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 ...

Kankipati Appala Satyanarayana Zagapathi 'KASZ' Raju,

PVSM Param Vishisht Seva Medal (PVSM) (International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration, IAST: , ) is a Military awards and decorations, military award of India. It is the highest peacetime medal of the Indian Armed Forces, and is awarded for "dist ...

AVSM Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (AVSM, ) is a military award of India given to recognize "distinguished service of an exceptional order" to all ranks of the armed forces. The award is a peacetime equivalent of Uttam Yuddh Seva Medal, which is a Wartime ...

, NM is a former Flag officer in the

Indian Navy The Indian Navy (IN) (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the Navy, maritime and Amphibious warfare, amphibious branch of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Navy. The Chief of the Naval Staff (India), Chief ...

. He last served as the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief

Western Naval Command The Western Naval Command is one of the three command–level formations of the Indian Navy. It is headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra. As the senior–most of the three formations, the command is responsible for the all naval forces in the A ...

, from 1992 to 1994. A

naval aviator Naval aviation / Aeronaval is the application of military air power by navies, whether from warships that embark aircraft, or land bases. It often involves '' navalised aircraft'', specifically designed for naval use. Seaborne aviation encompas ...

, he was part of the Navy's first naval air squadron

INAS 300 The INAS 300 is the longest serving combat unit of the Indian Navy, based at INS Hansa. History The White Tigers were commissioned on 7 July 1959 at RNAS Brawdy, United Kingdom with the Indian High Commissioner to UK, Vijay Laxmi Pandit, i ...

and was embarked on the Navy's first

aircraft carrier An aircraft carrier is a warship that serves as a seagoing airbase, equipped with a full-length flight deck and hangar facilities for supporting, arming, deploying and recovering carrier-based aircraft, shipborne aircraft. Typically it is the ...

. During the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, he was the

executive officer An executive officer is a person who is principally responsible for leading all or part of an organization, although the exact nature of the role varies depending on the organization. In many militaries and police forces, an executive officer ...

of the

Leopard-class frigate The Type 41 or ''Leopard'' class were a class of anti-aircraft defence frigates built for the Royal Navy (four ships) and Indian Navy (three ships) in the 1950s.Purvis, M.K., 'Post War RN Frigate and Guided Missile Destroyer Design 1944-1969', T ...

, for which he was awarded the

Nao Sena Medal Nau Sena Medal (also spelt ''Nao Sena Medal'', lit. ''Navy Medal'') is a gallantry award for servicemen in the Indian Navy. History The Nau Sena Medal was instituted on 26 January 1960 by the Government of India, with the approval of the Presid ...

. He later commanded the Western Fleet and the

Southern Naval Command The Southern Naval Command is one of the three, command-level formations of the Indian Navy. Southern Naval Command is the largest naval command in India and it has its headquarters in Kochi, Kerala at INS Venduruthy. It is the Training Comman ...

Early life and education

Raju joined the

Rashtriya Indian Military College The Rashtriya Indian Military College (abbreviated RIMC; formerly known as Prince of Wales Royal Indian Military College) () is a military school for boys situated in Doon Valley, Dehradun in India. The RIMC is a feeder institution for the Nation ...

Dehradun Dehradun (), also known as Dehra Doon, is the winter capital and the List of cities in Uttarakhand by population, most populous city of the Indian state of Uttarakhand. It is the administrative headquarters of the eponymous Dehradun district, d ...

in 1948. After passing the entrance examination, he joined the 10th course of the Joint Services Wing in Dehradun in 1953. In December 1954, the

National Defence Academy The National Defence Academy (NDA) is the joint defence service training institute of the Indian Armed Forces. Here, cadets of the Indian Army, Indian Navy, and Indian Air Force train together before they go on to their respective service a ...

(NDA) was commissioned in Khadakvasla, near Pune. The 10th course moved to NDA when parts of the academy were under construction. After graduating from NDA, Raju was commissioned in the Indian Navy on 1 July 1958.

Naval career

Early career

Raju trained as a naval aviator and joined the first squadron of the Indian Navy –

. He flew the

Hawker Sea Hawk The Hawker Sea Hawk is a British single-seat jet day fighter formerly of the Fleet Air Arm (FAA), the air branch of the Royal Navy (RN), built by Hawker Aircraft and its sister company, Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft. Although its design originat ...

aircraft. In February 1961, India's first

was commissioned in Belfast. The squadron was based out of RNAS Brawdy in Wales. In August, the Sea Hawks of

embarked on the ''Vikrant'' in the English Channel. After work-up and sea trials in the Mediterranean, ''Vikrant'' entered home waters in November. Aircraft of the

Indian Air Force The Indian Air Force (IAF) (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the air force, air arm of the Indian Armed Forces. Its primary mission is to secure Indian airspace and to conduct aerial warfare during armed conflicts. It was officially established on 8 Octob ...

welcomed the ship and INAS 300, along with INAS 310 put up a flying demonstration. The squadron then disembarked and moved to

Sulur Air Force Station Sulur Air Force Station is an air base of the Indian Air Force located at Sulur near Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu. It is operated by the Southern Air Command and is the second largest air base of the Indian Air Force after the Hindon Air Force ...

. On 1 January 1968, Raju was promoted to the acting rank of Lieutenant Commander. He then served on the

Naval air station A Naval Air Station (NAS) is a military air base, and consists of a permanent land-based operations locations for the military aviation division of the relevant branch of a navy (Naval aviation). These bases are typically populated by squadron ...

INS Garuda INS Garuda , is an Indian naval air station located in Kochi, in the state of Kerala. Commissioned on 11 May 1953, it is the oldest operating air station of the Indian Navy. The air station is adjacent to INS Venduruthy and the headquarters of ...

. In June 1969, he was selected to attend the

Defence Services Staff College The Defence Services Staff College (DSSC) is a defence service training institution of the Ministry of Defence, Government of India. It trains officers of all three services of the Indian Armed Forces – (Indian Army, Indian Navy, Indian Air ...

(DSSC),

Wellington Wellington is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the third-largest city in New Zealand (second largest in the North Island ...

in the course commencing in January 1970. After graduating from DSSC, Raju was appointed

of the

Indo-Pakistani War of 1971

In mid-1971, ''Vikrant'' along with the frigates ''Brahmaputra'' and were moved from the Western Fleet to the

Eastern Naval Command The Eastern Naval Command is one of the three command-level formations of the Indian Navy. It is headquartered in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. The command is responsible for the all naval forces in the Bay of Bengal and parts of the Indian Ocea ...

. With this, on 1 November 1971, the

Eastern Fleet Eastern or Easterns may refer to: Transportation Airlines *China Eastern Airlines, a current Chinese airline based in Shanghai * Eastern Air, former name of Zambia Skyways *Eastern Air Lines, a defunct American airline that operated from 192 ...

came into existence, under the command of Rear Admiral S. H. Sarma. The ''Brahmaputra'' was deployed in the Bay of Bengal. She participated in the bombardment of Chittagong. On 14 December, ''Vikrant'' moved to Paradip for refuelling and the

Flag Officer Commanding Eastern Fleet Flag Officer Commanding Eastern Fleet (FOCEF) is the title of the Indian Navy Officer who commands the Eastern Fleet, headquartered in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. The FOCEF is a Two Star Officer holding the rank of Rear Admiral. The current FO ...

transferred his flag to the ''Brahmaputra''. For his participation in the war as the XO of ''Brahmaputra'', Raju was awarded the

Nau Sena Medal Nau Sena Medal (also spelt ''Nao Sena Medal'', lit. ''Navy Medal'') is a gallantry award for servicemen in the Indian Navy. History The Nau Sena Medal was instituted on 26 January 1960 by the Government of India, with the approval of the Presid ...

for gallantry.

Post-war career

After the war, Raju was promoted to the rank of

Commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank as well as a job title in many army, armies. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countri ...

. In 1973, he commanded the Inter-services guard of honour during the

Independence Day An independence day is an annual event memorialization, commemorating the anniversary of a nation's independence or Sovereign state, statehood, usually after ceasing to be a group or part of another nation or state, or after the end of a milit ...

celebrations at

Red Fort The Red Fort, also known as Lal Qila () is a historic Mughal Empire, Mughal fort in Delhi, India, that served as the primary residence of the Mughal emperors. Emperor Shah Jahan commissioned the construction of the Red Fort on 12 May 1639, fo ...

. He then took command of the

River-class frigate The River class was a class of 151 frigates launched between 1941 and 1944 for use as anti-submarine convoy escorts in the North Atlantic. The majority served with the Royal Navy and Royal Canadian Navy (RCN), with some serving in the other A ...

. ''Tir'' was converted into a training ship and was part of 1 Training Squadron with the erstwhile flagship as the lead ship. Raju subsequently moved to Naval HQ as a Joint Director. In 1979, he was part of a delegation headed by the

Deputy Prime Minister A deputy prime minister or vice prime minister is, in some countries, a Minister (government), government minister who can take the position of acting prime minister when the prime minister is temporarily absent. The position is often likened to th ...

and

Minister of Defence A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and military forces, found in states where the government is divid ...

Jagjivan Ram Jagjivan Ram (5 April 1908 – 6 July 1986), popularly known as Babuji, was an Indian independence activist and politician who served as a minister with various portfolios for over 30 years, making him the List of longest-serving members of the ...

to Bulgaria, Romania and the United Kingdom. He then took command of the

fleet tanker A replenishment oiler or replenishment tanker is a naval auxiliary ship with fuel tanks and dry cargo holds which can supply both fuel and dry stores during underway replenishment (UNREP) at sea. Many countries have used replenishment oilers. T ...

INS Deepak. On 27 August 1982, Raju was appointed the 15th

commanding officer The commanding officer (CO) or commander, or sometimes, if the incumbent is a general officer, commanding general (CG), is the officer in command of a military unit. The commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually give ...

of ''INS Vikrant'' and took over from Captain A. Ghosh. During his command, the

Sea Harrier The British Aerospace Sea Harrier is a naval short take-off and vertical landing/vertical take-off and landing jet fighter, reconnaissance and attack aircraft. It is the second member of the Harrier family developed. It first entered servic ...

aircraft were inducted and the first deck landing took place on 20 December 1983. After a two-and-a-half year stint as CO Vikrant, Raju was appointed Commanding Officer of the

naval air station A Naval Air Station (NAS) is a military air base, and consists of a permanent land-based operations locations for the military aviation division of the relevant branch of a navy (Naval aviation). These bases are typically populated by squadron ...

INS Hansa INS Hansa, is an Indian naval air station located near Dabolim in Goa, India. Data current as of October 2006. It is India's biggest naval airbase. The military air base has a civil enclave, that operates as Dabolim Airport. History ''INS ...

in Goa.

Flag Rank

In 1985, Raju was promoted to the rank of acting

Rear Admiral Rear admiral is a flag officer rank used by English-speaking navies. In most European navies, the equivalent rank is called counter admiral. Rear admiral is usually immediately senior to commodore and immediately below vice admiral. It is ...

and appointed Assistant Chief of Personnel (ACOP) at Naval HQ. As ACOP he headed the career planning department. On 5 July 1987, he was appointed the next

Flag Officer Commanding Western Fleet Flag Officer Commanding Western Fleet (FOCWF) is the title of the Indian Navy Officer who commands the Western Fleet, headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra. The FOCWF is a two star admiral holding the rank of Rear Admiral. The appointment is consi ...

(FOCWF). On 9 July, he took over command from Rear Admiral Vijai Singh Shekhawat. During his tenure, the Indian Navy's second aircraft carrier reached India. The

Prime Minister of India The prime minister of India (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the head of government of the Republic of India. Executive authority is vested in the prime minister and his chosen Union Council of Ministers, Council of Ministers, despite the president of ...

Rajiv Gandhi Rajiv Gandhi (20 August 1944 – 21 May 1991) was an Indian statesman and pilot who served as the prime minister of India from 1984 to 1989. He took office after the Assassination of Indira Gandhi, assassination of his mother, then–prime ...

welcomed the carrier when it reached Mumbai. As the FOCWF, Raju was among the senior officers welcoming ''Viraat'' to India. Under his tenure, two missile frigates also joined the fleet and became efficient units. After close to two years in command of the western fleet, Raju was promoted to the rank of

and moved to Naval HQ as Deputy Chief of the Naval Staff. In December 1990, he was appointed Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief

, succeeding Vice Admiral S.P. Govil. After he took over, he was tasked with an in-depth study of the command structure of the Indian Navy. The VAdm KASZ Raju Committee report recommended multiple changes in the structure at the naval commands as well as at the Naval HQ. It also recommended conversion of the Southern Naval Command from a training command to an operational command. However, these recommendations were not implemented. On 31 August 1992, Raju was appointed Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief

, succeeding Vice Admiral H. Johnson. He led the Western Naval Command for over two-and-a-half years. On 31 December 1994, he relinquished command, handing over to Vice Admiral Vishnu Bhagwat. Raju retired from the Indian Navy on the same day after 37 years of service.

References

Bibliography

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Raju, KASZ Indian Navy vice admirals Deputy chiefs of Naval Staff (India) Flag Officers Commanding Western Fleet Recipients of the Param Vishisht Seva Medal Recipients of the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal Rashtriya Indian Military College alumni Graduates of the Royal College of Defence Studies Indian naval aviators National Defence Academy (India) alumni Recipients of the Nau Sena Medal Defence Services Staff College alumni