Jal Cursetji

Jal Cursetji
Born (1919-05-20) May 20, 1919
Jabalpur, Central Provinces, British Raj (now Madhya Pradesh, India)[1]
Allegiance  British India (1938-1947)
 India (from 1947)
Service/branch  Royal Indian Navy (1938-1947)
Indian Navy (1947-1979)
Years of service 1938–1979
Rank Admiral
Commands held Chief of the Naval Staff
FOC-IN-C, Western Naval Command
INS Vikrant (R11)
HMIS Bombay (J249)
Battles/wars World War II
Liberation of Goa
Indo-Pakistani War of 1965
Indo-Pakistani War of 1971
Awards Param Vishisht Seva Medal
Legion of Merit[2]

Jal Cursetji (born May 20, 1919) is a retired Indian Navy admiral who served as the 10th Chief of the Naval Staff from March 1, 1976 until February 28, 1979.[3] Cursetji's prior commands included those as the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief (FOC-IN-C) of the Western Naval Command and the commanding officer of INS Vikrant (R11) and HMIS Bombay (J249). He also served as the Naval Attache to the Indian Embassy in Washington, D.C. and as the Chief Hydrographer of the Indian Navy.

Early life

Cursetji was born in 1919 in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh in a Parsi family. He attended the St. Aloysius Senior Secondary School in Jabalpur.

Cursetji joined the Royal Indian Navy Volunteer Reserve as a cadet in January 1938. He was commissioned as an acting sub-lieutenant in the RIN on 1 April 1940, with confirmation as a sub-lieutenant on 1 September 1940 (dating from 1 April).[4][5] He qualified as a Hydrography Specialist in the United Kingdom, and was promoted to lieutenant on 1 October 1941.[6]

During World War II, Cursetji served in the Atlantic and the Indian Ocean. In 1944, he took over as the Commanding Officer of HMIS Bombay (J249).

After the independence of India, he 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, Malaya and Indonesia. He served as the Surveyor-in-Charge of the Marine Survey of India between 1950 and 1953. On 15 November 1955, he was promoted to acting captain and deputed as the Chief Hydrographer to the Government of India.[7][8]

In 1957, he took command of the 11th Destroyer Squadron, and was promoted substantive captain on 31 December.[9] Between 1961 and 1965, Cursetji served as the Naval Attache in Washington, D.C. and Ottawa. Between 1966 and 1967, he was the Commanding Officer of INS Vikrant (R11).

He was promoted to Rear Admiral and took over as the Chief of Personnel at Naval Headquarters in December 1967. In February 1970, he was promoted to acting Vice Admiral and took over as the Vice Chief of Naval Staff. On 27 February 1973, he took over as the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief (FOC-IN-C) of the Western Naval Command, with promotion to substantive vice-admiral on 1 March.[10]

Admiral Cursetji became the Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS) of the Indian Navy on 1 March 1976. He retired on 28 February 1979.[1][3]

Awards

Cursetji was awarded the Param Vishisht Seva Medal in January 1971. He was the first Indian Navy CNS to be awarded the Legion of Merit in 1978.[2]

Dates of rank

InsigniaRankComponentDate of rank
Sub-lieutenantRoyal Indian Navy1 April 1940[4]
LieutenantRoyal Indian Navy1 October 1941[6]
Lieutenant-CommanderRoyal Indian Navy1 October 1949 (substantive)[11]
Lieutenant-CommanderIndian Navy26 January 1950 (recommissioning)[12][13]
CommanderIndian Navy30 June 1952.[14]
CaptainIndian Navy15 November 1955 (acting)[7]
31 December 1961 (substantive)[9]
Rear AdmiralIndian NavyDecember 1967
Vice-AdmiralIndian NavyFebruary 1970 (acting)
1 March 1973 (substantive)[10]
AdmiralIndian Navy
(CNS)		1 March 1976

References

  1. 1 2 Service Chiefs of India. Google Books. Retrieved 2011-11-19.
  2. 1 2 Stewart, William. Admirals of the World. p. 85. Retrieved 2011-11-20.
  3. 1 2 "Admiral Jal Cursetji, PVSM". Information Resource Facilitation Centre, Indian Navy. Retrieved 2011-11-19.
  4. 1 2 The Navy List: February 1941. HM Stationery Office. 1941. p. 817.
  5. ↑ The Navy List: December 1941. HM Stationery Office. 1941. p. 1056.
  6. 1 2 The Navy List: December 1943. HM Stationery Office. 1941. p. 1802.
  7. 1 2 http://www.hydrobharat.nic.in/pdf/charting.pdf
  8. ↑ "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Navy Branch)". The Gazette of India. 24 March 1956. p. 60.
  9. 1 2 "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Navy Branch)". The Gazette of India. 29 November 1958. p. 268.
  10. 1 2 "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Navy Branch)". The Gazette of India. 30 June 1973. p. 724.
  11. ↑ "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Navy Branch)". The Gazette of India. 5 November 1949. p. 1547.
  12. ↑ "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.
  13. ↑ "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)". The Gazette of India. 11 February 1950. p. 227.
  14. ↑ "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Navy Branch)". The Gazette of India. 19 July 1952. p. 155.
Military offices
Preceded by
Sourendra Nath Kohli		 Chief of the Naval Staff
1976–1979		 Succeeded by
Ronald Lynsdale Pereira
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