The information tallies in 1990 gave way to wrought iron signage. While many of these signages have been retained in ‘golden’ version, additional modern stainless steel signages have been added to display information.
PHOTOS
Naval Engineering History Society
The Museum was registered under Society Registration Act (1860) as the Naval Engineering History Society (NEHS). The purpose of the museum remains to protect and promote the interests of Naval Marine Engineers. The magnificent NEHS crest has in the backdrop, the Admiralty 3 Drum Boiler, which has been the backbone of the propulsion system in the yesteryears.
PHOTOS
