2 0 1 Quarterdeck 9 NAVY FOUNDATION1 MAGAZINE 2 3 REMINISCENCES AND INTERESTING EPISODES QUARTERDECK 2019 58 Snippets from the Sea CONTENTS 61 Heady Days 65 Where There is a Will TRIBUTE 68 Life on Minesweepers The Straight Bat 72 Vice President of a Different Kind 08 75 Three Men and a School 10 Goodbye Podgy 77 The Magnificent Deeds of the Indian Army 78 My Adventures En-Route Joining the Navy 12 Modest to a Fault 81 Memories of a Naval Engineer 85 A Close Shave with Death The Magnificient Mariner Sails 14 Over the Horizon 88 Culinary Diplomacy 92 Get-Home-Itis GOLDEN JUBILEE OF WNC SAILING INTO THE SUNSET 95 Fracas on the MV Akbar 99 SDB’s Jarawa & Whatever 20 Golden Musings 44 A Magnificent Sunset 101 A Tryst with Destiny at Sea 102 Navy to the Rescue Tri-Nation Tour Namami Gange 104 The March from the Past 24 by Veterans 46 108 God’s Own Country 110 From the Pages of My Flying Logbook Jeet - Jeet - Ranjit 50 113 The Naval Sword 116 Scientists, Ships, Strategists & Samosas POEMS Ship of Theseus 54 118 The Ultimate Posting 122 Victorious Vikrant The Winds Rush to be 17 Fair & Seas Grandly 126 The Right Answer for Kaun Banega Maha Crorepati! Follow 129 Stunning Andaman & Nicobar 131 Command News 49 F22 The Grey Warrior DIAMOND JUBILEE OF 142 Navy Foundation Activities SIGNAL SCHOOL 29 71 Beacons of Mariner 106 Ode to the Navy NAVIKA SAGAR PARIKRAMA Editor : Meenakshi Sharma Acknowledgements : V Adm R Hari Kumar AVSM, VSM Breaking Records, Chief of Personnel Birds of Passage 34 Winning Hearts V Adm B Dasgupta AVSM, YSM, VSM, 120 Controller Personnel Services The Tarini Adventure Editorial Board : Cmde Vivek Karnavat 36 Cdr Tapobrata Dutta Navika Sagar Parikrama Published By : Directorate of Ex-Servicemen Affairs OBITUARY 38 6th Floor, Chanakya Bhawan, Chanakya Puri, New Delhi - 110021 151 My Sojourn Onboard Tele Fax : 011 – 24121068/26880943 40 INSV MHADEI Email : [email protected] Blog : www.desanavy.wordpress.com Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in QD 2019 do not necessarily reflect the views of IHQ MoD (Navy), Navy Website : www.indiannavy.nic.in/desa Foundation or the Editor. Production : Eyedea Advertising, Designbox 4 5 From the Editor’s Desk Different and yet same - this is how many veterans describe the service which keeps its traditions and foundations intact while embracing technological advances. An amalgam of news and views, reminiscences and thought provoking tributes, Quarterdeck 2019 is a composite unit that adheres to the Indian Navy’s ethos of building on traditions while keeping pace with time. The Indian Naval Ship is a complete entity when it sets sail with personnel who are trained for resilience, endurance and problem solving while respecting nature and the laws of the seas. It requires vision and foresight as well as a spirit of inclusiveness for a tall mast boat like “Tarini” that epitomizes ‘Made in India’ to circumnavigate the globe with an all women crew. As Admiral Sunil Lanba, Chief of the Naval Staff said on the occasion, “Today India is #TeamTarini. We are all sailors. And the Indian Flag and Naval Ensign flutter high and proud.” Bridges of friendship built through such expeditions showcase the Indian Navy’s grit and mettle as much as its diplomatic side while bringing the world closer! “We may be out of the Navy but the Navy is never out of us,” is an adage our respected veterans live by as they share memories full of TRIBUTE josh and camaraderie to give us a peep into a rich past. Their esprit de corps is evident in the activities of the various chapters making them the true ambassadors of the Navy’s traditions of courage and compassion. This edition of QD 2019 opens with tributes and outpourings from the Naval fraternity to mark the passing away of two legends of the Navy – Admiral Nadkarni and Vice Admiral Awati. Subsequent pages explore various facets of Navy history and culture through articles that span the Diamond Saga of Signal School, the Golden Jubilee of WNC and the sun setting on the majestic INS Ganga. While humour in uniform inevitably adds that dash of pizzazz to QD, a deep look at our history and an eye on the future defines the spirit of Quarterdeck 2019. This magazine is about you and your stories so please continue sharing articles and suggestions and keep the flag flying high. Jai Hind - Meenakshi Sharma 6 7 TRIBUTE TRIBUTE Flag of the then C-in-C East, he remained her around Florence and give a continuous confident and unflappable. When the Captain commentary explaining everything that came was told by the Admiral that he should leave in the line of sight. But the most astounding harbour in total darkness, he promptly saw the thing was when he took her to the Da Vinci opportunity to go fishing during the remaining Museum and explained every Michael Angelo daylight hours with two of his ship mates. The sculpture/painting for nearly six hours. If you The Straight Bat Captain returned on board 15 minutes prior closed your eyes and only heard the voice By Vice Admiral Suresh Bangara (Retd.) to weighing anchor and was on the bridge of Podgy, each item came to life. And there wings conning the ship out of Port Blair while she was holding his arm listening and asking casually chatting with his ship mates on the questions. Even some of the visitors trailed successful fishing expedition. This left the behind the two to listen to Podgy’s narration C-in-C speechless and rather neglected, - an unusual display of his knowledge about perhaps. art and architecture of the renaissance period A Tribute to to perfection. Not many may have known his The second anecdote is when he visited deep understanding, study and appreciation of Admiral Jayant Nadkarni Moscow in the then powerful Soviet Union. European history, its legacy of culture and the (Former Chief of Naval Staff) He was to deliver a pre-dinner speech. The role of the Catholic Church. But what stood out problem was that the carefully crafted and was his devotion to her to ensure that she saw politically correct speech prepared by his staff through his eyes exactly as you and I would and the Naval Attache was left behind at the see and remember Europe.” hotel. The Admiral had merely glanced at it. It would be puerile on my part to summarize believe have not been recorded. But before When he was invited to speak and realised Let me conclude with the anecdote I have the naval career of Adm. Nadkarni. I know that, this is what Adm. Awati said within that the papers were not quite there, he merely chosen from a plethora of anecdotes narrated that a number of us have served under him, hours of Adm. Nadkarni’s departure. “Podgy waved his hand and whispered to the NA that to me during the last week when I contacted perhaps none today has been his peer and was an accomplished navigator who had a he had glanced at the points and that was a number of officers who had served under surely no one senior to him is present today. special touch for the Haven-Finding art which good enough. him. His NA narrated this one. Just prior Gen Patton had said; “It is foolish and wrong I do not see since his days at sea in a ship to his retirement Admiral Nadkarni noticed to mourn the men who died. Rather, we should or as the Commander of the Western Fleet. I Of the many other stories, here is a true story that the Indian Navy had begun to pursue a thank God that such men lived”. hope my readers understand the point I have narrated by Professor Gautam Sen who lives in new penchant for pre-retirement activities. made in describing this officer in his heyday. Pune. “In 1993, Podgy took her (Mrs Nadkarni) Traditional activities such as wining out, dining Adm. Nadkarni certainly belonged to that I experienced it first-hand. None, to my on a holiday to Europe. He was my house guest out and pulling out had expanded to ‘golfing category which exhorts or commends us to knowledge, has matched him in the past fifty in Florence for seven days where I was a Jean out’, in some cases ‘tennising out’ and ‘riding thank God that he lived and that his inherent years or more. The quiet, self-effacing facade Monnet Fellow at the European University out’ too. Hence, he enquired tongue in cheek intellect guided the Indian Navy during a very hid a steely determination to do right, always Institute. She had already lost more than 60% whether he could be ‘Kabbadeed’ out as that difficult phase of our growth, as 1987 to 1990 and every time, by his ships and men. He of her vision. Every single day he would take was the only sport suitable for his podginess! saw many ups and downs in our economy and belongs to that immensely rare breed of men the defence budget took a beating. who display character. It was forged during his difficult teens and early adulthood when he Much was achieved during his watch and no had to struggle against adverse conditions at one needs me to elucidate those records. home, facing denials.” What I shall do now is to tell you a few stories that have perhaps never been told before. Let Having been the navigator of INS Delhi, he me at the outset state that I came to know knew that ship pretty well.