Flag Officer Commanding Western Fleet

Last updated
Flag Officer Commanding
Western Fleet
(FOCWF)
Rear Admiral ensign of Indian Navy.svg
Flag of the FOCWF (Rear Admiral's flag)
RAdm Rahul Vilas Gokhale.jpg
since 23 Aug 2024
Indian Navy
AbbreviationFOCWF
Reports to Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Western Naval Command
Seat Mumbai
First holder Rear Admiral Sourendra Nath Kohli, PVSM (as FOCWF)

Flag Officer Commanding Western Fleet (FOCWF) is the title of the Indian Navy Officer who commands the Western Fleet, headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra. The FOCWF is a two star admiral holding the rank of Rear Admiral. The appointment is considered to be an important and a coveted one. [1] The Current FOCWF is Rear Admiral Rahul Vilas Gokhale, who assumed office on 23 August 2024.

Contents

History

After the independence and the partition of India on 15 August 1947, the ships and personnel of the Royal Indian Navy were divided between the Dominion of India and the Dominion of Pakistan. [2] The Chief of the Royal Indian Navy was designated Flag officer Commanding Royal Indian Navy (FOCRIN). Serving under him was the Commodore Commanding Indian Naval Squadron (COMINS), the precursor to the Fleet Commander. In 1951, the appointment was upgraded to Two-star rank and was designated Rear Admiral Commanding Indian Naval Squadron (RACINS). In 1952, with the increase in number of naval vessels, the appointment was designated Flag Officer (Flotillas) Indian Fleet (FOFIF) and Flag Officer Commanding Indian Fleet (FOCIF) in 1957. [3] [4]

With the establishment of the Eastern Naval Command on 1 March 1968, the Indian Fleet was renamed as the Western Fleet and the Commander was designated Flag Officer Commanding Western Fleet (FOCWF). [5] [6] [7]

The designations over time:

Organisation

The FOCWF is assisted by the fleet staff, headed by the Fleet Operations Officer (FOO), a one-star appointment. The Fleet Communications & Electronic Warfare Officer (FCO), Fleet Gunnery Officer (FGO), Fleet Navigation Officer (FNO), Fleet Anti-Submarine Warfare Officer (FASWO), Fleet Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Damage Control Officer (FNBCDO),Fleet Armament Officer (FARMO), Fleet Naval Architecture Officer (FNAO), Fleet Engineering Officer (FEO) and Fleet Electrical Officer (FLO) make up the rest of the fleet staff. [8]

List of Commanders

S.No.NameAssumed officeLeft officeNotes
Commodore Commanding Indian Naval Squadron (COMINS)
1 Commodore John Talbot Savignac Hall CIE August 1948April 1949
2 Commodore H N S BrownApril 194916 March 1950Seconded from the Royal Navy. [9]
3 Commodore Geoffrey Barnard CBE , DSO & Bar 16 March 19501 June 1951Seconded from the Royal Navy, later promoted Vice Admiral. [10]
Rear Admiral Commanding Indian Naval Squadron (RACINS)
4 Rear Admiral Geoffrey Barnard CBE , DSO & Bar 1 June 19514 October 1951Seconded from the Royal Navy, later promoted Vice Admiral. [11]
5 Rear Admiral N V Dickinson DSO & Bar , DSC 5 October 195130 April 1952Seconded from the Royal Navy. [11]
Flag Officer (Flotillas) Indian Fleet (FOFIF)
5 Rear Admiral N V Dickinson DSO & Bar , DSC 1 May 195226 November 1953Seconded from the Royal Navy. [11]
6 Rear Admiral F A Ballance27 November 195319 April 1955Seconded from the Royal Navy. [12] [13]
7 Rear Admiral Sir St John Tyrwhitt Bt, CB, DSO, DSC20 April 19552 October 1956Seconded from the Royal Navy, later promoted Admiral. [14]
8 Rear Admiral Ram Dass Katari 2 October 195630 December 1957First Indian flag officer and first Indian appointee. Later first Indian Chief of the Naval Staff. [15]
Flag Officer Commanding Indian Fleet (FOCIF)
8 Rear Admiral Ram Dass Katari 30 December 19572 April 1958Later First Indian Chief of the Naval Staff. [16]
9 Rear Admiral Ajitendu Chakraverti 3 April 195816 April 1960 [17] [18]
10 Rear Admiral Bhaskar Sadashiv Soman 17 April 196022 May 1962Later Chief of the Naval Staff. [19]
11 Rear Admiral Adhar Kumar Chatterji 22 May 19627 January 1964Later Chief of the Naval Staff. [19]
12 Rear Admiral Benjamin Abraham Samson 8 January 196431 May 1966Later Chief executive officer of Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders. [20]
13 Rear Admiral Sardarilal Mathradas Nanda PVSM , AVSM 1 June 196620 December 1967Later Chief of the Naval Staff, during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. [21]
14 Rear Admiral Sourendra Nath Kohli PVSM , AVSM 21 December 196729 February 1968Later Chief of the Naval Staff. [22]
Flag Officer Commanding Western Fleet (FOCWF)
14 Rear Admiral Sourendra Nath Kohli PVSM , AVSM 1 March 19681 January 1969Later Chief of the Naval Staff. [23] [24]
15 Rear Admiral V. A. Kamath PVSM 2 January 19692 November 1970Later served as the First Director General of the Indian Coast Guard. [25]
16 Rear Admiral Elenjikal Chandy Kuruvila PVSM , AVSM 2 November 197027 March 1973Fleet Commander during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. [26] [27]
17 Rear Admiral Kirpal Singh PVSM , AVSM March 1973November 1973Became a successful businessman after leaving the navy. Founded Dolphin Offshore Enterprises. [28]
18 Rear Admiral Swaraj Parkash MVC , AVSM November 197322 April 1974Captain of INS Vikrant during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971.
Later Director General of the Indian Coast Guard. [29] [30]
19 Rear Admiral Nar Pati Datta AVSM 22 April 19749 October 1975Later Deputy Chief of Naval Staff [31]
20 Rear Admiral R K S Ghandhi VrC 20 October 19752 March 1976Also commanded the Eastern Fleet. Later Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Western Naval Command. [32]
21 Rear Admiral M. R. Schunker 3 March 19762 February 1977Later Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Eastern Naval Command. [33] [34]
22 Rear Admiral Manohar Prahlad Awati VrC 3 August 19774 March 1979Later served as Commandant of the National Defence Academy and Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Western Naval Command [35] [36]
23 Rear Admiral Radhakrishna Hariram Tahiliani AVSM 4 March 197912 May 1980Later Chief of the Naval Staff.
24 Rear Admiral Subimal Mookerjee AVSM 12 May 198030 May 1981Later Vice Chief of the Naval Staff. [37]
25 Rear Admiral Jayant Ganpat Nadkarni NM , VSM 30 May 198111 August 1982Later Chief of the Naval Staff. [38]
26 Rear Admiral K K Nayyar AVSM 11 August 198228 March 1983Later Vice Chief of the Naval Staff. [39]
27 Rear Admiral I J S Khurana28 March 198312 February 1985Later Director General of the Indian Coast Guard. [30]
28 Rear Admiral S C Chopra AVSM 12 February 198526 February 1986Later Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Eastern Naval Command. [40]
29 Rear Admiral Vijai Singh Shekhawat AVSM , VrC 26 February 19869 July 1987Later Chief of the Naval Staff.
30 Rear Admiral KASZ Raju AVSM , NM 9 July 19877 March 1989Later Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Western Naval Command. [41]
31 Rear Admiral Inderjit Bedi AVSM 7 March 198912 September 1990Later Fortress Commander, Andaman and Nicobar Islands. [42] [43]
32 Rear Admiral K K Kohli AVSM 12 September 199031 October 1991Later Director General of the Indian Coast Guard. [44]
33 Rear Admiral A R Tandon AVSM 31 October 19918 October 1992Later Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Western Naval Command. [41]
34 Rear Admiral Madhvendra Singh AVSM 8 October 199211 January 1994Later Chief of the Naval Staff.
35 Rear Admiral R N Ganesh AVSM , NM 11 January 199428 April 1995Later Fortress Commander, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Director General of the Indian Coast Guard and Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Southern Naval Command. [45] [46]
36 Rear Admiral John Colin De Silva AVSM 29 April 199518 September 1996Later Vice Chief of the Naval Staff.
37 Rear Admiral Madan Jit Singh AVSM 19 September 199616 October 1997Later Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Western Naval Command. [1] [47] [48]
38 Rear Admiral Yashwant Prasad AVSM 17 October 199720 October 1998Later Vice Chief of the Naval Staff. [49]
39 Rear Admiral Sureesh Mehta AVSM 20 October 19981 April 2000Later Chief of the Naval Staff. [50]
40 Rear Admiral Sangram Singh Byce AVSM 1 April 200010 September 2001Later Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Western Naval Command. [51]
41 Rear Admiral Jagjit Singh Bedi AVSM , VSM 10 September 200115 January 2003Later Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Western Naval Command. [52]
42 Rear Admiral Vijay Shankar AVSM 15 January 20033 May 2004Later Commander-in-Chief, Andaman and Nicobar Command and Commander-in-Chief, Strategic Forces Command. [53]
43 Rear Admiral Pratap Singh Byce AVSM 3 May 200411 May 2005 [54]
44 Rear Admiral R. F. Contractor AVSM , NM 11 May 200515 March 2006Later Director General of the Indian Coast Guard.
45 Rear Admiral Anup Singh AVSM , NM 15 March 200613 March 2007Later Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Eastern Naval Command. [55]
46 Rear Admiral Shekhar Sinha NM & bar 14 March 200724 January 2008Later Chief of Integrated Defence Staff and Later Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Western Naval Command. [56]
47 Rear Admiral Anil Chopra AVSM 24 January 200827 November 2008Later Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Eastern Naval Command and Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Western Naval Command.
48 Rear Admiral Surinder Pal Singh Cheema AVSM , NM 27 November 200831 August 2009Later served as the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Southern Naval Command, Commander-in-Chief of the Strategic Forces Command, Chief Of Integrated Defence Staff and Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Western Naval Command.
49 Rear Admiral Rama Kant Pattanaik YSM 1 September 200917 January 2011Later served as the Deputy Chief of the Naval Staff.
50 Rear Admiral Girish Luthra AVSM , VSM 18 January 201125 May 2012Later Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Western Naval Command.
51 Rear Admiral Abhay Raghunath Karve AVSM 25 May 201215 August 2013Later Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Southern Naval Command.
52 Rear Admiral Anil Kumar Chawla NM , VSM 15 August 201330 September 2014Later Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Southern Naval Command.
53 Rear Admiral R. Hari Kumar VSM 1 October 201412 October 2015Current Chief of the Naval Staff. [57]
54 Rear Admiral Ravneet Singh NM 12 October 201515 October 2016Later Deputy Chief of the Naval Staff. [58]
55 Rear Admiral R. B. Pandit 15 October 201622 January 2018Later Commander-in-Chief Strategic Forces Command . [59]
56 Rear Admiral M A Hampiholi AVSM , NM 22 January 201822 March 2019Later Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Southern Naval Command.
57 Rear Admiral Sanjay Jasjit Singh NM 22 March 201914 February 2020Current Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Western Naval Command. [60]
58 Rear Admiral Krishna Swaminathan VSM 14 February 202024 February 2021Current Vice Chief of the Naval Staff. [61]
59 Rear Admiral Ajay Kochhar NM 24 February 202127 December 2021Current Chief of Staff, Western Naval Command. [62]
60 Rear Admiral Sameer Saxena NM 27 December 202115 November 2022Current Chief of Staff, Eastern Naval Command. [63]
61 Rear Admiral Vineet McCarty 16 November 202210 November 2023Current Controller Personnel Services. [64]
62 Rear Admiral C. R. Praveen Nair NM 10 November 202323 August 2024Current Commandant of Indian Naval Academy. [65]
63 Rear Admiral Rahul Vilas Gokhale NM 23 August 2024Present [66]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 October 31, W. P. S. Sidhu M. RAHMAN; October 31, W. P. S. Sidhu M. RAHMAN; September 30, W. P. S. Sidhu M. RAHMAN; Ist, W. P. S. Sidhu M. RAHMAN. "Indian Navy rocked by major succession scandal". India Today.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  2. ↑ Bhatia (1977), p. 28: "Consequent on the partition of the country on 15 August 1947, two thirds of the undivided fleet and associated assets came to India."
  3. ↑ "CHANGE OF TITLES IN INDIAN NAVY" (PDF). pibarchive.nic.in. 27 April 1952.
  4. ↑ Blueprint to bluewater, the Indian Navy, 1951-65. Lancer International. ISBN   978-8170621485.
  5. ↑ "Golden Jubilee Celebrations of ENC | Indian Navy". indiannavy.nic.in.
  6. ↑ Hiranandani, G M. Transition to triumph : history of the Indian Navy, 1965-1975. Lancer Publishers. ISBN   978-1897829721.
  7. ↑ "Reorganisation of Naval Commands" (PDF). Press Information Bureau of India - Archive. 2 March 1968. Retrieved 2 February 2020.
  8. ↑ "Awards Function of the Western Fleet, Fleet Evening 2022". indiannavy.nic.in. Retrieved 7 September 2023.
  9. ↑ Venkateswaran, A. L. (1967). Defence Organisation in India: A Study of Major Developments in Organisation and Administration Since Independence. p. 174.
  10. ↑ "Press Note" (PDF). Press Information Bureau of India - Archive. 15 March 1950. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
  11. 1 2 3 "Press Communique" (PDF). Press Information Bureau of India - Archive. 23 July 1951. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
  12. ↑ "Rear-Admiral Ballance" (PDF). Press Information Bureau of India - Archive. 6 August 1953. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
  13. ↑ "Admiral Ballance in Bombay" (PDF). Press Information Bureau of India - Archive. 26 November 1953. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
  14. ↑ "Rear-Admiral Sir St. R. J. Tyrwhitt" (PDF). Press Information Bureau of India - Archive. 30 September 1956. Retrieved 30 January 2020.
  15. ↑ "Rear-Admiral Sir St. R. J. Tyrwhitt" (PDF). Press Information Bureau of India - Archive. 30 September 1956. Retrieved 30 January 2020.
  16. ↑ "Rear-Admiral Sir St. R. J. Tyrwhitt" (PDF). Press Information Bureau of India - Archive. 30 September 1956. Retrieved 30 January 2020.
  17. ↑ "Changes In Senior Naval Appointments" (PDF). Press Information Bureau of India - Archive. 3 February 1958. Retrieved 30 January 2020.
  18. ↑ "SENIOR NAVAL OFFICERS' MEETING" (PDF). pibarchive.nic.in. 3 May 1960.
  19. 1 2 "New Deputy Chief of Naval Staff" (PDF). Press Information Bureau of India - Archive. 14 May 1962. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
  20. ↑ "Admiral Samson to Command Indian Fleet" (PDF). Press Information Bureau of India - Archive. 31 December 1963. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
  21. ↑ "ADMIRAL NANDA TO COMMAND INDIAN FLEET" (PDF). Press Information Bureau of India - Archive. 24 May 1966. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
  22. ↑ "KRISHNAN NEW NAVY VICE CHIEF" (PDF). pibarchive.nic.in. PIB Archives. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
  23. ↑ "KRISHNAN NEW NAVY VICE CHIEF" (PDF). pibarchive.nic.in. PIB Archives. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
  24. ↑ "Senior Naval Appointments - Admiral Kohli to Head NDC" (PDF). pibarchive.nic.in. Press Information Bureau of India - Archive. Retrieved 2 February 2020.
  25. ↑ "Rear-Admiral V. A. Kamath" (PDF). Press Information Bureau of India - Archive. 7 December 1971. Retrieved 3 February 2020.
  26. ↑ "Naval Promotions" (PDF). Press Information Bureau of India - Archive. 7 August 1970. Retrieved 3 February 2020.
  27. ↑ "Rear-Admiral E. C. Kuruvila" (PDF). Press Information Bureau of India - Archive. 7 December 1971. Retrieved 3 February 2020.
  28. ↑ "Admiral Kamath to be Naval Vice-Chief" (PDF). Press Information Bureau of India - Archive. 21 March 1973. Retrieved 3 February 2020.
  29. ↑ "Naval Appointments" (PDF). Press Information Bureau of India - Archive. 2 November 1973. Retrieved 3 February 2020.
  30. 1 2 "Director General".
  31. ↑ "Rear Admiral Datta to be Flag Officer Commanding Western Fleet" (PDF). Press Information Bureau of India - Archive. 20 April 1974. Retrieved 4 February 2020.
  32. ↑ "New Senior Naval Appointments" (PDF). Press Information Bureau of India - Archive. 28 February 1976. Retrieved 4 February 2020.
  33. ↑ "New Chief for Western Fleet" (PDF). Press Information Bureau of India - Archive. 3 March 1976. Retrieved 4 February 2020.
  34. ↑ "Admiral Schunker to Head Eastern Naval Command" (PDF). Press Information Bureau of India - Archive. 2 February 1978. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
  35. ↑ "Senior Naval Officers' Conference" (PDF). Press Information Bureau of India - Archive. 5 November 1978. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
  36. ↑ "Rear Admiral Awati Promoted" (PDF). Press Information Bureau of India - Archive. 31 March 1979. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
  37. ↑ "Admiral Mookerjee appointed Vice Chief of Naval Staff" (PDF).
  38. ↑ "New Fleet Commander" (PDF). Press Information Bureau of India - Archive. 30 May 1981. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
  39. ↑ "K.K. Nayyar | Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses". idsa.in.
  40. ↑ "Senior Naval Appointments" (PDF).
  41. 1 2 From powerless village to union power secretary : memoirs of an IAS officer. Suryakumari Abraham Memorial Foundation and. p. 233. ISBN   978-8180695551.
  42. ↑ "NEW FLEET COMMANDER FOR THE WESTERN FLEET" (PDF).
  43. ↑ "New Fortress Commander Andaman &Nicobar" (PDF).
  44. ↑ "Top Appointments in the Indian Navy" (PDF).
  45. ↑ "RN Ganesh". International Strategic and Security Studies Programme | NIAS | India. 2018-02-13.
  46. ↑ "Vice Admiral RN Ganesh is the New Fortress Commander Andaman & Nicobar Islands" (PDF). pibarchive.nic.in.
  47. ↑ "Navy gets military baton". telegraphindia.com.
  48. ↑ "Vice Admiral Madanjit Singh takes over as Chief of Personnel" (PDF).
  49. ↑ "PIB Press Releases". pibarchive.nic.in.
  50. ↑ Admirals of the world : a biographical dictionary, 1500 to the present. McFarland & Co. p. 219. ISBN   978-0786438099.
  51. ↑ "New Flag Appointments in the Navy".
  52. ↑ "Vice-Admiral is New Western Naval Commander". Outlook (India).
  53. ↑ "NEWSTRACK India". newstrackindia.com.
  54. ↑ "INS Delhi affiliated with Rajputana Rifles". Outlook (India).
  55. ↑ "Vice Adm. (Retd.) Anup Singh". The Indian Ocean: Defining Our Future.
  56. ↑ "Vice Admiral Shekhar Sinha PVSM AVSM NM& BAR, ADC Appointed as Commander in Chief Western Naval Command to Take Over from Vice Admiral DK Joshi". pib.gov.in.
  57. ↑ Anandan, S. (27 September 2014). "Navy appoints new fleet commanders". The Hindu.
  58. ↑ "RADM Ravneet Singh, NM Assumes Command of Western Fleet of Indian Navy". pib.gov.in.
  59. ↑ "Rear Admiral R.B. Pandit is Western Fleet chief". The Hindu. 16 October 2016.
  60. ↑ "Rear Admiral Sanjay Jasjit Singh Assumes Charge as Western Fleet Commander | Indian Navy". indiannavy.nic.in.
  61. ↑ "Rear Admiral Krishna D Swaminathan, VSM Assumes Charge as Flag Officer Commanding Western Fleet, Mumbai | Indian Navy". indiannavy.nic.in.
  62. ↑ "REAR ADMIRAL AJAY KOCHHAR ASSUMES COMMAND OF THE WESTERN FLEET (FOCWF)". PIB. 24 February 2021.
  63. ↑ "CHANGE OF COMMAND OF WESTERN FLEET". www.pib.gov.in.
  64. ↑ "Change of Command of Western Fleet - Rear Admiral Vineet McCarty takes Over as Cdr of The Sword Arm | Indian Navy". indiannavy.nic.in. Retrieved 16 November 2022.
  65. ↑ "@IN_WesternFleet underwent change of guard on 10 Nov 23 with RAdm CR Praveen Nair, NM taking over the mantle of Flag Officer Commanding Western Fleet from RAdm Vineet McCarty. The occasion was solemnised with a ceremonial naval parade and the traditional 'Pulling-Out' ceremony". X (formerly Twitter). Retrieved 12 November 2023.
  66. ↑ "Western Naval Command". x.com. Retrieved 24 August 2024.


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