Sourendra Nath Kohli Explained

Honorific Prefix:Admiral
Office1:7th Chief of the Naval Staff
Termstart1:1 March 1973
Termend1:29 February 1976
President1:V. V. Giri
Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed
Primeminister1:Indira Gandhi
Predecessor1:Sardarilal Mathradas Nanda
Successor1:Jal Cursetji
Sourendra Nath Kohli
Honorific Suffix:PVSM
Birth Date:21 June 1916
Birth Place:Amritsar, Punjab[1]
Death Date:[2]
Allegiance: (till 1947)
India (after 1947)
Branch: (till 1947)
(after 1947)
Serviceyears:1936–1976
Rank: Admiral
Commands:Western Naval Command
Indian Fleet

Battles:World War II
Liberation of Goa
Indo-Pakistani War of 1965
Indo-Pakistani War of 1971
Awards: Padma Bhushan
Param Vishist Seva Medal
Laterwork:Author, We dared[3]
Author, Sea power and the Indian Ocean[4]

Admiral Sourendra Nath Kohli, PVSM (21 June 1916 – 21 January 1997) was an Indian Navy admiral who served as the 7th Chief of the Naval Staff from 1 March 1973 until 29 February 1976.[5] Kohli served as the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief (FOC-IN-C) of the Western Naval Command during the Indo-Pakistan War of 1971 and successfully led Indian Navy's Western Fleet in Operation Trident and Operation Python against the Pakistan Navy fleet in Karachi. His prior commands include those as the commanding officer of and .

Early life

Kohli was the son of B. L. Kohli, and studied BA (Hons.) from St. Stephen's College, Delhi.[6]

Naval career

Early career

Kohli joined the Royal Indian Navy Volunteer Reserve as a cadet in May 1936, immediately after his graduation. He was commissioned as a sub-lieutenant in the RIN on 25 June 1938,[7] with promotion to lieutenant on 1 May 1941.[8]

During World War II, Kohli served in the Persian Gulf and in the Far Eastern theatre. He qualified as a Communication Specialist in the United Kingdom in 1943. He served on board in 1944-45. He was promoted to acting Lieutenant Commander in 1946 and served at the then RIN Naval Headquarters, HMIS Dalhousie.

Post-Independence

After independence, Kohli opted to join the Indian Navy and was one of the key officers selected to oversee the expansion of the naval fleet. He was deputed to the United Kingdom in December 1948 in connection with acquisition of destroyers and was appointed Commanding Officer of on her purchase from the Royal Navy in 1949, receiving promotion to acting commander (substantive lieutenant-commander) on 30 June of that year.[9]

Other appointments that Kohli held included those as the Senior Officer of the flagship of the Indian Navy, . Later, he also served as the Commanding Officer of the flagship, . He was promoted to substantive commander on 30 June 1951,[10] and was promoted to substantive captain on 30 June 1955.[11]

Kohli served as the superintendent of the Naval Dockyard in Bombay. He also twice served as the Director of Naval Plans. His staff appointments included those as Chief of Material and then as the Vice Chief of Naval Staff.

Flag rank

Kohli rose to flag rank in 1965 with promotion to substantive Rear Admiral on 18 August.[12] He was the Flag Officer Commanding of the Fleet from 1967 to 1969. Kohli was awarded the Param Vishisht Seva Medal in January 1968. He was promoted to Vice Admiral on 14 February 1969.[13] Next, Kohli served as the Commandant of the National Defence College for two years until 1971.

On 12 February 1971, Kohli was appointed the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief (FOC-IN-C) of the Western Naval Command. During the war with Pakistan in December 1971, Kohli provided operational leadership for the devastating attacks on Karachi harbour. He also led the defence of Indian Naval facilities on the west coast. He was also responsible for overseeing the safety of the Indian mercantile fleet during the war. He was awarded the Padma Bhushan for his exceptional leadership during the 1971 war.[14]

Chief of Naval Staff

On 1 March 1973, Kohli took over as the Chief of the Naval Staff.[15] He retired from the Navy on 29 February 1976.[5]

Later life

Kohli authored We dared, a memoir of the Indian Navy operations during the war of 1971.[3] He is also the author of Sea Power and the Indian Ocean, an analysis of the geo-political and maritime concerns in the Indian Ocean region.[4]

Personal life

Kohli was married to the late Sumitra Kohli, and had three daughters.[1]

Notes and References

  1. Book: Service Chiefs of India. 9788172111625. 2011-11-08. Sartaj Alam Abidi. S.. Sharma. Satinder. 2007.
  2. http://www.hindu.com/revents/04/19970499.htm
  3. Book: We dared: Maritime operations in the 1971 Indo-Pak war. 9780861322091. 2011-11-08. Kohli. Sourendra Nath. 1989.
  4. Web site: Sea power and the Indian Ocean. National Defense University Library. 2011-11-08.
  5. Web site: Admiral Sourendra Nath Kohli, Padma Bhushan, PVSM. Information Resource Facilitation Centre, Indian Navy. 2011-11-08.
  6. Web site: Admiral Sourendra Nath Kohli. Bharat Rakshak.
  7. http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/34561/pages/6439 The London Gazette, 14 October 1938
  8. Book: The Navy List: June 1944 . HM Government, UK . 1944 . 1965 . The Royal Indian Navy .
  9. News: Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Navy Branch) . 953 . 9 July 1949. The Gazette of India.
  10. News: Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Navy Branch) . 133 . 14 July 1951. The Gazette of India.
  11. News: Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Navy Branch) . 151 . 30 July 1955. The Gazette of India.
  12. News: Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Navy Branch) . 491 . 20 August 1966. The Gazette of India.
  13. News: Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Navy Branch) . 674 . 19 July 1969. The Gazette of India.
  14. Web site: Padma Awards . Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India . 2015 . 21 July 2015.
  15. News: Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Navy Branch) . 724 . 30 June 1973. The Gazette of India.