Vice Admiral S H Sarma PVSM | |
---|---|
Born | 1 December 1922 |
Place of birth |
Bihar and Orissa Province (present day Orissa) |
Allegiance |
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Service/branch |
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Years of service | 1937-1978 |
Rank | Vice Admiral |
Commands held |
Eastern Naval Command Eastern Fleet INS Mysore (C60) INS Venduruthy 16 Frigate Squadron INS Brahmaputra (F31) INS Khukri (F149) |
Battles/wars |
Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 World War II |
Awards |
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Vice Admiral Sree Harilal Sarma, PVSM (born 1 December 1922) is a former Indian Navy Admiral who commanded the Eastern Fleet during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. He later served as the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Eastern Naval Command from 1 March 1977 to 2 February 1978.
Early life[]
Sarma was born on 1 December 1922, in the then Bihar and Orissa Province, in a large well-to-do family, the eldest of nine children. His father was a employee of the Bihar and Orissa Province government.[1]
[]
The Indian Mercantile Marine Training Ship (IMMTS) Dufferin was established in 1927 to train young men for India's marine service.[2] Sarma joined the Dufferin in January 1937 and graduated in December 1939. He was awarded the Viceroy's Gold Medal for the best all-round cadet,[3] the Lawrence and Mayo prize for navigation and the Bombay Port Trust scholarship.[4] He then joined the British India Steam Navigation Company in 1940 as a cadet.
Sarma served in the mercantile marine till 1942, when he was commissioned into the Royal Indian Navy Reserve as a Sub-lieutenant.[5] On 1 June 1944, he was promoted to temporary lieutenant and assigned to the minesweeper HMIS Kumaon.[6] He served in various theatres during the World War II. He served on ships on escort duties and minesweeping operations.[7] In 1948, Sarma was selected to undergo a navigation course at the Royal Navy School of Navigation, HMS Dryad (establishment), then based at the Southwick House, where he specialised in Navigation.[8]
Sarma was promoted substantive lieutenant-commander on 1 June 1953.[9] In 1954, Sarma was appointed Commanding Officer of the Navigation and Direction School, the youngest to do so.[10] Sarma then attended the Royal Naval College, Greenwich where he completed the Staff college course in 1957.[11]
Promoted to the rank of Commander, Sarma was appointed the commissioning commanding officer of the new frigate INS Khukri (F149). The Khukri was launched on 20 November 1956 and commissioned on 16 July 1958.[12] He sailed the ship down to India as her first commanding officer.
In 1960, Sarma was appointed the Deputy Naval Adviser to the High Commissioner of India to the United Kingdom at India House, London. The High Commissioner then was Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit.[13] It was during this time that India's first aircraft carrier INS Vikrant (R11) was commissioned in Belfast.[14]
After a three year stint as Deputy naval adviser, Sarma was promoted Captain and was appointed commanding officer of the frigate INS Brahmaputra (F31). He also commanded the 16th frigate squadron comprising the ships INS Brahmaputra (F31), INS Beas (F37) and INS Betwa (F39) from 1964 to 1965.[15]
In mid 1965, Sarma was posted as the Chief of Staff, Southern Naval Area and in 1966, he took over as the commanding officer of the largest training establishment of the Indian Navy, INS Venduruthy.[16] He commanded INS Venduruthy for 2 years, until 1968.
Captain Sarma took command of the cruiser INS Mysore (C60) on 16 December 1968. Under his command, INS Mysore won the Western Fleet Sailing Regatta in 1969.[17] Apart from serving as CO of INS Mysore, Sarma also filled in as the Chief of Staff to the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Western Naval Command, Vice Admiral Nilakanta Krishnan, an appointment he assumed full-time in August 1970.[18]
Sarma was promoted to acting Rear Admiral and appointed as Directing Staff (DS) at the National Defence College (NDC), New Delhi on 6 January 1971.[19] He served as DS at the NDC only for a few months.
Flag Officer Commanding Eastern Fleet[]
In September 1971, he was summoned by the Chief of the Naval Staff, Admiral S M Nanda who told him that he was to move to Visakhapatnam and take up command of the yet-to-be-formed Eastern Fleet.[20] The two-fleet concept of the Navy came into force with the constitution of the Eastern Fleet on 1 November 1971. Rear Admiral Sarma took over as the Founding Flag Officer Commanding Eastern Fleet (FOCEF).[21]
In mid 1971, The Aircraft carrier INS Vikrant, along with the frigates INS Brahmaputra and INS Beas were moved from the Western Fleet to the Eastern Naval Command.[22] Thus, INS Vikrant became the flagship of the Eastern Fleet.
According to Rear Admiral S H Sarma, the tasks of the Eastern Fleet were:
- To seek and destroy enemy naval units at sea
- To destroy his bases so that enemy naval units could not get shore support
- To establish a blockade off the East Pakistani coast
- To establish contraband control [23]
The Eastern Fleet effectively blockaded the ports of East Pakistan. Alizé and Hawker Sea Hawk aircraft from the INS Vikrant and the ships of the fleet bombarded Chittagong and Cox's Bazar.[24] The air strikes of INS Vikrant resulted in the sinking or rendering useless 11 merchant ships totalling 56914 tons.[25] The Eastern Fleet also enforced contraband control until tasked with an amphibious landing to cut off the land escape routes into Burma.[26] After the Surrender of Pakistan, in early 1972, Sarma led the fleet's minesweeping operations to make the Port of Chittagong operational.
For his command of the Eastern Fleet in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, Admiral Sarma was decorated with the Param Vishisht Seva Medal. After commanding the Eastern Fleet for about 2 years, Sarma was appointed Director General Naval Dockyard Expansion Scheme in 1973, and was promoted substantive rear admiral on 1 March of the same year.[27] He then served as the Flag Officer Commanding Southern Naval Area from 1973 to 1975. On 7 January 1975,[28] he was promoted Vice Admiral and took over as the Commandant of the National Defence College on 8 January 1975. After a two year stint as Commandant NDC, he took over as the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Eastern Naval Command.
After commanding the Eastern Naval Command for a year, Sarma retired on 2 February 1978.[29]
Later life[]
Post-retirement, Sarma wrote his autobiography, "My Years at Sea," which he released in book format in 2017.[30] On 14 January 2020, he was present at Odisha's fourth annual Armed Forces Veterans' Day and Ex-Servicemen Sammelan, during which he presented Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik with a bouquet.[31]
See also[]
- Eastern Fleet
- Flag Officer Commanding Eastern Fleet
- Eastern Naval Command
- Indo-Pakistani War of 1971
References[]
- ↑ Sarma, S H. My years at sea. Lancer Publishers & Distributors. pp. 1–4. ISBN 978-8170621218.
- ↑ A sailor remembers. Vikas. ISBN 978-0706920642.
- ↑ "Rear Admiral Sree Harilal Sarma". http://pibarchive.nic.in/archive/ArchiveSecondPhase/DEFENCE/1971-3DEC-31DEC-INDO-PAK-WAR/PDF/DEF-1971-12-08_222.pdf.
- ↑ Sarma, S H. My years at sea. Lancer Publishers & Distributors. pp. 10. ISBN 978-8170621218.
- ↑ "ADMIRAL SARMA TO HEAD EASTERN NAVAL COMMAND". http://pibarchive.nic.in/archive/ArchiveSecondPhase/DEFENCE/1977-JAN-JULY-MIN-OF-DEFENCE-PART-I/PDF/DEF-1977-03-08_049.pdf.
- ↑ The Navy List: July 1945 (Part II). HM Stationery Office. 1945. pp. 2107.
- ↑ "ADMIRAL SARMA TO HEAD EASTERN NAVAL COMMAND". http://pibarchive.nic.in/archive/ArchiveSecondPhase/DEFENCE/1977-JAN-JULY-MIN-OF-DEFENCE-PART-I/PDF/DEF-1977-03-08_049.pdf.
- ↑ Sarma, S H. My years at sea. Lancer Publishers & Distributors. pp. 50–51. ISBN 978-8170621218.
- ↑ "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Navy Branch)". The Gazette of India. 22 August 1953. p. 194.
- ↑ Sarma, S H. My years at sea. Lancer Publishers & Distributors. pp. x,82. ISBN 978-8170621218.
- ↑ "ADMIRAL SARMA TO HEAD EASTERN NAVAL COMMAND". http://pibarchive.nic.in/archive/ArchiveSecondPhase/DEFENCE/1977-JAN-JULY-MIN-OF-DEFENCE-PART-I/PDF/DEF-1977-03-08_049.pdf.
- ↑ Blueprint to bluewater, the Indian Navy, 1951-65. Lancer International. pp. 84. ISBN 978-8170621485.
- ↑ "Rear Admiral Sree Harilal Sarma". http://pibarchive.nic.in/archive/ArchiveSecondPhase/DEFENCE/1971-3DEC-31DEC-INDO-PAK-WAR/PDF/DEF-1971-12-08_222.pdf.
- ↑ Hobbs 2014, p. 203.
- ↑ Sarma, S H. My years at sea. Lancer Publishers & Distributors. pp. xi. ISBN 978-8170621218.
- ↑ Sarma, S H. My years at sea. Lancer Publishers & Distributors. pp. 128. ISBN 978-8170621218.
- ↑ "Sainik Samachar" (in en). Director of Public Relations, Ministry of Defence. 1970. https://books.google.co.in/books?id=DdohlIUDakUC&pg=PP35&lpg=PP35&dq=capt+sh+sarma&source=bl&ots=REZn890rLR&sig=ACfU3U0bBrOA97GuLUW6s5Q9MNhpOrxszQ&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj1gJCiwuXnAhVezzgGHZ3MBFkQ6AEwA3oECAkQAQ#v=onepage&q=sarma&f=false.
- ↑ Sarma, S H. My years at sea. Lancer Publishers & Distributors. pp. 136. ISBN 978-8170621218.
- ↑ "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Navy Branch)". The Gazette of India. 26 June 1971. p. 746.
- ↑ Sarma, S H. My years at sea. Lancer Publishers & Distributors. pp. 151. ISBN 978-8170621218.
- ↑ "NAVYs EASTERN FLEET FORMED ADMIRAL SARMA PLACED IN COMMAND". http://pibarchive.nic.in/archive/ArchiveSecondPhase/DEFENCE/1971-SEPT-DEC-MIN-OF-DEFENCE/PDF/DEF-1971-11-18_085.pdf.
- ↑ Krishnan, Nilakanta. A Sailor's story. Punya Pub. ISBN 978-8189534141.
- ↑ Sarma, S H. My years at sea. Lancer Publishers & Distributors. pp. 159–160. ISBN 978-8170621218.
- ↑ Sarma, S H. My years at sea. Lancer Publishers & Distributors. pp. 154. ISBN 978-8170621218.
- ↑ Krishnan, Nilakanta. A Sailor's story. Punya Pub. p. 64. ISBN 978-8189534141.
- ↑ Transition to guardianship : the Indian navy 1991-2000. Published by Principal Director of Administration, Integrated Headquarters, Ministry of Defence (Navy) [in association with] Lancer Publishers. ISBN 978-1935501268.
- ↑ "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Navy Branch)". The Gazette of India. 30 June 1973. p. 724.
- ↑ "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Navy Branch)". The Gazette of India. 31 January 1976. p. 125.
- ↑ "ADMIRAL SCHUNKER TO HEAD EASTERN NAVAL COMMAND". http://pibarchive.nic.in/archive/ArchiveSecondPhase/DEFENCE/1978-JAN-MAR-MIN-OF-DEFENCE-PART-I/PDF/DEF-1978-02-02_113.pdf.
- ↑ "Autobiography released". The New Indian Express. 8 May 2017. https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/odisha/2017/may/08/autobiography-released-1602367.html.
- ↑ Chandan Das, Snigdha (14 January 2020). "4th Armed Forces Veterans’ Day Celebrated In Bhubaneswar". Ommcom News. https://www.ommcomnews.com/odisha-news/4th-armed-forces-veterans-day-celebrated-in-bhubaneswar.
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