Royal Malaysian Navy

The Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) (Malay: Tentera Laut DiRaja Malaysia; TLDM) is the naval arm of the Malaysian Armed Forces.

History

Straits Settlement Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve

The Royal Malaysian Navy can trace its roots to the formation of the Straits Settlement Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve (SSRNVR) in Singapore on 27 April 1934 by the British colonial government in Singapore. The SSRNVR was formed to assist the Royal Navy in the defence of Singapore, upon which the defence of the Malay Peninsula was based. Also behind its formation were political developments in Asia, particularly a Japan that was increasingly assertive in Asia. In 1938 the SSRNVR was expanded with a branch in Penang.

On 18 January 1935, the British Admiralty presented Singapore with an Acacia class sloop, HMS Laburnum, to serve as the Reserve's Headquarters and drill ship. It was berthed at the Telok Ayer Basin. HMS Laburnum was sunk in February 1942, prior to the capitulation of Singapore at the beginning of the Pacific Second World War.