Jal Cursetji

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Indo-Pakistani War of 1971
Awards Param Vishisht Seva Medal
Legion of Merit[2]

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, he served on the Aubrietia-class sloop HMIS Clive (L79) and the Bathurst-class corvette HMIS Bombay (J249)
. 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

Indo-Pakistani War of 1971
.

Cursetji served as the

maritime reconnaissance role was taken over by the Navy, the Indian Coast Guard 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 in 1971 and was the first recipient from the Indian Navy of the Legion of Merit
.

Early life

Cursetji was born in 1919 in

Parsi family. He attended the St. Aloysius Senior Secondary School 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 Royal Navy - the other being Nilakanta Krishnan.[3]

Naval career

Cursetji embarked for the United Kingdom and joined the monitor HMS Erebus (I02). Subsequently he trained on board the Hawkins-class cruiser HMS Vindictive (1918). In late 1938, after the end of his training, he was promoted to the rank of midshipman and posted to HMS Foxhound (H69), a part of the 8th Destroyer Flotilla.[4]

World War II

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

Norwegian Campaign. In April 1940, the ship arrived at Tórshavn to commence the British pre-emptive occupation of the Faroe Islands and she sank the German tanker Skagerrak northwest of Bodø, Norway. Later in the month, Suffolk and four destroyers, HMS Kipling (F91), HMS Juno (F46), HMS Janus (F53) and HMS Hereward (H93), 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 HMS Repulse (1916).[6]

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).[7][8] He qualified as a Hydrography Specialist in the United Kingdom, and was promoted to lieutenant on 1 October 1941.[9] He was transferred to the Aubrietia-class sloop HMIS Clive (L79).[10] He subsequently served on the Bathurst-class corvette HMIS Bombay (J249).[11] In early 1944, he took command of the Bombay.[12]

Post-Independence

After the

Burma, Malaya and Indonesia. 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.[13] 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.[14]

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.[14] On 15 November 1955, he was promoted to acting rank of captain and appointed the Chief Hydrographer of the Navy.[15][16] 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 in 1964. Cursetji served as the Chief Hydrographer till November 1957.[14]

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,

Ambassador of India to the United States during his tenure was Braj Kumar Nehru.[19] 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. After a short stint, Cursetji was appointed the fourth commanding officer of the flagship of the Indian Navy - INS Vikrant, then the only aircraft carrier in Asia. He took over from Captain V. A. Kamath on 4 November 1966.[20] In mid-1967, he led the ship in large air-sea exercises in the Arabian Sea which was witnessed by the Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi.[21]

Flag rank

On 8 December 1967, he relinquished command of the Vikrant, handing over to Captain

Maritime reconnaissance aircraft Ilyushin Il-38
was acquired.

On 27 February 1973, with Admiral Sourendra Nath Kohli taking over as the Chief of the Naval Staff, Cursetji took command of the Western Naval Command. He was promoted to the substantive rank of vice admiral on 1 March that year.[26]

Chief of Naval Staff

In January 1976, the

Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Southern Naval Command.[29]

Under Cursetji's tenure, on 19 August 1978, the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) came into being. The new service was to function under the overall command and control of a Director General (DGICG).[30] Vice Admiral V. A. Kamath was selected as the founding Director General of the Indian Coast Guard.[31] In October 1978, he was awarded the Legion of Merit by the United States Department of the Navy during his visit to the United States. He was the first recipient of the award.[32][2] Later that year, he laid down the keel of the first indigenously designed frigate INS Godavari (F20).[33]

After a full three-year tenure, Cursetji retired on 28 February 1979.[34]

Personal life and legacy

Cursetji married Navaz Dallas in 1955. The couple had two daughters - Meher Cursetji Rafaat and Rashida Cursetji Mendu.[35][36] He died in Mumbai in January 1991.[37][38]

The Admiral Jal Cursetji rolling trophy, awarded to the best survey ship is named for him.[39] The Western Naval Command held a talk to observe the birth centenary of Cursetji in 2019.[38]

Dates of rank

Insignia Rank Component Date of rank
Sub-lieutenant Royal Indian Navy 1 April 1940[7]
Lieutenant
 Royal Indian Navy 1 October 1941[9]
Lieutenant-Commander Royal Indian Navy 1 October 1949 (substantive)[40]
Lieutenant Commander
 Indian Navy 26 January 1950 (recommissioning and change in insginia)[41][42]
Commander Indian Navy 30 June 1952.[43]
Captain Indian Navy 15 November 1955 (acting)[15]
31 December 1957 (substantive)[18]
Rear Admiral
 Indian Navy 18 December 1967 (acting; paid from 1 March 1968)[44]
22 November 1969 (substantive)[45]
Vice-Admiral
 Indian Navy 20 February 1970 (acting)[23]
1 March 1973 (substantive)[26]
Admiral Indian Navy
(CNS)		 1 March 1976

See also

References

  1. ^ Abidi & Sharma 2007.
  2. ^
    ISBN 9780786482887
    . Retrieved 20 November 2011.
  3. ^ Krishnan 2014, p. 16-23.
  4. ^ Krishnan 2014, p. 25-28.
  5. ^ Krishnan 2014, p. 44.
  6. ^ Krishnan 2014, p. 61.
  7. ^ a b The Navy List: February 1941. HM Stationery Office. 1941. p. 817.
  8. ^ The Navy List: December 1941. HM Stationery Office. 1941. p. 1056.
  9. ^ a b The Navy List: December 1943. HM Stationery Office. 1941. p. 1802.
  10. ^ "(253) - Navy lists > Bimonthly > 1943 > February > Volume 2 - British Military lists - National Library of Scotland". digital.nls.uk.
  11. ^ "(1332) - Navy lists > Bimonthly > 1943 > December > Volume 2 - British Military lists - National Library of Scotland". digital.nls.uk.
  12. ^ "(1387) - Navy lists > Bimonthly > 1944 > February > Volume 2 - British Military lists - National Library of Scotland". digital.nls.uk.
  13. ^ Singh 1986.
  14. ^ a b c "Brief History – Indian Naval Hydrographic Office". hydrobharat.gov.in.
  15. ^ a b http://www.hydrobharat.nic.in/pdf/charting.pdf[permanent dead link]
  16. ^ "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Navy Branch)". The Gazette of India. 24 March 1956. p. 60.
  17. ^ "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Navy Branch)". The Gazette of India. 28 December 1957. p. 335.
  18. ^ a b "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Navy Branch)". The Gazette of India. 29 November 1958. p. 268.
  19. ^ "Welcome to Embassy of India, Washington D C, USA". www.indianembassyusa.gov.in.
  20. ^ "CURSETJI NEW COMMANDING OFFICER OF NAVY'S FLAGSHIP" (PDF). archive.pib.gov.in. 4 November 1966.
  21. ^ "PRIME MINISTER TO WITNESS NAVAL EXERCISES" (PDF). archive.pib.gov.in. 19 September 1967.
  22. ^ "COMMODORE KRISHNAN NEW NAVY VICE CHIEF" (PDF). archive.pib.gov.in. 11 December 1967.
  23. ^ a b "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Navy Branch)". The Gazette of India. 4 April 1970. p. 450.
  24. ^ "NEW NAVAL APPOINTMENTS" (PDF). archive.pib.gov.in. 20 February 1970.
  25. ^ "GALLANTRY AND DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARDS FOR DEFENCE PERSONNEL" (PDF). archive.pib.gov.in. 25 January 1971.
  26. ^ a b "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Navy Branch)". The Gazette of India. 30 June 1973. p. 724.
  27. ^ "CURSETJI APPOINTED NEW CHIEF OF NAVAL STAFF" (PDF). archive.pib.gov.in. 22 January 1976.
  28. ^ Hiranandani 1999.
  29. ^ Hiranandani 2005.
  30. ^ "COAST GUARD TO BE FORMED IN AUGUST" (PDF). pibarchive.nic.in. 29 June 1978.
  31. ^ "VICE ADMIRAL KAMATH TAKES OVER COAST GUARD" (PDF). pibarchive.nic.in.
  32. ^ "NAVAL CHIEF TO VISIT UNITED STATES" (PDF). archive.pib.gov.in. 6 October 1978.
  33. ^ "INDIA DESIGNS ITS FIRST FRIGATE" (PDF). archive.pib.gov.in. 1 June 1978.
  34. ^ "Admiral Jal Cursetji, PVSM". Information Resource Facilitation Centre, Indian Navy. Archived from the original on 19 April 2012. Retrieved 19 November 2011.
  35. ^ Bhada, Commodore M. (18 May 2019). "Remembering Admiral Jal Cursetji, PVSM". Parsi Times.
  36. ^ "THE ADMIRAL FATHER". Quarterdeck (2020).
  37. ^ Bulletin Hydrographique International, page 161
  38. ^ a b "Ninth CNS Admiral Jal Cursetji remembered on birth centenary". The Indian Express. 21 May 2019.
  39. ^ "INS Investigator awarded Admiral Jal Cursetji Trophy | Indian Navy". www.indiannavy.nic.in.
  40. ^ "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Navy Branch)". The Gazette of India. 5 November 1949. p. 1547.
  41. ^ "New Designs of Crests and Badges in the Services" (PDF). Press Information Bureau of India - Archive. Archived (PDF) from the original on 8 August 2017.
  42. ^ "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)". The Gazette of India. 11 February 1950. p. 227.
  43. ^ "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Navy Branch)". The Gazette of India. 19 July 1952. p. 155.
  44. ^ "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Navy Branch)". The Gazette of India. 13 April 1968. p. 316.
  45. ^ "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Navy Branch)". The Gazette of India. 28 March 1970. p. 418.

Bibliography

Military offices
Preceded by Commanding Officer INS Vikrant
1966-1967 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
Chief of Personnel

1967-1970
Preceded by Vice Chief of the Naval Staff
1970-1973 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Western Naval Command

1973-1976 		Succeeded by
Chief of the Naval Staff
1976–1979
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