Admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in some navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force, and is above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet, ...

Adhar Kumar Chatterji (4 March 1914 – 6 August 2001) was an Admiral in the

Indian Navy The Indian Navy is the maritime branch of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Navy. The Chief of Naval Staff, a four-star admiral, commands the navy. As a blue-water navy, it operates sig ...

. He served as the 6th Chief of the Naval Staff, from 4 March 1966, until 28 February 1970. He was the first Indian officer of the navy to hold the rank of full

. He is credited with the transformation of the Indian Navy. He made sweeping changes and restructured the navy, creating the

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

and

Eastern Eastern may refer to: Transportation *China Eastern Airlines, a current Chinese airline based in Shanghai *Eastern Air, former name of Zambia Skyways *Eastern Air Lines, a defunct American airline that operated from 1926 to 1991 *Eastern Air Li ...

Naval Commands and the

Western Fleet The Red Sea Fleet Command or officially Western Fleet (WF), also called ''" West Coast Fleet ",'' is a regional naval fleet and one of the two main formations of the Saudi Arabian Navy, with headquarters at Royal Naval Base at Jeddah, Western Pr ...

. Under him, the Indian Navy also entered the submarine age, with the commissioning of in 1967.

Early life

Chatterji was born in

Dacca Dhaka ( or ; bn, ঢাকা, Ḍhākā, ), formerly known as Dacca, is the capital and largest city of Bangladesh, as well as the world's largest Bengali-speaking city. It is the eighth largest and sixth most densely populated city i ...

on 22 November 1914. He attended the Presidency College (as a graduating student of the

University of Calcutta The University of Calcutta (informally known as Calcutta University; CU) is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate State university (India), state university in India, located in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. Considered ...

), graduating in 1933. The same year he saw a notice at the college about the relaxation of entry criteria for the

Royal Indian Marine Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Illinois, a village * Royal, Iowa, a cit ...

. He applied for and topped the Federal Public Service examination.

Naval career

Early career

Chatterji was one of the first Indian cadet-entry officers to join the Royal Indian Navy in 1933. After training on board the ''Indian Mercantile Marine Training Ship (IMMTS) Dufferin'', he was sent to the United Kingdom. He was commissioned into the

Royal Indian Navy The Royal Indian Navy (RIN) was the naval force of British India and the Dominion of India. Along with the Presidency armies, later the Indian Army, and from 1932 the Royal Indian Air Force, it was one of the Armed Forces of British India. Fr ...

as a

sub-lieutenant Sub-lieutenant is usually a junior officer rank, used in armies, navies and air forces. In most armies, sub-lieutenant is the lowest officer rank. However, in Brazil, it is the highest non-commissioned rank, and in Spain, it is the second high ...

on 1 September 1935. He spent four years training on different ships. On 1 September 1938, he was promoted to the rank of

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...

. In 1939, he was selected to specialise in

anti-submarine warfare Anti-submarine warfare (ASW, or in older form A/S) is a branch of underwater warfare that uses surface warships, aircraft, submarines, or other platforms, to find, track, and deter, damage, or destroy enemy submarines. Such operations are t ...

(ASW) and trained in the UK. He completed the course in August 1940 and was appointed an instructor at the ASW training school -

HMS Osprey, Portland HMS ''Osprey'' was an anti-submarine training establishment located at the Isle of Portland, Dorset, England. It was active between 1924 and 1941, and again from 1946 to 1999. The helicopter station RNAS Portland formed part of the establishmen ...

World War II

In late 1940, he was transferred to the Black Swan-class sloop . On 1 January 1942, he was appointed the first officer-in-charge of the ASW school in India - at castle barracks. He also served on board the Black Swan-class sloop . On 23 October 1944, he was promoted to the acting rank of

lieutenant-commander Lieutenant commander (also hyphenated lieutenant-commander and abbreviated Lt Cdr, LtCdr. or LCDR) is a commissioned officer rank in many navies. The rank is superior to a lieutenant and subordinate to a commander. The corresponding rank i ...

and appointed

commanding officer The commanding officer (CO) or sometimes, if the incumbent is a general officer, commanding general (CG), is the officer in command of a military unit. The commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually given wide latitu ...

of the

Bangor-class minesweeper The ''Bangor''-class minesweepers were a class of warships operated by the Royal Navy (RN), Royal Canadian Navy (RCN), Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN), and Royal Indian Navy (RIN) during the Second World War. The class derives its name from the ...

. ''Kathiawar'' was a part of the

Eastern Fleet Eastern may refer to: Transportation *China Eastern Airlines, a current Chinese airline based in Shanghai * Eastern Air, former name of Zambia Skyways *Eastern Air Lines, a defunct American airline that operated from 1926 to 1991 *Eastern Air L ...

, and escorted numerous convoys between

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...

and

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

in 1943-45. He then was appointed officer-in-charge of the radar school HMIS Chamak in

Karachi Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former cap ...

. He was promoted to substantive lieutenant-commander on 1 September 1946. In January 1947, he was selected to attend the

Royal Naval College, Greenwich The Royal Naval College, Greenwich, was a Royal Navy training establishment between 1873 and 1998, providing courses for naval officers. It was the home of the Royal Navy's staff college, which provided advanced training for officers. The equiv ...

in the UK.

Post-Independence

Chatterji completed the staff course and returned to India in August 1947. He was hand-picked by the handpicked by the Chief of Staff to the

Commander-in-Chief, Royal Indian Navy The Royal Indian Navy (RIN) was the naval force of British India and the Dominion of India. Along with the Presidency armies, later the Indian Army, and from 1932 the Royal Indian Air Force, it was one of the Armed Forces of British India. Fr ...

Commodore Commodore may refer to: Ranks * Commodore (rank), a naval rank ** Commodore (Royal Navy), in the United Kingdom ** Commodore (United States) ** Commodore (Canada) ** Commodore (Finland) ** Commodore (Germany) or ''Kommodore'' * Air commodore, a ...

Martin Henry St. Leger Nott to head Plan directorate as the Director of Naval Planning at Naval HQ in the rank of

Commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain. ...

. Among the officers serving under him in the directorate was Lieutenant Commander

Nilakanta Krishnan Vice Admiral Nilakanta Krishnan, PVSM, DSC (8 June 1919 – 30 January 1982), was a former flag officer in the Indian Navy. He was the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Eastern Naval Command during the 1971 Indo-Pakistani War. Born in a re ...

. During this stint, he was the lead author of the Plan paper of 1948. In February 1949, he was appointed Commander (

Executive Officer An executive officer is a person who is principally responsible for leading all or part of an organization, although the exact nature of the role varies depending on the organization. In many militaries and police forces, an executive officer, o ...

) of the

flagship A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically the fi ...

and replaced Commander

Ram Dass Katari Admiral Ram Dass Katari (8 October 1911 – 21 January 1983) was an Indian Navy Admiral who served as the 3rd Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS) from 22 April 1958 to 4 June 1962. He was the first Indian to hold the office and succeeded the last B ...

. In June 1950, he was promoted to the acting rank of

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

and appointed

of the ''Delhi''. He was the first Indian officer to command the ship. He relinquished command, handing over to Captain S. G. Karmarkar in October 1950. In November 1950, Chatterji was appointed the Naval Adviser (NA) to the

High Commissioner of India to the United Kingdom The High Commissioner of India to the United Kingdom is the head of the High Commission of India to the United Kingdom. The High Commission is located at India House, London, India House in London. History In 1919, a committee chaired by the M ...

. He served as the NA to High Commissioners

V. K. Krishna Menon Vengalil Krishnan Krishna Menon (3 May 1896 – 6 October 1974) was an Indian academic, politician, and non-career diplomat. He was described by some as the second most powerful man in India, after the first Prime Minister of India, Jawa ...

and

B. G. Kher Balasaheb Gangadhar Kher (24 August 1888 – 8 March 1957) was an Indian politician who served as the prime minister of Bombay (1937 - 1939, 1946 - 1947) and the first chief minister (then called Premier) of Bombay State (1947 - 1952). He was a ...

. He oversaw the training of hundreds naval cadets and junior officers in the UK. He was promoted to the substantive rank of captain on 30 June 1951. In December 1952, he was appointed Captain (D) 11th Destroyer Flotilla as well as the Commanding Officer of the lead destroyer of the squadron . But the orders were cancelled and he took command of the ''Delhi'' for the second time in January 1953. In mid-1953, to commemorate the

Coronation of Elizabeth II The coronation of Elizabeth II took place on 2 June 1953 at Westminster Abbey in London. She acceded to the throne at the age of 25 upon the death of her father, George VI, on 6 February 1952, being proclaimed queen by her privy and executive ...

, a massive Coronation review of the fleet was held at

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...

. The flagship ''INS Delhi'', commanded by Chatterji, destroyer ''INS Ranjit'', commanded by Commander

Sardarilal Mathradas Nanda Admiral Sardarilal Mathradas 'Charles' Nanda (Punjabi: ), PVSM, AVSM (10 October 1915 – 11 May 2009) was an Indian Navy admiral who served as the 7th Chief of the Naval Staff from 1 March 1970 until 28 February 1973. He led the Indian Nav ...

, and the frigate , commanded by Commander

, represented India at the review. A naval armada consisting of ships from the Indian Navy,

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

Royal Australian Navy The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) is the principal naval force of the Australian Defence Force (ADF). The professional head of the RAN is Chief of Navy (CN) Vice Admiral Mark Hammond AM, RAN. CN is also jointly responsible to the Minister of ...

and the

Royal New Zealand Navy The Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN; mi, Te Taua Moana o Aotearoa, , Sea Warriors of New Zealand) is the maritime arm of the New Zealand Defence Force. The fleet currently consists of nine ships. The Navy had its origins in the Naval Defence Act ...

sailed from Portsmouth to Gibraltar. The fleet carried out exercises along the way and was under the command of

Lord Mountbatten Louis Francis Albert Victor Nicholas Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma (25 June 1900 – 27 August 1979) was a British naval officer, colonial administrator and close relative of the British royal family. Mountbatten, who was of German ...

. In November 1954, Chatterji was promoted to the acting rank of

. This made him the fourth Indian naval officer to be promoted to this rank, after

Ajitendu Chakraverti Rear Admiral Ajitendu Chakraverti was a Flag Officer in the Indian Navy. He served as the second Indian Flag Officer Commanding Indian Fleet, succeeding Rear Admiral Ram Dass Katari. He was the first Indian to be promoted to the high rank of Co ...

, Ram Dass Katari and

Bhaskar Sadashiv Soman Admiral Bhaskar Sadashiv Soman (30 March 1913 – 8 February 1995) was an Indian Navy Admiral. He was in command of the Indian Navy from 1962 to 1966 as the 5th Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS). Early life Soman was born in Gwalior, the capita ...

. He was appointed the Commodore-in-Charge Bombay (COMBAY), taking over from Chakraverti. The Bombay Command was the predecessor of the

Western Naval Command The Western Naval Command is one of the three command–level formations of the Indian Navy. It is headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra. As the senior–most of the three formations, the command is responsible for the all naval forces in the A ...

. He held this appointment for two years, till November 1956. In October 1956, Chatterji was selected to attend the

Imperial Defence College The Royal College of Defence Studies (RCDS) instructs the most promising senior officers of the British Armed Forces, His Majesty's Diplomatic Service and Civil Service in national defence and international security matters at the highest level ...

(IDC) and embarked for the UK in early 1957. After completing the year-long course, he returned to India and was appointed the Deputy Chief of the Naval Staff on 8 February 1958.

Flag Rank

On 5 March 1959, the appointment was upgraded to

two-star rank An officer of two-star rank is a senior commander in many of the armed services holding a rank described by the NATO code of OF-7. The term is also used by some armed forces which are not NATO members. Typically, two-star officers hold the rank ...

and Chatterji was promoted to the acting rank of

Rear Admiral Rear admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, equivalent to a major general and air vice marshal and above that of a commodore and captain, but below that of a vice admiral. It is regarded as a two star "admiral" rank. It is often regarde ...

. Promotion to the substantive rank of Rear Admiral followed, on 5 March 1960. In May 1962, Chatterji took over as the fourth Flag Officer Commanding Indian Fleet. The

aircraft carrier An aircraft carrier is a warship that serves as a seagoing airbase, equipped with a full-length flight deck and facilities for carrying, arming, deploying, and recovering aircraft. Typically, it is the capital ship of a fleet, as it allows a ...

had joined the Indian Navy in 1961 and was the

. AS commanding officer, Chatterji flew his flag on the ''Vikrant''. In September 1962, he led the fleet in joint naval-air exercises in the Arabian Sea. Taking part were the aircraft embarked on the ''Vikrant'', the aircraft from the Naval air station

INS Garuda INS Garuda , is an Indian naval air station located in Kochi, in the state of Kerala. Commissioned on 11 May 1953, it is the oldest operating air station of the Indian Navy. The air station is adjacent to INS Venduruthy and the headquarters of ...

and the aircraft of the

Indian Air Force The Indian Air Force (IAF) is the air arm of the Indian Armed Forces. Its complement of personnel and aircraft assets ranks third amongst the air forces of the world. Its primary mission is to secure Indian airspace and to conduct aerial w ...

. In mid-1963, Chatterji led the fleet in exercises in the Arabian Sea, Indian Ocean and the Bay of Bengal. After this, the fleet called on ports in Malaya, Singapore and Thailand. During the exercise and goodwill visit, Chatterji flew his flag on the flagship , which became the first Indian cruiser to visit Thailand. After commanding the Indian fleet for about two years, he relinquished command, handing over to Rear Admiral S.M. Nanda. In January 1964, Chatterji was promoted to the acting rank of Vice Admiral and appointed the second

Commandant of the National Defence College The Commandant of the National Defence College in India is the overall in-charge of all the functioning of the National Defence College including academics and administration. The Commandant of the college is a Three-star rank officer from the t ...

. He was the first Naval Officer to hold the appointment.

Chief of Naval Staff

In November 1965, Chatterji was appointed the seventh Chief of the Naval Staff. On 4 March 1966, he took over from Vice Admiral Soman. He was confirmed in his rank of vice-admiral on 22 November 1966, and was promoted to the rank of

on 1 March 1968, the first Indian officer to hold the rank. Admiral Chatterji retired from the Indian Navy on 28 February 1970.

Death

Admiral Chatterji died in

New Delhi New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the capital of India and a part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament House ...

Citations

References

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Chatterji, Adhar Kumar 1914 births 2001 deaths Chiefs of the Naval Staff (India) Indian Navy admirals Flag Officers Commanding Indian Fleet Deputy Chiefs of Naval Staff (India) Commandants of National Defence College, India University of Calcutta alumni Royal Indian Navy officers Graduates of the Royal College of Defence Studies Indian naval attachés