Admiral Jal Cursetji,

PVSM Param Vishisht Seva Medal (PVSM) (IAST: ) is a military award of India. It was constituted in 1960 and since then it is awarded in recognition to peace-time service of the most exceptional order and may be awarded posthumously. All ranks of the ...

(20 May 1919 – 29 January 1991) was a former Flag Officer 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 si ...

. He served as the ninth Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS) from 1 March 1976 until 28 February 1979. He was the first hydrographer to serve as the CNS. Born in a Parsi family in Jabalpur, Cursetji joined the Training Ship Dufferin in 1935, where his batchmate was Nilakanta Krishnan. After training on various ships of the

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 ...

, he served on the

Aubrietia-class sloop The ''Aubrietia''-class sloops were a class of twelve sloops built under the Emergency War Programme for the Royal Navy in World War I as part of the larger . They were also referred to as the "cabbage class", or "herbaceous borders". The Flowe ...

and the Bathurst-class corvette . In 1944, he commanded ''HMIS Bombay''. After specialising in hydrography in the United Kingdom, he was tasked with the planning of setting up a hydrographic office in India. He served as the Surveyor-in-Charge, Marine Survey of India and commanded the survey ship INS Investigator. He was the first Indian to serve as the Chief Hydrographer of the Navy, from 1955 to 1957. Cursetji subsequently commanded the 11th destroyer squadron and the lead ship and served for about four years as the

Naval attaché A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions. It includ ...

at the

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, from 1961 to 1965. Returning to India, he commanded the aircraft carrier from 1966 to 1967. Promoted to flag rank in 1967, he took over as Chief of Personnel at Naval headquarters. In 1970, he was appointed the Vice Chief of the Naval Staff and served in this appointment during the

Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 The Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 was a military confrontation between India and Pakistan that occurred during the Bangladesh Liberation War in East Pakistan from 3 December 1971 until the Pakistani capitulation in Dhaka on 16 Decem ...

. Cursetji served as the

Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief 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 ...

from 1973 to 1976, before taking over as the Chief of Naval Staff. During his tenure as the CNS, the

maritime reconnaissance {{Unreferenced, date=March 2008 Maritime patrol is the task of monitoring areas of water. Generally conducted by military and law enforcement agencies, maritime patrol is usually aimed at identifying human activities. Maritime patrol refers to ac ...

role was taken over by the Navy, the

Indian Coast Guard The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) is a maritime law enforcement and search and rescue agency of India with jurisdiction over its territorial waters including its contiguous zone and exclusive economic zone. The Indian Coast Guard was formally es ...

came into being and the Goa Naval area was established. The Southern Naval Area was also upgraded into a full-fledged command. Cursetji was awarded the

Param Vishisht Seva Medal Param Vishisht Seva Medal (PVSM) (IAST: ) is a military award of India. It was constituted in 1960 and since then it is awarded in recognition to peace-time service of the most exceptional order and may be awarded posthumously. All ranks of the ...

in 1971 and was the first recipient from the Indian Navy of the Legion of Merit.

Early life

Cursetji was born in 1919 in

Jabalpur Jabalpur is a city situated on the banks of Narmada River in the state of Madhya Pradesh, India. According to the 2011 census, it is the third-largest urban agglomeration in Madhya Pradesh and the country's 38th-largest urban agglomeration. J ...

Madhya Pradesh Madhya Pradesh (, ; meaning 'central province') is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal, and the largest city is Indore, with Jabalpur, Ujjain, Gwalior, Sagar, and Rewa being the other major cities. Madhya Pradesh is the seco ...

in a

Parsi Parsis () or Parsees are an ethnoreligious group of the Indian subcontinent adhering to Zoroastrianism. They are descended from Persians who migrated to Medieval India during and after the Arab conquest of Iran (part of the early Muslim conq ...

family. He attended the

St. Aloysius Senior Secondary School St. Aloysius Senior Secondary School is a co-ed catholic school located in the city of Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, India. It is affiliated to Central Board of Secondary Education. Established in the year 1868, it is one of the oldest schools in ...

in Jabalpur. In 1935, he was successful in the entrance examination and joined the Indian Mercantile Marine Training Ship (IMMTS) '' Dufferin''. After two years, he took the examination for entry into the Navy. He was one of the two cadets who were successful and joined the

- the other being Nilakanta Krishnan.

Naval career

Cursetji embarked for the United Kingdom and joined the

monitor Monitor or monitor may refer to: Places * Monitor, Alberta * Monitor, Indiana, town in the United States * Monitor, Kentucky * Monitor, Oregon, unincorporated community in the United States * Monitor, Washington * Monitor, Logan County, West ...

. Subsequently he trained on board the

Hawkins-class cruiser The ''Hawkins'' class consisted of five heavy cruisers built for the Royal Navy during the First World War, although none of them saw service during the war. The first ship to be completed, , was renamed from HMS ''Cavendish'' and converted int ...

. In late 1938, after the end of his training, he was promoted to the rank of midshipman and posted to the , a part of the

8th Destroyer Flotilla The 8th Destroyer Flotilla, also styled as the Eighth Destroyer Flotilla, was a military formation of the British Royal Navy from 1911 to 1939. History The flotilla was established in August 1911. In 1912 was assigned to the Admiral of Patrols ...

World War II

In 1939, Cursetji was serving on the ''Foxhound'' during the outbreak of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. In late 1939, he was transferred to the

County-class cruiser The County class was a class of heavy cruisers built for the Royal Navy in the years between the First and Second World Wars. They were the first post-war cruisers constructed for the Royal Navy and were designed within the limits of the Wash ...

, which was a part of the

Northern Patrol The Northern Patrol, also known as Cruiser Force B and the Northern Patrol Force, was an operation of the British Royal Navy during the First World War and Second World War. The Patrol was part of the British "distant" blockade of Germany. Its ma ...

. He served onboard the ''Suffolk'' when she participated in the Norwegian Campaign. In April 1940, the ship arrived at

Tórshavn Tórshavn (; lit. "Thor's harbour"), usually locally referred to as simply ''Havn'', is the capital and largest city of the Faroe Islands. It is located in the southern part on the east coast of Streymoy. To the northwest of the city lies the ...

to commence the British pre-emptive occupation of the

Faroe Islands The Faroe Islands ( ), or simply the Faroes ( fo, Føroyar ; da, Færøerne ), are a North Atlantic island group and an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark. They are located north-northwest of Scotland, and about halfway bet ...

and she sank the German tanker Skagerrak northwest of Bodø, Norway. Later in the month, ''Suffolk'' and four destroyers, , , and , were sent to bombard the airfield at Sola, Norway. The operation had little effect and the retaliation from German bombers severely damaged the aft of the ship, forcing her to return to Scapa Flow. He was subsequently transferred to the

Renown-class battlecruiser The ''Renown'' class consisted of two battlecruisers built during the First World War for the Royal Navy. They were originally laid down as improved versions of the s, but their construction was suspended on the outbreak of war on the grounds t ...

. Cursetji was commissioned as an acting sub-lieutenant in the RIN on 1 April 1940, with confirmation as a sub-lieutenant on 1 September 1940 (pre-dated from 1 April). He qualified as a Hydrography Specialist in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

, and was promoted to

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 ...

on 1 October 1941. He was transferred to the

. He subsequently served on the Bathurst-class corvette . In early 1944, he took command of the ''Bombay''.

Post-Independence

After the independence of India, Cursetji opted to join the Indian Navy. He was the senior most Indian officer in the Hydrographic Survey branch, and took part in the coastal surveys of

Burma Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...

, Malaya and

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

. In April 1949, then an acting Commander, he was sent to the United Kingdom to prepare a report on establishing a Hydrographic office in India. After spending about a year, he returned in early 1950 and submitted his report to Naval HQ. The Marine Survey of India (MSI) was established in 1874 in Calcutta and was responsible for the hydrographic surveys. It was headed by the Surveyor-in-Charge. In 1950, Cursetji took over as the Surveyor-in-Charge of the Marine Survey of India. He headed the MSI for about three years, till 1953. After relinquishing charge, he took command of the survey ship ''INS Investigator''. On 1 Jun 1954, MSI was relocated to Dehradun, its present location, and was renamed Naval Hydrographic Office. The appointment of Surveyor-in-Charge Marine Survey of India was re-designated Chief Hydrographer of the Navy. On 15 November 1955, he was promoted to acting rank of captain and appointed the Chief Hydrographer of the Navy.http://www.hydrobharat.nic.in/pdf/charting.pdf He was the second incumbent and the first Indian to hold the appointment. This appointment was later re-designated Chief Hydrographer to the

Government of India The Government of India (ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, ...

in 1964. Cursetji served as the Chief Hydrographer till November 1957. On 5 November 1957, Cursetji was appointed Captain (D) 11th Destroyer Squadron as well as the Commanding Officer of the lead destroyer of the squadron, . Apart from the ''Rajput'', the flotilla consisted of and . Later that year, on 31 December, he was promoted to the substantive rank of captain. In 1961, Cursetji was appointed the first

at the

The

Ambassador of India to the United States The Indian Ambassador to the United States of America is the chief diplomatic representative of India to the United States, housed in the Embassy of India, Washington, D.C. The current ambassador is Taranjit Singh Sandhu who succeeded Harsh Var ...

during his tenure was

Braj Kumar Nehru Braj Kumar Nehru MBE, ICS (4 September 1909 – 31 October 2001) was an Indian diplomat and Ambassador of India to the United States (1961–1968). He was the son of Brijlal Nehru and Rameshwari Nehru and first cousin once removed of Ind ...

. He simultaneously held the office of Naval adviser to the High Commissioner of India to Canada in Ottawa. He spent about four years in this appointment, till 1965. After returning to India, he was appointed CAPBRAX (captain naval barracks) and Commanding Officer of

INS Angre INS ''Angre'' is a "stone frigate" (shore establishment) of the Indian Navy in Mumbai. It is the shore-based logistics and administrative support establishment of the Western Naval Command. It is also the base depot ship of the Command and is t ...

. After a short stint, Cursetji was appointed the fourth commanding officer of the flagship of the Indian Navy - , then the only aircraft carrier in Asia. He took over from Captain V. A. Kamath on 4 November 1966. In mid-1967, he led the ship in large air-sea exercises in the

Arabian Sea The Arabian Sea ( ar, اَلْبَحرْ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Bahr al-ˁArabī) is a region of the northern Indian Ocean bounded on the north by Pakistan, Iran and the Gulf of Oman, on the west by the Gulf of Aden, Guardafui Channel ...

which was witnessed by the

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister i ...

, Indira Gandhi.

Flag rank

On 8 December 1967, he relinquished command of the ''Vikrant'', handing over to Captain E. C. Kuruvila. Cursetji was promoted to the acting rank of rear admiral and took over as the Chief of Personnel (COP) at Naval Headquarters. Taking over from Rear Admiral K. R. Nair, he served as COP for little over two years. In early 1970, Cursetji was appointed the third Vice Chief of the Naval Staff. He was promoted to the acting rank of vice admiral and took over from his batchmate Vice Admiral Nilakanta Krishnan on 20 February 1970. On 26 January 1971, he was awarded the

for distinguished service of the highest order. He served as the VCNS during the

. In August 1972, he led a delegation to the Soviet Union to negotiate the acquisition of ship and aircraft. The Maritime reconnaissance aircraft Ilyushin Il-38 was acquired durin On 27 February 1973, with Admiral

Sourendra Nath Kohli Admiral Sourendra Nath Kohli, PVSM (21 June 1916 – 21 January 1997) was an Indian Navy admiral who served as the 8th Chief of the Naval Staff from 1 March 1973 until 29 February 1976. Kohli served as the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief (FOC-I ...

taking over as the Chief of the Naval Staff, Cursetji took command 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 was promoted to the substantive rank of vice admiral on 1 March that year.

Chief of Naval Staff

In January 1976, the

announced that Cursetji would be the next Chief of the Naval Staff. He took over from Admiral Sourendra Nath Kohli on 1 March 1976. Soon after taking over as Chief, Cursetji and the Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal

Hrushikesh Moolgavkar Air Chief Marshal Hrushikesh Moolgavkar, PVSM, MVC (15 August 1920 – 9 April 2015) was a former Air officer in the Indian Air Force. He served as the 9th Chief of the Air Staff of the Indian Air Force from 1 February 1976 till 31 Augu ...

discussed about the handing over of the

role from the Indian Air Force to the Indian Navy. In accordance with this, the

Lockheed L-1049 Super Constellation The Lockheed L-1049 Super Constellation is an American aircraft, a member of the Lockheed Constellation aircraft line. The L-1049 was Lockheed's response to the successful Douglas DC-6 airliner, first flying in 1950. The aircraft was also produc ...

aircraft of the No. 6 Squadron IAF were transferred to the Navy. On 8 October 1976, Cursetji commissioned

INAS 312 The INAS 312 is an Indian naval air squadron based at INS Rajali. History The Navy’s first long range Maritime Reconnaissance squadron was commissioned with five ex IAF Super Constellation aircraft on 18 November 1976. Cdr R D Dhir was the ...

at Goa. With the increase in the

Indian Naval Air Arm The Indian Naval Air Arm is the aviation branch and a fighting arm of the Indian Navy which is tasked to provide an aircraft carrier based strike capability, fleet air defence, maritime reconnaissance, and anti-submarine warfare. The Flag Off ...

in Goa, in 1977, the Goa Naval area was upgraded and the Naval Officer in Charge Goa (NOIC GOA) was re-designated as Flag Officer Commanding Goa Area (FOGA), a

two star Two star, two stars and similar may refer to: * A grading of a hotel, restaurant, film, etc. in a star (classification) scheme * Two star petrol, a class of Leaded petrol formerly sold in the UK * Two-star rank, a senior military rank * Two-Handed ...

appointment. The Southern Naval Area was also upgraded to a full command, under the

Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Southern Naval Command The Southern Naval Command is one of the three command-level formations of the Indian Navy. It has its headquarters in Kochi, Kerala at INS Venduruthy. It is the Training Command of the Indian Navy. The Command is commanded by a Three Star Fl ...

. Under Cursetji's tenure, on 19 August 1978, the

(ICG) came into being. The new service was to function under the overall command and control of a Director General (DGICG). Vice Admiral V. A. Kamath was selected as the founding

Director General of the Indian Coast Guard The Director General of the Indian Coast Guard (DG ICG) is the head of the Indian Coast Guard. The DG ICG has their office in the Coast Guard Headquarters (CGHQ) in New Delhi. Appointed by the Government of India, the DG ICG reports to the Mini ...

. In October 1978, he was awarded the Legion of Merit by the

United States Department of the Navy The United States Department of the Navy (DoN) is one of the three military departments within the Department of Defense of the United States of America. It was established by an Act of Congress on 30 April 1798, at the urging of Secretary o ...

during his visit to the United States. He was the first recipient of the award. Later that year, he laid down the keel of the first indigenously designed frigate . After a full three-year tenure, Cursetji retired on 28 February 1979.

Personal life and legacy

Cursetji married Navaz Dallas in 1955. The couple had two daughters - Meher Cursetji Rafaat and Rashida Cursetji Mendu. He died in Mumbai in January 1991. The Admiral Jal Cursetji rolling trophy, awarded to the best survey ship is named for him. The Western Naval Command held a talk to observe the birth centenary of Cursetji in 2019.

Dates of rank

References

Bibliography

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Cursetji, Jal 1919 births 1991 deaths Chiefs of the Naval Staff (India) Vice Chiefs of Naval Staff (India) Indian Navy admirals Recipients of the Param Vishisht Seva Medal Recipients of the Legion of Merit Parsi people People from Jabalpur Royal Indian Navy officers Chiefs of Personnel (India) Indian naval attachés