TO BE PUBLISH OR BROADCAST BEFORE THE MORNING OF FEBR1J.RY 3 ,j958

Baokground Materia1

FIRST INDIAN OFFICER TO COWT THE NAVY

Cl ANCES TN SZIOR NAVAN POTNTtnNTS

In the history of the In.ion Navy an epoch-making event will tai plaãe in April this 'year (as announced by the Lünist:.y of Defence) when

the first Indian off ior will take ovea the comrncnd of the Indian Navy.

The.&iwtinctjon will go to tho senior-most officer oN the Navy -

RDJatari', at proc,e ti Fla;j Officer c± tqci Indian F?cot

It may be recalled that tbo Navy which actualy came into being as to Indian Mirio in 1613 has so fir boon commanded orly by British officers,

Forrly, being the 'ihttng r:rce of East India Company it was commd.sd.

comparatively low rui1cing officers. Once the Navy was taken over by the

British Crown from the East India Company in 1858, the Sorvico operated as

an adjunct to the Royal Navy,,

From September 1934, when the InUan Navy Discipline Act was passed

by hend Jgia1ui boknown as thb RoyaLInd±an Navy and its command was then v3stod in tho Flag Offioer -Commanding Royal

Indian Navy (F.O.CIt,1 3N). But the supreme command of the Navy(as well as the other iwo Sorvices) was given to the Commandsr-in.-Chiof, who was also a member of the Governor Gonoralrs Executive Council.

The next important change in thoolution of naval command caine in September 1946 when the first National Govenmont was formed and the Cornmandeiin-Chjof ceased to be bho War Member of tho Eyocutivo Council,

but continued, to exorcise his command of the Royal Indian Navy through the

After indepondonco tho head of tho Sorvic became independent of the

other two Services, and subsequently his designation was changed as Comrnandcjr-in-Chjof. The first two Commanders-in-Chief of the Indian Navy

were Admiral Sir Edwathd Parry (now retired) who assumod office in

August 1948 and Admiral Sir Mark Pizoy. The present Naval Chief, Admiral

Sir Stephen Carlill took over from Admiral Pizey in July 1955.

That Admiral Carlili would be tho last of tho British officers to

command the Navy was announced. in Parliament about two yoazs ago. Admiral

Katari's taking over tho command in this April will open a new chapter in

the olourful history of the Navy,

Biographical Sktohs

VICE-IPLAL SIR STI9HEN CLRLILL1 KBEç CD, P50.

Vice-Admiral Sir Stephen Carlill took over command of the

Tndis.n 1'avy.....4.1

Indjnn Iaj :ri July 1955 from l:iiraj 3ir ijr Fizey, When he' rellnqjs1 office this pr:l be WOIJ hvo =92 etej nearly three yiis as the Cbje of Naa1 Staff, H eahreJ tho boyol hairy in 1916,

Durip hi l Ri havy dairal Carlill has held a numbeof impo:tan± apcihtnQnt $ . Rcws tho Captain (D) in commd of the 4th DOOM= Rloiii:La feon '1942 to 1 944. 1,7Piils t holding thii appoir;tmont ho a as awa:dsi t.o S 0: for his sh J .1 crd ntorprj

11

action against snoLy submarinc a ,In 04 howns aJ so moitic dospatohos for oorc± 'r hH:. Lftn' ehot two yearst 5VjCe in tho Gunn)r\ It ricJ

': o 'thu Lc1ioJ -by, ho was appointod Chief of Staff to the Cuandzin_Cbj British Pacific Fl00t in $946 1,

}ror: t 'u Loojl CarijIl commandod HOM,SEXCELLENT Roy5.l Nayt s Gunnory So'nol and J: OO5 given the commnd of the ircraft Carrier ILMS. ILLUSTRICU Theroaftur, ho sorvod as tho

Senior Naval Monhor of tho Directing Stuff of tko Imporial Defence Collgo until '1954 :2oforo tnk:'10 over 't'oo cccirnsnd of iho Indian Navy, ho was ccr:juasIIa CIfiou home Rico -b Training Squro;

Ho was prmotod to the rank of Vjcc~_I,,dmiralin Docctbor 1954,

Lu ihf -on l u Birtbda1 bcncu, UoO, 1957 2 Ldmiral Carlill was appointed Knight Cqmrwn.uth. of the 17

C5± Excll't Ordor of tho Bnit:ish Empire (KB,E 1,

tQS

R DhSS KiTh.PI

Ro.reJ RDKatai, the Chief of Ilavaa tff-S.d atQ boc:n thu first Tadian Flag Offices of the 00011u since Octobr 2 1956k He has the proud diotiAct1,n ui hohdig firsts in academic and professional careers, and is th first Indian to become an Admiral

Tho sc-n- Oiflosb Indian cith con of ±h hairy, : ri:tra1 Katari was born in Cngio't't (about 40 miles from Madras) and sponi his childhood and youth in Hydorabad. Lftur compioton f his school and college

ho joined tho Training Ship D::ir and sLc'od first in the on'trancu examination.

He has the Unu triple mistIctjon of bojni the first cadet to join the Training ship BUFFERIN when this mi:baiio was fundod in 1927, to bo tho first winner of the Vicoroyl q Gold Mda1 and to bucomo tho first Member ropr onting th oxcadts on tho Governing Body of tho DUFFER]T.

Durng thu last war h saw active service in tho 2.tlautic and Indian Oceans and, held variety of anpoinuonts both afloat and ashore.

Having.,,.3

At

Background. Materia1(ContdD

Having specialised in anti—subraa.rixie work, he was for a while Instructor

in the Anti—Submarino SchooL

Subsequent to the war p h z2 hold important sea commands. He was

reponsiblo for clearing the mines that had been laid in the Andaman and.

Nicobar aroas Lato, the coumand of tho laval Forces that took part in

the dofonco operations ofi the Kathiawar cat c1e-\o1,ud upon him when he

was in command of I 0 NKISTNA'1 . In the same sh±p he took the main body

of ratings to the UK, for indias first Cruiser I.NS."DELHI" - and.

¼ since the time sho was takon ovor io July 19.3 u 'to oarly i99 he sorved

as the Commander of tho Flagship

He was promoted to the rank of Cattain in December 1948, about two

months before bc took over ao Chief of Personnel at Naval T-

For about a year from December 1951, ho was the Captain of the

IN Destroyer Squadron and. Coiamanding Officer of INS RJPUT. He attended

a course at the Imperial Dcjfo.acj College in the United Kingdom in 1953.

After his return to India he took over as the Deputy Chief of Naval Staff

oarly in 954 and was ccnst1u'tod Couuodoro In tho same your, he

officiated as the CoromarrIur-in-Chiuf of 'the Indian Navy and was the first

Indian officoz to do so

In March 1956 he was promoted. Roar-d.miralL ftor banding over to

his successor at Naval Hoadauarors ho went abroad on a study tour

roturning to India in Augasi ;956.

C C O'i,7110MRE, AJITENDU CHAKELVERTI -

Commodore .Cliokravorti who will take over as Flag Officor Cmanding

the Indian Fleet from Roar-mim±ral Katari has boon the Deputy Chief of Dy

Staff since March i95. iftor handing over to his succossor at Naval H.Q

Commodore Chakravorti will go abroad on a study tour. Boforo his dopartuo

he will be prc:oto(1 t t}o 'can': of Roax-Ad.miral.

Commencing his sea career in the Training Ship DUFFRIN" as a ca.o$

in 1928, he passed out with distinction in 1930 and was awarded. the Vicoroy'i

Geld Modal as the best cadet of tho year.

He joiaod the Royal Indian Marine as a Qadot in 193 aid underwent

training in the United. Kingdom for about three yoars Shortly after the

outbreak of the last wam he was again cont to the United Kiidom for a long

specialist gnnory courso On roturu to India in the middle of 1941, he was

appointed Socund.-in-command of the then IcN. Gunnery School which was

located in'ombay4 Two years lato, as a Liout-Coiaasnd,or, he held the

appointment of Staff Off:ccr Gunuoiy at Naval ll.Q

Comxnorioro Chakravorti.. ... 'p.4

~LaLkg roua ialc)

COOdOTO Chnkvc- ',n 1 ih0 wa SOIjCO ;o his crodjj nd was mentioned in despatchos during minoswoopjng oporators off

Burma aid Malacca StraSr In 1948 I'Lo Ou000ssfully completod a Staff Course at o Royal Naval College at Croon on return was appointod

Ommiding Officer of th then }iIS °HIMLTt, tho largest nnory sohool n sia, He had lod the ndi Na"1 Conti out during the Victory Parade

tn London in June 946

In Ju0 1947. ho w: promo od to 'his rank of Captain. In the ssn he was appointed jjf ef dujnjstUon at Naval H0 ., Later, he also ?ficj as Chief of St(-Lff hiJ, post is now re—designated as Doputy

chief of Naval Staff) and duringth officiating period was c0nstitut0 'omrnod.cro Second class

From tho summer o 94 to tho end of 95 be was tho Captain of 11th stroyor Squaon (whon it was first forriocl) and also commonding officer of i'SpJJT tho SOflior ship of tho Souadror, relinquishing thi e paointment h

.o. boeao the Captaj 'Supor,ntoniont of tn Trd 4 Naval Docrard at Bombay, walcb post he held unii a took over as 'Commodorjn.,Ch embj, in pril 1954. He was tho fiit lodion naval officcr to hold tks ost rn 1955, Commodore Chnkr,vort4 attended

a oou-rsO at 'the Imporial ofenoe Collsge(uj,) nfl i'Li io Indiabe tu'k over as th DoDllty 'of of Taval Staff in March i5

' ) G C) )

C.4PTJIN 2i.DI R __TJbip CHb1L1EI

(,"Ptairi L.K.Chattorji ~ th .Doputy Chjc.l of Naval Staff i: will t:e over his now appointment during thiS wok Whir hj iLi bc cutjtu ted Commodore socond olass

Captain Chattorii has just c'amp10- i a 000r i Imperial :o±nce ailogo (Lr,K). Born in Novomu 19i Al

4 ho joined ibo Ráyal lnlion Nar as a cadot in 1933

Captain Chattorjl qual) ar int 'ul in the United ingdom in 94Q end corp rod h bt:ff ourso in tho Unitod Kingdom in August i947 On r0tU2n to tbn Ew:UT

i' was aoantod Director of Naval Plans at Naval H-Q

dno 195o, h assa -irana of tflo flagsbp IN.S r DHI! and wa promoted to the ronk of Captoio Ho was tho firot md' an officer tocommand the 'jser From Docombor 4950 ta January 95 ho was t1.0Naval Auviseir to

h Once

ao Hig Cornrnjs3jo 0 for India in the United K!ndom) O h o return to India again commended Lho DELHI for aorao timo and thou bec00 the

Bombay in Norhor 9542 which appointme] t bZ1 hold for V!j

Jifl'r TO BE PUBLISHED OR BROADCAST BL1Fnp TUJ HORNING OF FEBRU.RY