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, ...

Sourendra Nath Kohli,

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 ...

(21 June 1916 – 21 January 1997) was an

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 ...

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, ...

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-IN-C) 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 ...

during the

Indo-Pakistan 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 Decemb ...

and successfully led Indian Navy's

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 ...

in Operation Trident and

Operation Python Operation Python, a follow-up to Operation Trident, was the code name of a naval attack launched on West Pakistan's port city of Karachi by the Indian Navy during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. After the first attack during Operation Trid ...

against the

Pakistan Navy ur, ہمارے لیے اللّٰہ کافی ہے اور وہ بہترین کارساز ہے۔ English language, English: Allah is Sufficient for us - and what an excellent (reliable) Trustee (of affairs) is He!(''Quran, Qur'an, Al Imran, 3:173' ...

fleet 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 ...

. 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.

Naval career

Early career

Kohli joined 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 ...

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, with promotion to lieutenant on 1 May 1941. During World War II, Kohli served in the

Persian Gulf The Persian Gulf ( fa, خلیج فارس, translit=xalij-e fârs, lit=Gulf of Persis, Fars, ), sometimes called the ( ar, اَلْخَلِيْجُ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Khalīj al-ˁArabī), is a Mediterranean sea (oceanography), me ...

and in the Far Eastern theatre. He qualified as a Communication 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 continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

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 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 th ...

''.

Post-Independence

After

independence Independence is a condition of a person, nation, country, or state in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the statu ...

, Kohli opted to join the

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 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 ...

in 1949, receiving promotion to acting commander (substantive lieutenant-commander) on 30 June of that year. 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, and was promoted to substantive captain on 30 June 1955. Kohli served as the superintendent of the

Naval Dockyard A naval base, navy base, or military port is a military base, where warships and naval ships are docked when they have no mission at sea or need to restock. Ships may also undergo repairs. Some naval bases are temporary homes to aircraft that u ...

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 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 ...

on 18 August. He was the Flag Officer Commanding of the Fleet from 1967 to 1969. Kohli 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 January 1968. He was promoted to Vice Admiral on 14 February 1969. 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

. During the war with Pakistan in December 1971, Kohli provided operational leadership for the devastating attacks on

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 The Padma Bhushan is the third-highest civilian award in the Republic of India, preceded by the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan and followed by the Padma Shri. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is given for "distinguished service ...

for his exceptional leadership during the 1971 war.

Chief of Naval Staff

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

Later life

Kohli authored ''We dared'', a memoir of the Indian Navy operations during the war of 1971. 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.

Personal life

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

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kohli, Sourendra Nath 1916 births Chiefs of the Naval Staff (India) Vice Chiefs of Naval Staff (India) Deputy Chiefs of Naval Staff (India) Indian Navy admirals Flag Officers Commanding Indian Fleet Flag Officers Commanding Western Fleet Commandants of National Defence College, India Chiefs of Materiel (India) 1997 deaths Punjabi people Recipients of the Padma Bhushan in civil service Royal Indian Navy officers National Defence College, India alumni