Admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in many navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force. Admiral is ranked above vice admiral and below admiral of ...

Raden is a Japanese termRaden.

National Hero of Indonesia National Hero of Indonesia () is the highest-level Orders, decorations, and medals of Indonesia, title awarded in Indonesia. It is posthumously given by the Government of Indonesia for actions which are deemed to be heroic, defined as "actual de ...

posthumously in 1966. He is recognized as one of the founders of the

Indonesian Navy The Indonesian Navy (, TNI-AL) is the Navy, naval branch of the Indonesian National Armed Forces. It was founded on 10 September 1945 and has a role to patrol Indonesia's lengthy coastline, to enforce and patrol the territorial waters and Exclus ...

Biography

Martadinata was born in

Bandung Bandung is the capital city of the West Java province of Indonesia. Located on the island of Java, the city is the List of Indonesian cities by population, fourth-most populous city and fourth largest city in Indonesia after Jakarta, Surabay ...

West Java West Java (, ) is an Indonesian Provinces of Indonesia, province on the western part of the island of Java, with its provincial capital in Bandung. West Java is bordered by the province of Banten and the country's capital region of Jakarta to t ...

, on 29 March 1921. His father was Raden Ruhiyat Martadinata and his mother was Nyi Raden Suhaemi. He completed his education through

senior high school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., b ...

, first in Bandung then in Batavia (now

Jakarta Jakarta (; , Betawi language, Betawi: ''Jakartè''), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta (; ''DKI Jakarta'') and formerly known as Batavia, Dutch East Indies, Batavia until 1949, is the capital and largest city of Indonesia and ...

). After graduating high school he enrolled in a Dutch-run school for sailors in 1941, but following the Japanese occupation the following year the school was closed. He later continued, under Japanese tutelage, and by 1944 was working as an assistant teacher.

Sukarno Sukarno (6 June 1901 – 21 June 1970) was an Indonesian statesman, orator, revolutionary, and nationalist who was the first president of Indonesia, serving from 1945 to 1967. Sukarno was the leader of the Indonesian struggle for independenc ...

proclaimed Indonesia's independence in 1945, and in late August he established the People's Security Body (, or BKR). Martadinata and other naval trainees began efforts to establish a naval branch of the BKR, which eventually became the

. During the

National Revolution National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...

(1945–1949) Martadinata saw several leadership positions, including as Operating Staff Chief in

Yogyakarta Yogyakarta is the capital city of the Special Region of Yogyakarta in Indonesia, in the south-central part of the island of Java. As the only Indonesian royal city still ruled by Hamengkubuwono, a monarchy, Yogyakarta is regarded as an importan ...

and Chief of Staff at the base in

Surabaya Surabaya is the capital city of East Java Provinces of Indonesia, province and the List of Indonesian cities by population, second-largest city in Indonesia, after Jakarta. Located on the northeastern corner of Java island, on the Madura Strai ...

. After the Dutch recognized Indonesian independence in 1949, Martadinata remained with the Navy. He oversaw naval operations in

South Sulawesi South Sulawesi () is a Provinces of Indonesia, province in the South Peninsula, Sulawesi, southern peninsula of Sulawesi, Indonesia. The Selayar Islands archipelago to the south of Sulawesi is also part of the province. The capital and largest ci ...

in 1950, when the national government was dealing with the

Makassar uprising The Makassar Uprising, also known as Andi Aziz rebellion ( Indonesian: ''Pemberontakan Andi Aziz''), was a skirmish in Makassar, Sulawesi, between former Royal Dutch East Indies Army soldiers under Captain Andi Aziz and the Republic of th ...

. In 1953 he was sent to study in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. After his return to Indonesia he supervised the purchase of various ships for the Navy. After a period of infighting in the late 1950s, Martadinata replaced Subiyakto as

Chief of Staff of the Indonesian Navy The Chief of Staff of the Indonesian Navy (, abbreviated KSAL or KASAL) is the highest position in the Indonesian Navy. The position is held by the four-star Admiral or Marine General, appointed by and reporting directly to the Commander of the I ...

, leaving him in charge of the service branch; the infighting quelled soon after. Martadinata rose through the ranks, reaching

vice admiral Vice admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, usually equivalent to lieutenant general and air marshal. A vice admiral is typically senior to a rear admiral and junior to an admiral. Australia In the Royal Australian Navy, the rank of Vice ...

by 1960. The

30 September Movement The Thirtieth of September Movement (, also known as G30S, and by the syllabic abbreviation Gestapu for ''Gerakan September Tiga Puluh'', Thirtieth of September Movement, also unofficially called Gestok, for ''Gerakan Satu Oktober'', or Fir ...

in 1965, an unsuccessful coup attempt which the government blamed on the

Communist Party of Indonesia The Communist Party of Indonesia (Indonesian language, Indonesian: ''Partai Komunis Indonesia'', PKI) was a communist party in the Dutch East Indies and later Indonesia. It was the largest non-ruling communist party in the world before its Indo ...

, led to massive changes in the country. At a funeral for Irma, a daughter of

Abdul Haris Nasution Abdul Haris Nasution (; 3 December 1918 – 6 September 2000) was a high-ranking Indonesian general and politician. He served in the military during the Indonesian National Revolution and remained in the military during the subsequent turmoil of ...

who had been killed in the coup, Martadinata indicated a wish to purge the communists; this and similar communist purges led to deaths of thousands, although the total number of victims is uncertain. In February 1966 Martadinata left the Navy as he perceived the government to be unwilling to deal with communists. He was reassigned as Indonesia's ambassador to

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

. For the 21st anniversary of the

Indonesian Armed Forces The Indonesian National Armed Forces (; abbreviated as TNI) are the military forces of the Republic of Indonesia. It consists of the Army (''TNI-AD''), Navy (''TNI-AL''), and Air Force (''TNI-AU''). The President of Indonesia is the Supreme ...

on 5 October 1966, Martadinata returned to the country with some Pakistani guests. The day after the ceremony, Martadinata and his guests were flying in an

Aérospatiale Alouette II The Aérospatiale Alouette II (, "lark"; company designations SE 313 and SA 318) is a French light helicopter originally manufactured by Sud Aviation and later Aérospatiale. It was the first production helicopter powered by a gas turbine e ...

helicopter when the pilot crashed into Mount Riung Gunung at

Puncak Pass Puncak or Puncak Pass (; ) is a mountain pass in Bogor Regency, West Java, Indonesia. The pass connects the cities of Bogor and Bandung and is spread within the regencies of Bogor, Cianjur, and Sukabumi. Puncak Pass is located between Mt. Gede- ...

. After his body was recovered, Martadinata was buried in

Kalibata Heroes' Cemetery The National Main Heroes' Cemetery in Kalibata (), colloquially known as Kalibata Heroes' Cemetery ( or ''TMP Kalibata''), is a military cemetery in Kalibata, South Jakarta, Indonesia. It was built in 1953 and opened on 10 November 1954. Bachar ...

. A monument with an Alouette II helicopter was later built at the crash site. Since then he has been the namesake for various items, including streets, a building at the Navy Command and Staff College and two warships ( and ). Martadinata was awarded the title of

on 7 October 1966, based on Presidential Decree No. 220 of 1966.

Honours

Source:

National Honours

* : **

Star of the Republic of Indonesia The Star of the Republic of Indonesia () is Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of ...

4th Class (1963) **

Star of Mahaputera Star of Mahaputera (Indonesian language, Indonesian:''Bintang Mahaputera'') is the second highest honorary award awarded by the Government of the Republic of Indonesia, one level below the Star of the Republic of Indonesia. This honorary award was ...

4th Class (1961) ** Sacred Star ** Military Distinguished Service Star ** Guerrilla Star ** Armed Forces Eight Years’ Service Star ** Satyalencana Kesetiaan XVI

Military Long Service Medal, 16 Years Service ** Satyalancana Perang Kemerdekaan I

1st Independence War Medal ** 2nd Independence War Medal ** Military Operational Service Medal for Madiun 1947 ** Satyalencana G

Military Operational Service Medal for Angkatan Ratu Adil 1947 ** Satyalencana Satya Dharma

Military Service Medal for Irian Jaya 1962 ** Northern Borneo Military Campaign Medal

Foreign Honours

* : ** Order of Military Merits with Golden Swords (2nd Rank) * : ** Commendatore OMRI BAR

Commander of the

Order of Merit of the Italian Republic The Order of Merit of the Italian Republic () is the most senior Italian order of merit. It was established in 1951 by the second President of Italy, President of the Italian Republic, Luigi Einaudi. The highest-ranking honour of the Republi ...

(1959) * : ** US Legion of Merit Commander rib

Commander of the

Legion of Merit The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a Awards and decorations of the United States military, military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievemen ...

* : ** Knight Commander of the Most Exalted

Order of the White Elephant __NOTOC__ The Most Exalted Order of the White Elephant (; ) is an order (decoration), order of Thailand. It was established in 1861 by King Mongkut, Rama IV of the Thailand, Kingdom of Siam. Along with the Order of the Crown of Thailand, it is r ...

(1960)แจ้งความสำนักนายกรัฐมนตรี เรื่อง พระราชทานเครื่องราชอิสริยาภรณ์
/ref> * : ** Commander of the Phillipine Legion of Honor (1963)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Martadinata, Eddy 1921 births 1966 deaths Sundanese people Military personnel from Bandung National Heroes of Indonesia Indonesian admirals Ambassadors of Indonesia to Pakistan Chiefs of staff of the Indonesian Navy Victims of helicopter accidents or incidents Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1966 Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in Indonesia