Western Fleet (India)
Western Fleet | |
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AVSM |
The Western Fleet is a Naval fleet of the Indian Navy. It is known as the 'Sword Arm' of the Indian Navy.[1] It is headquartered at Mumbai, Maharashtra on the west coast of India. It is a part of the Western Naval Command and is responsible for the naval forces in the Arabian Sea and parts of the Indian Ocean.
The Western Fleet was formally constituted on 1 March 1968.
History
After the
This was then called the Indian Fleet. After her commissioning in 1948, HMIS Delhi (later called INS Delhi) became the Flagship of the Indian Fleet. The Fleet commander was styled as Flag Officer Commanding Indian Fleet (FOCIF). In 1956, Rear Admiral Ram Dass Katari became the first Indian flag officer, and was appointed the first Indian Commander of the Fleet on 2 October, when he took over from Rear Admiral Sir St John Tyrwhitt.[3][4] In 1957, INS Mysore was commissioned and the flag of Rear Adm Katari was transferred from INS Delhi to INS Mysore, thus becoming the flagship of the Indian Fleet.[5]
The first Aircraft carrier of the Indian Navy, INS Vikrant was commissioned in 1961 and became the flagship of the Indian Fleet.[6]
On 1 March 1968, the Eastern Naval Command was established and the Indian Fleet was renamed as the Western Fleet.[7][8][9]
Indo-Pakistani War of 1971
At the outbreak of war, the Western Fleet was commanded by Rear Admiral E C Kuruvilla,
According to Admiral Sourendra Nath Kohli, the then Commander-in-Chief Western Naval Command, "The Western Fleet was given a broad directive to seek and destroy enemy warships, protect our merchant shipping, deny sealanes to enemy shipping and render ineffective the maritime line of communication between West Pakistan and East Pakistan to prevent any reinforcements from reaching the beleaguered Pakistani forces at that end."[12]
ORBAT
The Order of Battle of the Western Fleet in 1971 was:[13]
Fleet Commander: Rear Admiral Elenjikal Chandy Kuruvila
Flag Ship INS Mysore - Captain R K S Gandhi, VrC
15th Frigate Squadron
14th Frigate Squadron
31 Patrol Squadron
Patrol Vessels
Frigates
- INS Cauvery - Commander I K Erry
- INS Kistna - Commander R A J Anderson
- INS Tir - Commander M Pratap
Destroyer
- INS Ranjit - Commander R N Singh
Submarines
OSA Class Patrol Boats 25 K Squadron - Commander Babru Bhan Yadav, MVC
251K Division
- Lieutenant CommanderR B Suri
- Lieutenant Commander B N Kavina, VrC
- AVSM, VrC
- Lieutenant CommanderS Issac
252 K Division
- INS Vijeta - Commander A K Parti
- Lieutenant Commander V Jerath, VrC
- Lieutenant CommanderB B Singh
Operation Trident & Operation Python
On 4 December, the fleet successfully executed Operation Trident, a devastating attack on the Pakistan Naval Headquarters at Karachi that sank a minesweeper, a destroyer and an ammunition supply ship. The attack also irreparably damaged another destroyer and oil storage tanks at the Karachi port.[14] To commemorate this, 4 December is celebrated as the Navy Day.[15] This was followed by Operation Python on 8 December 1971, further deprecating the Pakistan Navy's capabilities.[14]
In the war, The Indian frigate INS Khukri, commanded by Captain Mahendra Nath Mulla, MVC was sunk by PNS Hangor, while INS Kirpan was damaged on the west coast.[16]
Kargil War
The Indian Navy launched Operation Talwar on 25 May 1999. The entire Western Fleet had sailed from Mumbai to the North Arabian Sea to increase surveillance and adopt a deterrent posture. Elements of the Eastern Fleet joined the Western Fleet in the Arabian Sea later. The joint Western and Eastern Fleets blockaded the Pakistani ports (primarily the Karachi port).[17][18][19][20][21] They began aggressive patrols and threatened to cut Pakistan's sea trade. This exploited Pakistan's dependence on sea-based oil and trade flows.[22] Later, then-Prime Minister of Pakistan, Nawaz Sharif disclosed that Pakistan was left with just six days of fuel to sustain itself if a full-scale war had broken out.[23][24][25][26]
Fleet Commander
The Fleet Commander is titled Flag Officer Commanding Western Fleet (FOCWF). The appointment has been known by several titles since 1947:
- 1947 - 1951 - Commodore Commanding Indian Naval Squadron (COMINS)
- 1951 - 1952 - Rear Admiral Commanding Indian Naval Squadron (RACINS)
- 1952 - 1957 - Flag Officer Commanding (Flotillas) Indian Fleet (FOCFIF)
- 1957 - 1968 - Flag Officer Commanding Indian Fleet (FOCIF)
- 1968–present - Flag Officer Commanding Western Fleet (FOCWF)
See also
References
- ^ 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."
- ^ Singh 1992, pp. 250.
- ISBN 9780706920642.
- ISBN 9788170621485.
- ISBN 9788170621485.
- ^ "Golden Jubilee Celebrations of ENC | Indian Navy". www.indiannavy.nic.in.
- ISBN 978-1897829721.
- ^ "Reorganisation of Naval Commands" (PDF). Press Information Bureau of India - Archive. 2 March 1968. Retrieved 2 February 2020.
- ISBN 9781897829110.
- ISBN 978-8189534141.
- ISBN 978-1844540013.
- ISBN 9788174364999.
- ^ a b Vice Admiral G. M. Hiranandani (retd.) (11 July 2015). "1971 War: The First Missile Attack on Karachi". Indian Defence Review. Archived from the original on 17 February 2017. Retrieved 25 June 2017.
- ^ Russell Phillips (3 June 2013). "The sinking of INS Kukhri". Russell Phillips Books. Retrieved 25 June 2017.
- ^ Grare, Frédéric. "The Resurgence of Baluch nationalism" (PDF). Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Retrieved 20 May 2009.
- ^ "Sea Power". Force India. Archived from the original on 18 August 2013. Retrieved 17 August 2013.
- ^ Azam Khan, Cdr (Retd) Muhammad. "Exercise Seaspark—2001". Defence Journal. Retrieved 17 August 2013.
- ^ "Indian Navy celebrates its silent Kargil victory". DNA India. 30 November 2005. Retrieved 17 August 2013.
- ^ General Ashok K Mehta (5 August 2005). "The silent sentinel". Rediff. Retrieved 17 August 2013.
- ^ "1999 Kargil Conflict". GlobalSecurity.org. Retrieved 20 May 2009.
- ISBN 9350299941. Archived from the originalon 12 October 2017.
- ^ Lambeth, Benjamin (2012). Airpower at 18,000': The Indian Air Force in the Kargil War (PDF). Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. p. 54.
- ISBN 978-1935501268.