Afsharid navy

Persia sustained maritime forces during Afsharid dynasty that were revived in 1734 by Nader Shah, with peak of its activity lasting more than a decade until Division of the Afsharid Empire.

Afsharid Navy
Founded	1734 (1734)
Disbanded	Division of the Afsharid Empire
Country	Persia
Type	Navy
Role	Coastal defence
Part of	Afsharid Military
Garrison/HQ	Bushehr
Equipment	see below
Insignia
Ensign

It operated in the Caspian Sea, where it was considered a threat by the Russian Empire.[1] Headquartered in Bushehr, the southern flotilla maintained presence in the Persian Gulf as well as the Sea of Oman, effectively pushing against maritime Arabian empires in Sultanate of Muscat and Imamate of Oman, Pirates based in coasts that were later called Trucial, and also local rebels and mutineers. Afsharid navy occasionally cooperated with the Dutch and the British.[2]

History

Emanuel Bowen's 1747 map of Caspian sea

Prelude

The last attempt to revive naval forces of Persia was made in 1718, which was unsuccessful.[3] Kings of Safavid dynasty were reluctant to form a navy.[4]

Peak

Main article: Afsharid Conquests in the Persian Gulf & Oman

Further information: Campaigns of Nader Shah

During its first decade, the navy showed an expansionist character, successfully taking control of Mascat and most islands in the Persian Gulf. They also annexed Bahrain, but were unable to overcome forces of the Ottomans or the Russians in the north.[2] The navy began to decline approximately in 1745, and by 1747 when Nader Shah died it fell apart because many of its equipment were in poor and unrecoverable condition.[5]

Aftermath

When Karim Khan Zand became ruler of Iran, he asked Imamate of Oman to return Persian Afsharid vessel Rahmani. Omanis who had acquired the ship from Arabian tribe Banu Ma'in, refused the demand and went to a war with Zand dynasty. Persians launched an attack on Oman in 1773 to no avail. Kaveh Farrokh argues that the event signaled that Persians no longer had the upper hand in the southern coasts of the Persian Gulf. By 1820s, Persians lost Qeshm and Hormuz islands to Omanis.[6]

William Taylor Money reported in 1811 that one of the ships built by Persians in 1738, was in the Ottoman hands and served as "the Turkish flagship at Bussorah... and when about 8 years ago she was brought into dock in Bombay for repair, her timbers were ascertained to be perfectly sound".[7]

Flag

A contemporary source reported that as of 1737, the navy used an ensign with "white ground with a red Persian Sword in the middle", in which the term 'Persian Sword' referred to Zulfiqar.[8]

Personnel

Sailors of the Persian navy partly included Huwala people.[9] Some European deserters were also employed in the navy.[10]

Commanders

• Mohammad Latif Khan, daryabeigi and founder of the forces in the Persian Gulf in 1734. He was dismissed in 1735 for losing a battle against Ottoman galleys in Basra, but was reinstated in 1736 and served in the capacity until his death by poisoning in 1737.[11]
• Captain Richard Cook, an Englishman and lieutenant to Mohammad Latif Khan who was killed in action in 1737[12]
• Mulla Ali Shah, commander of eastern squadron based in Bandar Abbas[13]
• Mir Ali Khan Torkaman, daryabeigi killed in action in August 1740[14]
• Mohammad Taqi Khan Mashhadi, daryabeigi after 1742[14][15]

Equipment

Northern fleet

The Persian northern fleet operated in the Caspian Sea. By 1745, two frigates and four smaller vessels (all domestically-built) were in service.[2] Prompted by the Russians, one of the ships was reportedly burnt down near Rasht in 1752.[1] Before Persians started a northern fleet, Nader Shah had to pay large amounts of money to privately owned Russian vessels in order to send supplies for his forces during the Dagestan campaign, due to monopolization by Russians.[16]

Southern fleet

The main point of presence of the Southern fleet of Persian navy was in the Persian Gulf and Sea of Oman, but also as far afield as the Arabian Sea.

1734–1736

In 1734, Persians bought two brigantines from the English, plus another two from a local Arab Shaikh.[2] The two English brigantines were named Patna and Ruperall, owned by Weddell and Cook respectively.[17] Persians seized East Indiaman Northumberland in May 1736 in Bushehr, forcing the captain of the ship to sell it at "a great price" and turned it into a warship.[18] The ship was in a bad shape at the time and East India Company (EIC) "took precautionary steps in order to satisfy a potential Persian claim".[16] In October of the same year, the fleet was reinforced by purchase of two English 20-gun frigates for 8,000 tomans, one of which named Cowan[19] However, EIC records show only one ship sold.[20] Cowan was later renamed to Fath-i Shah under Persians and turned into the Persian flagship,[20][21] though another source writes that Fath-i Shah was the former Northumberland.[22] Cowan was a privately owned vessel based in Bombay and was bought by the EIC for a handover to the Persians that gained them 200% profit.[20] Another vessel named l'Heureux was purchased from French country traders.[22]

1737

As of 1737, a Dutch source reported inventory of Afsharid navy as the following:

Ship	Origin	Notes
Fattie Sjahie^a	English	Purchased for 7,000 tomans
Capitaine	English	Purchased for 4,000 tomans
Fatta Mamoedie^b	English	Purchased for 400 tomans
Nastar Chanie	English	Purchased for 300 tomans
Toeckel^c	Basidu	Purchased for 3,000 tomans from Shaykh Rashid
Fattilhaije	Basidu	Purchased for 1,300 tomans from Shaykh Rashid
Fatta Rhamhanie^d	Arabian	Purchased for 400 tomans
Illhaiji	Basidu	Purchased for 400 tomans from Shaykh Rashid
unknown tranki	Basidu	taken from Shaykh Rashid
unknown tranki	Basidu	taken from Shaykh Rashid
unknown galwet	Persian	built by Mohammad Latif Khan
unknown galwet	Persian	built by Mohammad Latif Khan
^a also spelt Fattishahi (Persian: فتح شاهی‎) ^b (Persian: فتح محمودی‎) ^c also spelt Tawakkul (Persian: توکل‎) ^d (Persian: فتح رحمانی‎)
Source: Floor (1987)[23]

1741–1742

A 1,100 tonnes Bombay-based vessel named Shawallum was purchased from its owning consortium (John Lambton, Parsi merchants Bhomanji Rustamji and Manoji Nowroji, as well as Bombay-based Shivan Set Dharam Set) and was renamed to Rahimi, serving as the new flagship of the fleet.[24] The southern fleet included 15 vessels as of 1742, most of them built in Surat on the Gulf of Cambay.[2] Persia had ordered 11 ships to the Surat shipbuilder, first of which was delivered in 1741. The ships were made of teak, and were known for their durability.[25] In 1742, Robert Galley was acquired from Englishman Eustace Peacock for 1,000 tomans.[20] Two more ships, Mary and Pembroke, were purchased by the EIC at Surat and sold at a cost of ₹186,251, equivalent to 9,312 tomans or £23,280.[26] Both Mary and Pembroke had technical problems at the time sold, the latter lacked full rigging while the former suffered from leaks in her hull and needed daily pumping.[27]

1745

By 1745, the navy had some 30 vessels.[25]

1747

In 1747, the southern fleet consisted of 20 to 25 vessels.[16]

Loaned ships

Afsharid navy leased the following vessels, for a limited time:

Ship	Flag state	Notes
Britannia	English	used for coast guard at Bandar Abbas in 1734[28]
de Rithem	Dutch	used for anti-piracy patrols in 1736[19]
Robert Galley	English	used for carrying passengers in 1734 and 1736[29]
de Anthonia	Dutch	used to attack Muscat in 1737[12]
tHuys Foreest	Dutch	used to send supplies against Muscat in 1737[12]
Rose Galley	English	used for carrying supplies in 1738[30]
tHof niet altijd Somer	Dutch	used to send supplies against Julfar in 1739[31]
de Valk	Dutch	used to suppress mutiny at Qaysh island in 1740[14]
de Middenrak	Dutch
de Croonenburgh	Dutch
The Empress of Russia	Russian	used to send rice for Persian troops in 1742[16]
de Ridderkerk	Dutch	used for a voyage to Thatta in 1742[32]

At times, Persians were unsuccessful to rent vessels. Shortly after Elizabeth of Russia inherited the throne in December 1771, Persia asked for a loan of ten ships for deployment in Nader's Dagestan campaign. Suspicious of never returning them, Russian ambassador advised Moscow to not lend them.[16] In c. 1730, privately owned British vessels Severn and Edward refused Persian request for lease.[33]

Shipbuilding

In 1743, Nader Shah appointed English merchant John Elton as the superintendent of naval shipbuilding in northern Iran, and bestowed him the title Jamal Beig. Elton headquartered the shipping facilities in Lahijan and Langaroud.[34]

See also

• Military of the Afsharid dynasty of Persia
• Military history of Iran
• Sasanian navy

References

Footnotes

1. Axworthy 2018, p. 174
2. Axworthy 2000
3. Floor 1987, p. 31
4. Floor 1987, p. 33
5. Floor 1987, p. 52
6. Farrokh 2011, pp. 154
7. Bulley 2013, pp. 29
8. Shapur Shahbazi 1999
9. Floor 1987, p. 44
10. Good 2018, p. 229
11. Floor 1987, pp. 38, 40–41, 45
12. Floor 1987, p. 43
13. Davies 1997, pp. 174–175
14. Floor 1987, p. 47
15. Ward 2014, p. 54
16. Mirfendereski 2001, p. 18
17. Floor 1987, p. 39
18. Floor 1987, p. 41
19. Floor 1987, p. 42
20. Good 2018, p. 227
21. Black 2004, p. 73
22. Barendse 2009, p. 294
23. Floor 1987, pp. 41–42
24. Barendse 2009, pp. 295–296
25. Ward 2014, p. 53
26. Good 2018, p. 228
27. Good 2018, p. 230
28. Good 2018, pp. 217–218
29. Good 2018, pp. 220–221, 227
30. Good 2018, pp. 220–221
31. Floor 1987, pp. 46
32. Floor 1987, p. 49
33. Good 2018, p. 220
34. Axworthy 2018, p. 172

Sources

• Axworthy, Michael (20 December 2012) [1 January 2000]. "NAVY i. Nāder Shah and the Iranian Navy". In Yarshater, Ehsan (ed.). Encyclopædia Iranica (Online ed.).
• Axworthy, Michael (2018). Crisis, Collapse, Militarism and Civil War: The History and Historiography of 18th Century Iran. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780190250324.
• Axworthy, Michael (2011). "Nader Shah and Persian Naval Expansion in the Persian Gulf, 1700–1747". Journal of Research in Ayurvedic Sciences. 21 (1): 31–39. doi:10.1017/S1356186310000362. JSTOR 23011520.
• Barendse, Rene J. (2009). Arabian Seas 1700–1763. Leiden: BRILL. ISBN 978-90-04-17661-4.
• Black, Edwin (2004). Banking on Baghdad: Inside Iraq's 7,000-Year History of War, Profit, and Conflict. John Wiley and Sons. ISBN 9780471708957.
• Bulley, Anne (2013). The Bombay Country Ships, 1790–1833. Routledge. ISBN 978-0700712366.
• Davies, Charles E. (1997). The Blood-red Arab Flag: An Investigation Into Qasimi Piracy, 1797-1820. University of Exeter Press. ISBN 9780859895095.
• Farrokh, Kaveh (2011). Iran at War: 1500-1988. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 9781780962214.
• Floor, Willem (1987). "The Iranian Navy in the Gulf during the Eighteenth Century". Iranian Studies. 20 (1): 31–53. doi:10.1080/00210868708701690. JSTOR 26842784.
• Good, Peter (2018). "The East India Company and the foundation of Persian Naval Power in the Gulf under Nader Shah, 1734-47". In Clulow, Adam; Mostert, Tristan (eds.). The Dutch and English East India Companies: Diplomacy, Trade and Violence in Early Modern Asia. Amsterdam University Press. doi:10.5117/9789462983298. ISBN 978-90-4853-338-1. JSTOR j.ctv9hvqf2.13.
• Mirfendereski, Guive (2001). A Diplomatic History of the Caspian Sea. Springer. doi:10.1057/9780230107571_4. ISBN 978-0-230-10757-1.
• Shapur Shahbazi, A. (31 January 2012) [15 December 1999]. "FLAGS i. Of Persia". In Yarshater, Ehsan (ed.). Encyclopædia Iranica. Fasc. 1. X (Online ed.). New York City: Bibliotheca Persica Press. pp. 12–27.
• Ward, Steven R. (2014). Immortal: A Military History of Iran and Its Armed Forces (Updated ed.). Georgetown University Press. ISBN 9781626160651.