K. L. Kulkarni

Vice Admiral Kamalakar Laxman Kulkarni PVSM (19 October 1921–24 March 1991) was an Indian Navy admiral.[1]

Vice Admiral

K. L. Kulkarni

PVSM
Born(1921-10-19)19 October 1921
Died24 March 1991(1991-03-24) (aged 69)
Ganeshpur, Belgaum, Karnataka
Allegiance British Raj
 India
Service/branch Royal Indian Navy
Indian Navy
Years of service1940–1976
Rank Vice Admiral
Commands heldEastern Naval Command
Chief of Material
Assistant Chief of the Naval Staff
Naval Officer-in-Charge, Goa
15th Frigate Squadron
INS Rana
INS Rajput
INS Trishul
Battles/warsIndo-Pakistani War of 1971
World War II
Awards Param Vishisht Seva Medal

Career

Early career

Kulkarni was commissioned a midshipman in the Royal Indian Navy on 1 September 1940.[2] As a gunnery officer on HMS Glasgow, he was involved in a friendly fire incident on 7 December 1941 in which Glasgow sank the patrol vessel HMIS Prabhavati, having mistaken it for a submarine.[3] He was promoted acting sub-lieutenant on 1 May 1942, having underwent gunnery and navigation courses at Portsmouth.[4] He was assigned to the minesweeper HMIS Carnatic on 19 October 1942,[5] and was promoted lieutenant on 1 July 1943.[6] On 22 July, he was posted to the sloop HMIS Hindustan.[7]

Post-Independence

Kulkarni was promoted acting lieutenant-commander on 31 December 1948,[8] and to substantive lieutenant-commander on 1 July 1951.[9] Specialising in radar and advanced navigation, he qualified in various advanced courses in the United Kingdom, along with the National Defence College course.[10] On 15 February 1955, he was promoted acting commander and appointed Executive Officer I.N. Barracks, Bombay,[11] with promotion to the substantive rank on 31 December.[12] He successively commanded the frigate INS Trishul and the destroyers Rajput and Rana.[10] Promoted captain, he commanded the 15th Frigate Squadron from 1961 to 1963.[13] He then served as Director National Cadet Corps for Gujarat for a year, and was appointed Naval Officer-in-Charge, Goa in 1964.[10]

He was promoted commodore and appointed Assistant Chief of the Naval Staff in 1967.[10] On 23 December 1968, he was promoted acting rear admiral and appointed Chief of Material.[14] Kulkarni was promoted substantive rear admiral on 22 May 1971.[15] In March 1973, he was promoted acting vice-admiral and appointed FOC-in-C, Eastern Naval Command.[10] The appointment was subsequently upgraded,[13] and Kulkarni was promoted substantive vice-admiral on 27 October 1973.[16] He retired in April 1976.[10]

References
  1. "Vice Admiral Kulkarni Passes Away" (PDF). Press Information Bureau of India - Archive. 25 March 1991. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
  2. "The Royal Indian Navy". The Navy List: December 1940. H.M. Government. 1940. p. 761.
  3. Collins, D. J. E.; Prasad, Bisheshwar, eds. (1964). "Chapter VI: The Japanese Peril". The Royal Indian Navy: 1939-1945. pp. 96–97.
  4. "Courses". The Navy List: October 1942. H.M. Government. 1942. p. 1735.
  5. "The Royal Indian Navy: Alphabetical List of Vessels with their Complements of Officers". The Navy List: December 1942. H.M. Government. 1942. p. 1875.
  6. "Officers of the Royal Indian Navy". The Navy List: December 1943. H.M. Government. 1943. p. 1802.
  7. "The Royal Indian Navy: Alphabetical List of Vessels with their Complements of Officers". The Navy List: June 1944. H.M. Government. 1944. p. 3069.
  8. "Promotion of Officers in the RIN" (PDF). Press Information Bureau of India - Archive. 31 December 1948. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
  9. "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Navy Branch)" (PDF). The Gazette of India. 7 July 1951. p. 127.
  10. "Admiral Kulkarni Retires" (PDF). Press Information Bureau of India - Archive. 1 April 1976. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
  11. "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Navy Branch)" (PDF). The Gazette of India. 30 April 1955. p. 89.
  12. "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Navy Branch)" (PDF). The Gazette of India. 14 April 1956. p. 74.
  13. "Vice Admiral to Head Eastern Naval Command: Admiral Kulkarni Promoted" (PDF). Press Information Bureau of India - Archive. 1 November 1973. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
  14. "Senior Naval Appointments: Admiral Kohli to Head NDC" (PDF). Press Information Bureau of India - Archive. 3 November 1968. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
  15. "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Navy Branch)" (PDF). The Gazette of India. 21 August 1971. p. 970.
  16. "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Navy Branch)" (PDF). The Gazette of India. 14 December 1974. p. 1391.


Military offices
Preceded by
Nilakanta Krishnan		 Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Eastern Naval Command
1973-1976		 Succeeded by
Swaraj Parkash
Preceded by
V. A. Kamath		 Chief of Material
1968-1973		 Succeeded by
Rajendra Tandon
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