Majapahit Navy

Timeline

1. 1371–1380Trowulan Palace · East JavaThe Nagarakretagama, completed in 1365, describes Majapahit territory as encompassing the ports of the archipelago, with the navy able to cruise from Java itself to Sumatra, Kalimantan, and the eastern coast of the Malay Peninsula. In the 1370s this maritime order still operated under Hayam Wuruk, with vassal states required to pay tribute to the royal house and acknowledge freedom of maritime passage.
2. 1371–1380Surabaya–Gresik coast · Java SeaThe naval fleet was stationed at the mouth of the Brantas River and along the coastal ports of North Java, using the monsoon to travel between the Java Sea and the Strait of Malacca. The fleet used junks as its mainstay, supplemented by oared galleys for coastal patrols, escorting tribute ships, and punishing rebellious vassals, constituting the empire's actual control over the archipelago's trade routes.
3. 1377Palembang · SumatraIn 1377 Majapahit dispatched its navy on an expedition against Palembang in Sumatra, striking the local rulers and the remnant Srivijaya regime backed by Ming forces. Both the Malay Annals and the Majapahit Chronicle record this campaign; the Majapahit fleet sailed up the Musi River into Palembang, and although it could not hold the territory long-term, it demonstrated the navy's long-range power projection and its intent to maintain hegemony over the strait's trade.
4. 1371–1380Eastern entrance of the Strait of Malacca · Strait of MalaccaThe navy performed escort duties, intercepted unauthorized passage, and collected port taxes along tributary and trade routes. Vassal state envoys' fleets required Majapahit permission to pass through the seas claimed by the empire, and this system in the 1370s sustained a multi-layered tributary-trade network centered on Java.