Western Naval Command

The Western Naval Command is one of the three command-level formations of the Indian Navy.[3] It is headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra. As the senior-most of the three formations,[4] the command is responsible for the all naval forces in the Arabian Sea and western parts of the Indian Ocean and the naval establishments on the west coast of India.

Western Naval Command
INS Vikramaditya at sea
Country	India
Branch	Indian Navy
Type	Command
Headquarters	Mumbai, Maharashtra
Commanders
FOC-in-C	Vice Admiral Ajit Kumar, PVSM, AVSM, VSM[1][2]
FOCWF	Rear Admiral Krishna Swaminathan, VSM

The Command was formed on 1 March 1968.[5] The Command is commanded by a Three Star Flag Officer of the rank of Vice Admiral with the title Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Western Command (FOC-in-C). Vice Admiral Ajit Kumar P, PVSM, AVSM, VSM is the current FOC-in-C WNC, who took over on 31 January 2019.[6]

History

After the independence and the partition of India on 15 August 1947, the ships and personnel of the Royal Indian Navy were divided between the Dominion of India and the Dominion of Pakistan. The division of the ships was on the basis of two-thirds of the fleet to India, one third to Pakistan.[7] Two new appointments were created, the Rear Admiral Commanding Indian Naval Squadron (RACINS), the commander of the surface fleet of the Navy, and the Commodore-in-Charge Bombay, a one-star officer who headed the shore establishments on the western coast. To bring the service more in line with other navies, on 1 May 1952 the Rear Admiral Commanding Indian Naval Squadron was re-designated Flag Officer Commanding (Flotillas), Indian Fleet,[8]

On 30 December 1957, the office of Flag Officer Commanding (Flotillas) was re-designated Flag Officer Commanding Indian Fleet (FOCIF), while the command of the shore establishments was upgraded to the Two Star appointment of Flag Officer Bombay (FOB) in June 1958.[9] The FOCIF and FOB reported to the Chief of the Naval Staff. On 1 March 1968, the FOB was upgraded to the Three Star of Vice Admiral and was re-designated Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Western Naval Command (FOC-in-C WNC). The Indian Fleet was renamed as Western Fleet with the Flag Officer Commanding Western Fleet (FOCWF) reporting into the FOC-in-C WNC.[10][4]

Area of responsibility

The Western Naval Command (WNC) is the sword arm of the Indian Navy and naval operations conducted on the western seaboard would be central to the outcome of any conflict at sea against Pakistan. The Western Fleet is the two-star level operational formation of the Western Naval Command. It utilises Mumbai and Karwar as its home ports, with INS Kunjali, its HQ in Mumbai. The fleet at the WNC is based under Flag Officer Maharashtra Area (FOMA) and provides naval defence in the sensitive north Arabian Sea adjacent to Pakistan. INS Kadamba, a large naval base, was constructed under Project Seabird and completed in 2005. This naval base, at Karwar in Karnataka, is used exclusively by the Indian Navy.[3]

Capabilities

The Flagship carrier of the Western Fleet is INS Vikramaditya. The WNC is equipped with submarine pens, a carrier dock and main maintenance dockyards. The Carrier Battle Group of the Western Fleet consists of INS Vikramaditya, Delhi class destroyers, Talwar class frigates, Brahmaputra class frigates, INS Kolkata Indian navy's brand new destroyer[11] and Sindhughosh class submarines. The Naval Aviation is provided by MiG-29K fighters along with airborne early warning Kamov Ka-31 Helicopters.

Full-fledged shipbuilding facilities on the western seaboard include the Mazagon Dock Limited in Mumbai, the Goa Shipyard Limited and the Cochin Shipyard Ltd in Kerala, which is India's largest repair dry dock.

Organization

The Western Naval Command is organized as follows:[12]

Post	Current Holder	References
Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief	Vice Admiral Ajit Kumar, PVSM, AVSM, VSM
Chief of Staff	Vice Admiral Ajendra Bahadur Singh, AVSM, VSM	[13]
Flag Officer Commanding Western Fleet (FOCWF)	Rear Admiral Sanjay Jasjit Singh, NM	[14]
Flag Officer Maharashtra Naval Area	Rear Admiral Rajesh Pendharkar, VSM	[15]
Flag Officer Goa Area (FOGA)	Rear Admiral Philipose G Pynumootil	[16]
Commodore Commanding Submarines (COMCOS) - West
Flag Officer Naval Aviation (FONA)	Rear Admiral Puneet Kumar Bahl	[17]
Flag Officer Offshore Defence Advisory Group (FODAG)	Rear Admiral Deepak Bali	[18]
Flag Officer Karnataka Naval Area (FOK)	Rear Admiral Mahesh Singh, NM	[19]
Admiral Superintendent Dockyard (ASD) - Mumbai	Rear Admiral Sandeep Naithani, VSM	[20]
Naval Officer In-Charge (NOIC) - Maharashtra
Naval Officer In-Charge (NOIC) - Gujarat	Read Admiral S Beecha	[21]
Naval Officer In-Charge (NOIC) - Karnataka
Naval Officer In-Charge (NOIC) - Goa

Naval bases

Naval bases under Western Naval Command are the following[22]

Base	City	State/Territory	Role
INS Dwarka	Okha	Gujarat	Logistics and Maintenance support
INS Sardar Patel[23]	Porbandar		Logistics Support
INS Kadamba	Karwar	Karnataka	Logistics and Maintenance support
INS Vajrakosh			Naval ammunition and missile depot
INHS Patanjali			Naval Hospital
INS Gomantak	Vasco da gama	Goa	Logistics and Maintenance support
INS Hansa	Dabolim		Naval Air Station
INHS Jeevanti	Vasco-da-gama		Naval Hospital
INS Angre	Mumbai	Maharashtra	Logistics and Administrative support
INS Abhimanyu			MARCOS base
INS Agnibahu			Missile boat squadron base
INHS Asvini			Naval Hospital
INS Kunjai			Naval Air Station
INS Shikra			Naval Air Station
INS Tanaji			Naval ammunition depot
INS Trata			Coastal Missile Defense
INS Tunir			Naval missile depot
INS Vajrabahu			Submarine base

List of Commanders

Rank	Name	Appointment Date	Left Office	Notes	References
Commodore-in-Charge Bombay
Commodore	Henry Richmond Inigo-Jones	15 August 1947	31 December 1950	Formerly Royal Indian Navy.	[24]
	R. M. T. Taylor	31 December 1950	March 1954	Seconded from the Royal Navy	[25]
	Ajitendu Chakraverti	March 1954	16 November 1954	First Indian to hold the appointment.	[26]
	Adhar Kumar Chatterji	17 November 1954	November 1956	Later served as Chief of the Naval Staff.	[27]
	Bhaskar Sadashiv Soman	November 1956	12 June 1958	Later served as Chief of the Naval Staff.	[28][9]
Flag Officer Bombay
Rear Admiral	Bhaskar Sadashiv Soman	12 June 1958	April 1960	Later Chief of the Naval Staff.	[29]
	Sadashiv Ganesh Karmarkar	April 1960	June 1964		[30]
	R. S. David	June 1964	15 February 1968		[31][32]
	Sardarilal Mathradas Nanda	16 February 1968	1 March 1968	Later Chief of the Naval Staff.	[31]
Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Western Naval Command
Vice Admiral	Sardarilal Mathradas Nanda	1 March 1968	28 February 1970	Later served as Chief of Naval Staff	[33][34]
	Nilakanta Krishnan	28 February 1970	12 February 1971		[35]
	Sourendra Nath Kohli	12 February 1971	27 February 1973	Later served as Chief of Naval Staff	[36]
	Jal Cursetji	27 February 1973	28 February 1976	Later served as Chief of Naval Staff	[37][38]
	Ronald Lynsdale Pereira	28 February 1976	5 April 1977	Later served as Chief of Naval Staff	[39][40]
	Rustom K. S. Ghandhi	April 1977	3 March 1979		[41]
	V. E. C. Barboza	3 March 1979	March 1981		[42]
	Manohar Prahlad Awati	March 1981	30 March 1983		[43][44][45]
	Radhakrishna Hariram Tahiliani	31 March 1983	30 April 1984	Later served as Chief of Naval Staff	[46]
	Subimal Mookerjee	30 April 1984	28 February 1986		[47][48]
	S Jain	28 February 1986	31 December 1990		[49][50]
	H. Johnson	1 January 1991	31 August 1992		[51]
	K. A. S. Z. Raju	31 August 1992	31 December 1994		[52]
	Vishnu Bhagwat	31 December 1994	30 September 1996	Later served as Chief of Naval Staff.	[53][54]
	K K Kohli				[50]
	Madhvendra Singh	1 April 1998	31 March 2001	Later served as Chief of Naval Staff, and as Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee	[55][56]
	Vinod Pasricha	1 April 2001	31 December 2002		[57]
	Arun Prakash	1 January 2003	30 September 2003	Later served as Chief of Naval Staff, and as Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee	[58][59]
	Madanjit Singh	1 October 2003	28 February 2006		[60][61]
	Sangram Singh Byce	1 March 2006	31 July 2007		[62][60]
	Jagjit Singh Bedi	1 August 2007	30 April 2009		[63][64]
	Sanjeev Bhasin	1 May 2009	30 April 2012		[65]
	Devendra Kumar Joshi	1 May 2012	31 August 2012	Later served as Chief of Naval Staff. Current Lieutenant Governor of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.	[66]
	Sekhar Sinha	1 September 2012	31 May 2014	Retired from the Navy after being superseded.	[67][67]
	Anil Kumar Chopra	1 June 2014	31 March 2015		[68]
	Surinder Pal Singh Cheema	1 April 2015	31 January 2016	Also headed the Strategic Forces Command and the Southern Naval Command, apart from serving as the Chief of Integrated Defence Staff.	[69][70]
	Sunil Lanba	1 February 2016	31 May 2016	Later served as Chief of Naval Staff, and as Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee	[71]
	Girish Luthra	1 June 2016	31 January 2019		[72][73]
	Ajit Kumar P	1 February 2019	Incumbent		[74]

See also

• Eastern Naval Command
• Southern Naval Command

References

1. "Vice Admiral Ajit Kumar P takes over as Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Western Naval Command". Press Information Bureau, Government of India. 31 January 2019. Retrieved 31 January 2019.
2. @indiannavy (31 January 2019). "VAdm P Ajit Kumar PVSM, AVSM, VSM takes over as Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Naval Command, the premier Command of #IndianNavy in an impressive ceremony at Mumbai. Returns where he has commanded two frontline Destroyers + stealth frigate & was Chief Staff Offr (Ops)" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
3. "Organisation of Western Command". Indian Navy. Archived from the original on 10 February 2013. Retrieved 1 January 2013.
4. "Reorganisation of Naval Commands" (PDF). Press Information Bureau of India - Archive. 2 March 1968. Retrieved 2 February 2020.
5. "50 Glorious Years of Western Naval Command – India Strategic".
6. "Vice Admiral Ajit Kumar P takes over as Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Western Naval Command". pib.gov.in. Retrieved 28 December 2019.
7. 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."
8. "Change of Titles in Indian Navy" (PDF). Press Information Bureau of India - Archive. 27 April 1952. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
9. "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Navy Branch)". The Gazette of India. 16 August 1958. p. 188.
10. Hiranandani, G M. Transition to triumph : history of the Indian Navy, 1965-1975. Lancer Publishers. p. 615. ISBN 978-1897829721.
11. "Delay mars main air defence weapon deployment on INS Kolkata". 13 August 2014.
12. "Organisation | Indian Navy". indiannavy.nic.in. Retrieved 17 October 2016.
13. "Vice Admiral AB Singh takes over as Chief of Staff Western Naval Command". Retrieved 16 January 2018.
14. SpokespersonNavy (22 January 2018). "Rear Admiral MA Hampiholi, NM assumes command of the Western Fleet, relieves Rear Admiral RB Pandit who awaits his next appt on promotion as Vice Admiral. Commissioned in 1985, RAdm Hampiholi, an Anti-Submarine Warfare specialist, is an alumnus of NDA, DSSC & CNWpic.twitter.com/4Ua0tmIjT9". @indiannavy. Retrieved 22 January 2018.
15. "Rear Admiral Rajesh Pendharkar Assumes Charge as Flag Officer Commanding Maharashtra Naval Area | Indian Navy". www.indiannavy.nic.in.
16. "Naval leg of Indo-Russian tri-service exercise starts in Goa". The Economic Times. 11 December 2019.
17. "Change of Command - Flag Officer Naval Aviation and Flag Officer Goa Area | Indian Navy". www.indiannavy.nic.in. Retrieved 17 October 2016.
18. "'INS Betwa to be operational by September 2018'". www.hindustantimes.com/. 13 January 2017. Retrieved 11 December 2017.
19. "Rear Admiral Mahesh Singh Assumes Charge as Flag Officer Commanding Karnataka Area | Indian Navy". www.indiannavy.nic.in.
20. SpokespersonNavy (12 January 2018). "Rear Admiral Sandeep Naithani, VSM takes over as the Admiral Superintendent, Naval Dockyard, Mumbai @SpokespersonMoDpic.twitter.com/CUWQekikQ6". @indiannavy. Retrieved 22 January 2018.
21. "SpokespersonNavy on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved 28 April 2017.
22. "Organisation of Western Naval Command, Mumbai | Indian Navy". indiannavy.nic.in. Retrieved 29 December 2015.
23. "INS Sardar Patel: Indian Navy's new base commissioned in Gujarat - The Economic Times". The Economic Times. Retrieved 29 December 2015.
24. "Press Note" (PDF). Press Information Bureau of India - Archive. 30 December 1950. Retrieved 16 February 2020.
25. "Senior Naval Officers' Conference Opens - Admiral Pizey's Address" (PDF). Press Information Bureau of India - Archive. 3 December 1952. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
26. "Press Note" (PDF). Press Information Bureau of India - Archive. 5 December 1953. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
27. "Change in Bombay Naval Command" (PDF). Press Information Bureau of India - Archive. 15 November 1954. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
28. "Commodore Soman to Take Over Bombay Command" (PDF). Press Information Bureau of India - Archive. 15 October 1956. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
29. "New Deputy Chief of Naval Staff" (PDF). Press Information Bureau of India - Archive. 14 May 1962. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
30. "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Navy Branch)" (PDF). The Gazette of India. 15 August 1964. p. 330.
31. "Commodore Krishnan New Navy Vice Chief" (PDF). Press Information Bureau of India - Archive. 11 December 1967. Retrieved 30 January 2020.
32. "S. M. Nanda". Times of India Group. 16 February 1968. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
33. Services chiefs of India. Northern Book Centre. p. 111. ISBN 9788172111625.
34. "Upgradations in Defence Services Appointments" (PDF). Press Information Bureau - Archive. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
35. "Admiral Chatterji Hands Over Charge to Admiral Nanda" (PDF). Press Information Bureau - Archive. 28 February 1970. Retrieved 2 February 2020.
36. "Admiral Sourendra Nath Kohli, Padma Bhushan, PVSMAdmiral Sourendra Nath Kohli, Padma Bhushan, PVSM". Indian Navy Information Resource and Facilitation Centre. Indian Navy. Archived from the original on 10 April 2009.
37. "Admiral Cursetji To Head Western Naval Command" (PDF). Press Information Bureau - Archive. 14 February 1973. Retrieved 3 February 2020.
38. "New Senior Naval Appointments" (PDF). Press Information Bureau of India - Archive. 28 February 1976. Retrieved 4 February 2020.
39. "New Senior Naval Appointments" (PDF). Press Information Bureau of India - Archive. 28 February 1976. Retrieved 4 February 2020.
40. "Admiral Pereira Takes Over as Vice Chief of Naval Staff" (PDF). Press Information Bureau of India - Archive. 5 April 1977. Retrieved 4 February 2020.
41. "Senior Naval Officers' Conference" (PDF). Press Information Bureau of India - Archive. 5 November 1978. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
42. "Defence Snippets" (PDF). Press Information Bureau of India - Archive. 9 April 1979. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
43. "Vice Admiral M P Awati, distinguished and genial senior officer in the Indian Navy – obituary". The Telegraph. 11 January 2019.
44. T. N. Raghunatha (5 November 2018). "Iconic Vice Admiral Awati (Retd) passes away in Satara". The Pioneer.
45. "Admiral Awati Inaugurates Naval Diving Squadron" (PDF). Press Information Bureau of India - Archive. 14 March 1981. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
46. "Admiral Tahiliani Takes Over Western Naval Command" (PDF). Press Information Bureau of India - Archive. 31 March 1983. Retrieved 29 January 2020.
47. "Vice Admiral Mookerjee Takes Over Western Naval Command" (PDF). Press Information Bureau of India - Archive. 29 April 1984. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
48. "Subimal Mookerjee Retires From Navy" (PDF). Press Information Bureau of India - Archive. 1 March 1986. Retrieved 29 January 2020.
49. "Vice Admiral Jain Takes Over Western Naval Command" (PDF). Press Information Bureau of India - Archive. 28 February 1986. Retrieved 29 January 2020.
50. "Indian Navy rocked by major succession scandal". Retrieved 24 October 2017.
51. "New Vice Chief, Flag Officer Commanders-in-Chief and Deputy Chief For Indian Navy" (PDF). Press Information Bureau of India - Archive. 28 December 1990. Retrieved 29 January 2020.
52. "Vice Admiral KASZ Raju" (PDF). Press Information Bureau of India - Archive. 31 August 1992. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
53. "Vice Admiral Vishnu Bhagwat Takes Over as FOC-in-C (West)" (PDF). Press Information Bureau of India - Archive. 31 December 1994. Retrieved 2 March 2020.
54. "Admiral Vishnu Bhagwat Takes Over as Chief of Indian Navy" (PDF). Press Information Bureau of India - Archive. 28 December 1990. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
55. Cardozo, Major General Ian (1 December 2006). The Sinking of INS Khukri: Survivor's Stories. Roli Books Private Limited. ISBN 9789351940999.
56. "Latest Releases". pib.nic.in. Retrieved 24 October 2017.
57. "Naval Appointments" (PDF). Press Information Bureau of India - Archive. 1 March 2001. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
58. "Vice Admiral Arun Prakash,PVSM,AVSM,VrC,VSM,ADC will be the new Naval Chief". pib.nic.in. Retrieved 24 October 2017.
59. "Vice Admiral Arun Prakash takes over as C-in-C of WNC". Zee News. 31 December 2002. Retrieved 24 October 2017.
60. "Admiral Byce named flag officer CIC of Western Naval Command". Zee News. 28 February 2006. Retrieved 24 October 2017.
61. "The Hindu : New Naval appointments". www.thehindu.com. Retrieved 24 October 2017.
62. "New Flag Appointments in the Navy". pib.nic.in. Retrieved 24 October 2017.
63. "New Deputy Chief for the Navy". pib.nic.in. Retrieved 24 October 2017.
64. "Bedi takes charge of Western Naval Command". www.oneindia.com. Retrieved 24 October 2017.
65. "Sanjeev Bhasin to head the Western Naval Command | Latest News & Updates at Daily News & Analysis". dna. 29 April 2009. Retrieved 24 October 2017.
66. "D K Joshi is new chief of Western Naval Command - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 24 October 2017.
67. "Vice Admiral Shekhar Sinha PVSM AVSM NM& BAR, ADC Appointed as Commander in Chief Western Naval Command to Take Over from Vice Admiral DK Joshi". pib.nic.in. Retrieved 24 October 2017.
68. "Vice Admiral Anil Chopra takes over as Western Naval Commander - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 24 October 2017.
69. "VAdm SPS Cheema takes over as FOC-in-C(West) | Indian Navy". indiannavy.nic.in. Retrieved 24 October 2017.
70. "Vice Admiral Sunil Lanba takes over from Vice Admiral SPS Cheema as the Commander-in-Chief of Southern Naval Command". pib.nic.in. Retrieved 24 October 2017.
71. "Vice Admiral Sunil Lanba Takes Over Western Naval Command". pib.nic.in. Retrieved 24 October 2017.
72. "Vice Admiral Girish Luthra takes over Western Naval Command | Indian Navy". www.indiannavy.nic.in. Retrieved 24 October 2017.
73. "Vice Admiral Girish Luthra Takes Over Western Naval Command". pib.nic.in. Retrieved 24 October 2017.
74. @indiannavy (31 January 2019). "VAdm P Ajit Kumar PVSM, AVSM, VSM takes over as Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Naval Command, the premier Command of #IndianNavy in an impressive ceremony at Mumbai. Returns where he has commanded two frontline Destroyers + stealth frigate & was Chief Staff Offr (Ops)" (Tweet) – via Twitter.