While the Royal Navy ruled the waves, a lesser-known force kept the British Empire's eastern lifelines open: the Royal Indian Marine. In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore how the East India Company's humble Bombay Marine evolved from a pepper-and-pirate patrol into a vital military arm, guarding the watery roads between Bombay, Basra, and Rangoon. They follow the service through the Anglo-Burmese Wars, the 1857 Mutiny, and the First World War, meeting figures like Captain Robert Wiss and the Parsi shipbuilders of the Wadias. Along the way, they untangle a web of intrigue—from the Company's clandestine gunboat diplomacy against the Marathas to the Royal Indian Marine's overlooked role in carrying troops and dispatches during the Great War. It's a story of saltwater and strategy, of wooden hulls and ironclad ambitions, and of the men—and a few women—who served in an empire's shadows. The episode also touches on the present-day Indian Navy's roots and the lingering legacy of a maritime force that history often forgets.
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