QUARTERDECK — 2017 Navy Foundation Magazine Contents * Change of Leadership 3 * Editorial 4 * CNS Interview 5 30 * Change of Guard at IHQ, MoD (Navy) 8 * International Fleet Review 2016: Reminiscences 9 Admiral RK Dhowan (Retired) * IFR 16 - No Bigger Challenge or Greater 14 Editor Achievement Vice Admiral Satish Soni (Retired) Shirley Ramsay * International Fleet Review - A Bird’s 17 Eye View Illustrations Captain Nirbhay Bapna, Officer-in-Charge, V Adm G Mahadevan (Retired) IFR 2016 * Ahoy, Hello, Namaste 25 Captain Nitin Kapoor We acknowledge yeoman support by * 50 Glorious Years of The Submarine Arm 27 V Adm Anil K Chawla, AVSM, NM, VSM Vice Admiral AK Singh (Retired) Chief of Personnel * Golden Jubilee of Indian Submarine Arm 29 and Rear Admiral JMS Sodhi (Retired) V Adm R Hari Kumar, AVSM, VSM * My Association with Pioneer Submariners 32 Commodore-At-Arms KK Garg (Retired) Controller Personnel Services * The Submarine Arm and The Birth of 35 Marine Medicine Editorial Board Major General S Kundu (Retired) Cmde Ajay Saxena, VSM * Flea Market for The Chakra 38 Cmde SM Anwer, VSM Surgeon Captain P Gokulkrishnan Cmde Sanjay Nirmal * Bamboo Target - Misfire Report 40 Admiral VS Shekhawat (Retired) * School for Naval Airmen 44 Published by Lieutenant Commander PJR Chaitanya Directorate of Ex-Servicemen Affairs * An Illustrious Journey from MGTOC to 48 6th Floor, Chanakya Bhawan INS Eksila Yashwant Place, Captain S Parthiban, Executive Officer, INS Eksila * When Gas Turbine 3109 Rolled out 52 Chanakyapuri, New Delhi - 110 021 Commodore Jasbir Singh (Retired) Tele: 011-2412 1068/2688 0943 * Knowledge Enabler Bay 55 URL http://desanavy.wordpress.com Lieutenant Commander Aditya Taragi Email: [email protected] * Admiral SN Kohli, Padma Bhushan 57 * Tribute to Admiral SN Kohli 59 Rear Admiral JMS Sodhi (Retired) Production * My Encounters with Admiral SN Kohli 60 Graphic Point Pvt. Ltd. Commodore-At-Arm KK Garg (Retired) 011 - 28523517, 45534188 * Recollections of Admiral Kohli 62 Commander Sati Taneja (Retired) Contributions to QD may be sent to: * As I Knew Him 63 The Editor, Quarterdeck, Commodore HML Saxena (Retired) * Recollection of 1971 Conflict 64 G-93, Jalvayu Vihar, Sector - 25 Commander Bahadur Kavina (Retired) NOIDA - 201 301. * INS Valsura in its Pristine Glory 65 email: [email protected] Commander S Mohan (Retired) Telephone: 0120 2537251 * Recollections of an Octogenarian 66 Captain (L) S Prabhala (Retired) 1 * My Memories of INS Valsura 69 * INS Rajali’s Glorious 25 Years 120 Commander Rajnish (Retired) Commodore RS Vasan (Retired) * Back to The Future 71 * Firangis in Rajali 124 Mrs Kamlesh Khanna Commander DPS Aujla (Retired) * The Light that Emanates from Here 73 * Anecdote 125 Commodore B Siva Kumar Captain AK Malik (Retired) * Valsura where The Sparks Generate 76 * Genesis of Rajali 126 Commander Rajinder Dutta (Retired) Commander Rajinder Dutta (Retired) * A Journey of Life in Valsura 79 * Indian Naval Indigenisation 127 Commander Amrit Kaur (Retired) Vice Admiral Pradeep Chauhan (Retired) * The Val-Gudi Days 81 * Indigenisation of Command & Control 130 Commander Vikesh Jain (Retired) and Communication Systems * Adieu Beloved ‘Jump-Jet’ 82 Rear Admiral Arun Saxena (Retired) Admiral Arun Prakash (Retired) * Make in India - Navy Unequalled 133 * End of an Era 86 Captain S Prabhala (Retired) Commander Shikku Raj * Salaam Tashkent 136 * INS Vikrant Memorial 89 Mrs Monila Gupta Commodore M Bhada (Retired) * In Chinggis Khan’s Country 139 * Lifetime Achievement Award 90 Dr Shreelatha Banger Captain Raj Mohindra (Retired) * Obituary List 142 * Karwar Revisited 91 * A Tribute - Commander Pran Prashar 149 Commander Sati Taneja (Retired) Vice Admiral Subhash C Chopra (Retired) * A Sequel to “Is it that Long Ago?” 93 * A Eulogy on Late Rear Admiral SV Purohit 151 Rear Admiral Subir Paul (Retired) Rear Admiral SA O’Leary (Retired) * Navy 36 - The Golden Get-together 95 * Eulogy on Late Commodore Suresh 152 Mrs Nandini Guha Bhandoola * Cheek-to-Cheek 97 Major General SK Sharma (Retired) Commander Noel Lobo (Retired) * A Tribute - Commander RK Hukku 153 * Viva la Goa! 98 Commodore VB Mishra (Retired) Commodore RK Dass (Retired) * A Tribute to Vice Admiral LR Mehta 153 * The Rajput Class True Blue Warriors 100 Rear Admiral Arun Saxena (Retired) Commodore Shrikant B Kesnur * Fare Thee Well - Commander NK Sharma 154 * The Earthquake 102 Commodore DR Acharya (Retired) Mrs Dulcie Suresh * Remembering Rear Admiral VS Chaudhari 155 * A Tribute - Late Vice Admiral AVR 103 Vice Admiral John C DeSilva (Retired) Naryana Rao * Navy Foundation - AGM/GCM 158 Commander BLN Rao (Retired) * Pune Charter 159 * An Untold Story of 1971 War 104 * Bangalore Charter 160 Commodore Medioma Bhada (Retired) * Kerala Charter 161 * An Unforgettable Incident 106 * Visakhapatnam Charter 163 Commodore SM Sundaram (Retired) * Delhi Charter 165 * Fifty Years of Golf 107 * Mumbai Charter 166 Commodore Ravi Sharma (Retired) * WNC News 167 * Happiness 110 * ENC News 172 Commander VK Mohan (Retired) * SNC News 178 * Operation Cactus 110 Captain Ashutosh Verma (Retired) * Night Watch 113 Commodore RPS Ravi (Retired) * The Pleasure of Gliding 115 Commander SK Deshpande (Retired) * Preparation and Commissioning - INS Rajali 117 Vice Admiral V Pasricha (Retired) 2 CHANGE OF LEADERSHIP 3 Editorial Quarterdeck extends heartiest congratulations to Admiral Sunil Lanba on taking over the helm of the Indian Navy and conveys very best wishes for a glorious innings as the Chief of the Naval Staff. In a very candid Interview, CNS has set forth his vision on the growth trajectory of the Indian Navy and has assured that our Navy is surely and steadily moving forward on its well charted course as the net security provider in the region. The Navy’s second International Fleet Review, IFR-16, has been exhaustively covered in this edition, while presenting first-hand accounts of the challenges and achievements related to the conduct of the biggest-ever maritime event of the country. In celebrating the Golden Jubilee of the Submarine Arm, we have dedicated a Section ‘50 Glorious Years of the Submarine Arm’, with a few professional and light-hearted articles contributed by Veteran Submariners. In a poignant and heart-warming ceremony at INS Hansa, the venerable Sea Harriers of the Indian Navy were given a fond farewell, and MiG-29K, were inducted as White Tigers into Indian Naval Air Squadron 300. Quarterdeck presents nostalgic memoirs from the first and the last Commanding Officers of the Sea Harriers. A few other units and establishments will also celebrate their Diamond, Platinum and Silver Jubilees during 2017. We would like to gratefully acknowledge related contributions received from serving and retired officers. We also gratefully acknowledge the contributions made by the Signal School to commemorate the Birth Centenary of Late Admiral SN Kohli by compiling historical images, write-ups and personal tributes sent in by senior Veterans. I am truly delighted that Vice Admiral Ganesh Mahadevan has yet again enriched this magazine with his fascinating, colourful and vivid caricatures. I am truly thankful to him for making the illustrations available to us very promptly, year after year. An overwhelming response from contributors brings an Editor great joy, but also the vexed responsibility of excluding several contributions due to constraints of space. In this edition of Quarterdeck, I could not accommodate as many as 15 to 20 contributions and images. Therefore, I sincerely apologise for disappointing several enthusiastic contributors and thank them wholeheartedly for their support to our magazine. My utmost gratitude to Commodore Ajay Saxena, PDESA, Commodore SM Anwer, Additional PDESA, Commodore Sanjay Nirmal and their entire team for their invaluable help, assistance and encouragement, not only in the preparation of the magazine, but also in making sure that readers receive their copies wherever they may be. I wish you all prosperity, good cheer and sound health always. Happy reading! 4 CNS INTERVIEW Quarterdeck (QD). The to assure our veterans Quarterdeck conveys that all of us in the white heartiest congratulations uniform are fully committed and very warm felicitations and ready to take on any to you on assuming the challenge in the maritime office of Chief of the Naval domain to ensure that Staff. Would you like to our maritime interests are convey a message to the protected at all times. retired naval fraternity through the medium of QD. Being a naval Quarterdeck? progeny, please share some memories of growing Chief of the Naval Staff up, your formative years, (CNS). It is indeed a schooling, etc.? singular honour to have taken over the helm of our CNS. Life in the Navy very fine service. has been fascinating, both as a child and as an The seas and oceans around us are adult. My father’s frequent transfers got us not only the lifelines for domestic and accustomed to swiftly relocate and adapt to international trade, but are also a rich source any new environment in a short span of time. of natural resources. Our economic growth, development and energy requirements are I have spent my childhood in various naval very largely dependent on the oceans. There stations all over India. When my father was is a growing realisation of the importance of posted at Hamla, I outgrew the only school the seas, and therefore, it is no surprise that at the base. The only option available was there is a resurgence of interest in affairs to join a boarding school. I joined Mayo Maritime in our country. Maritime security College, Ajmer in 1965, from where I finished is accordingly high on our national security my schooling in 1972. agenda. I have many vivid memories of the Navy The Indian Navy is the prime manifestation from my childhood. The Naval Dockyard at of maritime power of our great nation. This Mumbai only comprised the Inner Breakwater success and growth of the Indian Navy upto the Wet Basin. All operational ships has been possible due to the foresight and used to be at anchor.