Indian Navy and Chief of the Naval Staff 1947 to 2021

The Indian Navy is the naval branch of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Navy. The Chief of Naval Staff, a four-star admiral, commands the navy.

The primary objective of the navy is to safeguard the nation's maritime borders, and in conjunction with other Armed Forces of the union, act to deter or defeat any threats or aggression against the territory, people or maritime interests of India, both in war and peace. Through joint exercises, goodwill visits and humanitarian missions, including disaster relief, Indian Navy promotes bilateral relations between nations.

As of June 2019, Indian Navy has 67,252 active and 75,000 reserve personnel in service and has a fleet of 150 ships and submarines, and 300 aircraft. As of October 2020, the operational fleet consists of 1 active aircraft carrier and 1 amphibious transport dock, 8 landing ship tanks, 10 destroyers, 14 frigates, 1 nuclear-powered attack submarine, 1 ballistic missile submarine, 13 conventionally-powered attack submarines and more on sea trials, 24 corvettes, one mine countermeasure vessel, 4 fleet tankers and numerous other auxiliary vessels, small patrol boats and sophisticated ships. It is considered as a multi-regional power projection blue-water navy.

 

Chief of Naval Staff
Flag of the Chief of the Naval Staff

The Chief of the Naval Staff is the head of the military staff of the Indian Navy. The Chief of the Naval Staff is the highest ranking naval officer on active service of the Indian Armed Forces unless the Chief of Defence is a navy officer. The Chief of Naval Staff is the primary adviser to the Government of India on naval affairs. The Chief is responsible for governing and directing the naval staff, the supreme decision making body consisting of the highest ranking naval officers of the Indian Navy, who is the navy's chief executive and the chief naval advisor to the Chief of Defence Staff. The position is abbreviated CNS in Indian Navy cables and communication, and is always held by a full Admiral since 1966. The Chief of the Naval Staff is assisted by the Vice Chief of the navy staff.

The following tables chronicle the appointees to the office of the Chief of the Naval Staff and it's preceding positions since the independence of India.

Commander-in-Chief, Royal Indian Navy (1947–1948)

No.	Portrait	Name	Took office	Left office	Time in office	Ref
1		Rear Admiral John Talbot Savignac Hall CIE (1896–1964)	15 August 1947	29 February 1948	198 days

Chief of the Naval Staff and Commander-in-Chief, Royal Indian Navy (1948–1950)

No.	Portrait	Name	Took office	Left office	Time in office	Ref
1		Rear-Admiral John Talbot Savignac Hall CIE (1896–1964)	1 March 1948	14 August 1948	166 days
2		Vice-Admiral William Edward Parry (1893–1972)	14 August 1948	25 January 1950	1 year, 164 days

Chief of the Naval Staff and Commander-in-Chief, Indian Navy (1950–1955)[edit]

No.	Portrait	Name	Took office	Left office	Time in office
1		Vice-Admiral Sir William Edward Parry KCB  (1893–1972)	26 January 1950	13 October 1951	1 year, 260 days
2		Admiral Sir Charles Thomas Mark Pizey KBE, CB, DSO & Bar (1899–1993)	13 October 1951	31 March 1955	3 years, 169 days

Chief of the Naval Staff (1955–present)[edit]

No.	Portrait	Name	Took office	Left office	Time in office
1		Admiral Sir Charles Thomas Mark Pizey KBE, CB, DSO & Bar (1899–1993)	1 April 1955	21 July 1955	111 days
2		Vice-Admiral Sir Stephen Hope Carlill KBE, CB, DSO & Bar (1902–1996)	21 July 1955	21 April 1958	2 years, 274 days
3		Vice-Admiral Ram Dass Katari (1911–1983)	22 April 1958	4 June 1962	4 years, 43 days
4		Vice-Admiral Bhaskar Sadashiv Soman (1913–1995)	4 June 1962	3 March 1966	3 years, 272 days
5		Admiral Adhar Kumar Chatterji (1914–2001)	3 March 1966	28 February 1970	3 years, 362 days
6		Admiral Sardarilal Mathradas Nanda PVSM, AVSM (1915–2009)	28 February 1970	28 February 1973	3 years, 0 days
7		Admiral Sourendra Nath Kohli PVSM (1916–1997)	1 March 1973	29 February 1976	2 years, 365 days
8		Admiral Jal Cursetji PVSM (1919–1991)	1 March 1976	1 March 1979	3 years, 0 days
9		Admiral Ronald Lynsdale Pereira PVSM, AVSM (1923–1993)	1 March 1979	28 February 1982	2 years, 364 days
10		Admiral Oscar Stanley Dawson PVSM, AVSM, ADC (1923–2011)	1 March 1982	30 November 1984	2 years, 274 days
11		Admiral Radhakrishna Hariram Tahiliani PVSM, AVSM (1930–2015)	1 December 1984	30 November 1987	2 years, 364 days
12		Admiral Jayant Ganpat Nadkarni PVSM, AVSM, NM, VSM, ADC (1931–2018)	1 December 1987	30 November 1990	2 years, 364 days
13		Admiral Laxminarayan Ramdas PVSM, AVSM, VrC, VSM, ADC (born 1933)	1 December 1990	30 September 1993	2 years, 303 days
14		Admiral Vijai Singh Shekhawat PVSM, AVSM, VrC, ADC (born 1937)	1 October 1993	30 September 1996	2 years, 365 days
15		Admiral Vishnu Bhagwat PVSM, AVSM, ADC (born 1939)	1 October 1996	30 December 1998	2 years, 90 days
16		Admiral Sushil Kumar PVSM, UYSM, AVSM, NM, ADC (1940–2019)	30 December 1998	29 December 2001	2 years, 364 days
17		Admiral Madhvendra Singh PVSM, AVSM, ADC (born 1942)	29 December 2001	31 July 2004	2 years, 215 days
18		Admiral Arun Prakash PVSM, AVSM, VrC, VSM, ADC (born 1944)	31 July 2004	31 October 2006	2 years, 215 days
19		Admiral Sureesh Mehta PVSM, AVSM, ADC (born 1947)	31 October 2006	31 August 2009	2 years, 304 days
20		Admiral Nirmal Kumar Verma PVSM, AVSM (born 1951)	31 August 2009	31 August 2012	3 years, 0 days
21		Admiral Devendra Kumar Joshi PVSM, AVSM, YSM, NM, VSM, ADC (born 1954)	31 August 2012	26 February 2014	1 year, 179 days
–		Vice Admiral Robin K. Dhowan PVSM, AVSM, YSM, ADC (born 1954) Acting	26 February 2014	17 April 2014	50 days
22		Admiral Robin K. Dhowan PVSM, AVSM, YSM, ADC (born 1954)	17 April 2014	31 May 2016	2 years, 44 days
23		Admiral Sunil Lanba PVSM, AVSM, ADC (born 1957)	31 May 2016	31 May 2019	3 years, 0 days
24		Admiral Karambir Singh PVSM, AVSM, ADC (born 1959) [17]	31 May 2019	Incumbent	2 years, 115 days