Hyder Ali
Mysore Navy

In 1763, Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan established their first naval fleet on the Malabar Coast, under the command of Ali Raja Kunhi Amsa II a large and well armed fleet consisting of 10 dhows and 30 larger ketches in the Indian Ocean, in his attempts to conquer islands that had withstood the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb. In 1763 his allies, the Ali Rajas, sailed from Lakshadweep and Cannanore carrying on board sepoys and on its pennons the colours and emblems of Hyder Ali, and captured the Maldives.

Ali Raja returned to Mysore to pay homage to Hyder Ali, presenting him the captured and blinded Sultan of the Maldives Hasan 'Izz ud-din. Outraged at this excess, Hyder Ali stripped Ali Raja of the command of his fleet.

Hyder Ali, like his son Tipu Sultan protected foreign merchant ships, and the Mysore navy is even known to have protected and convoyed Chinese merchant ships in the region.

In 1768, Hyder Ali lost two grabs and 10 gavilats in a naval skirmish with forces of the East India Company. He was left with eight garbs and ten galivats, most of them damaged beyond repair.

On 19 February 1775, two of Hyder Ali's ketches attacked HMS Seahorse, which drove them off after a brief exchange of fire.

On 8 December 1780 Edward Hughes attacked Hyder Ali's fleet causing considerable damage once again. Mysore is known to have lost some of the best ships it ever constructed in that naval-battle at Mangalore. But the British were unable to stop Suffren 's fleet in 1781.
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