The captain never abandons his ship. For years this has been the unwritten rule in the navy, but the Indian top brass at least, begs to differ.
DIU: The captain never abandons his ship. For years this has been the unwritten rule in the navy, but the Indian top brass at least, begs to differ.
It's been 35 years since Captain Mahendra Nath Mullah lit his last cigarette and settled on the deck of his ship INS Khukri during the 1971 war. The Khukri was torpedoed by a Pakistani submarine and became the only Indian ship to sink.
Now the Indian navy seems to have decided that the captain and his experience are much more important than valour. As per Rear Admiral IK Saluja, a captain may abandon his ship and save his life".
Speaking exclusively to DNA Saluja said, "Now a captain can officially abandon his ship if it is sinking. It takes 26 years to build a captain, and he is a valuable resource for the country as a whole. If an unfortunate event occurs, he should save his life."
Senior naval officers agree with Saluja's views. "Valour is important, especially in the armed forces, but it is stupid to lose a captain along with a ship. It's not practical to waste resources in this manner," said an officer on board INS Tabar in Diu.
Interestingly it is after 35 years that the Indian Navy has decided to honour the martyrs of INS Khukri which sank 40 nautical miles off the coast of Diu taking down a crew of 18 officers and 176 sailors.
A memorial constituting a full-scale model of INS Khukri, 15-m long, two meters wide and seven feet tall, has been built in Diu.
“INS Khukri is the only ship that we lost in the history of Indian Navy. This is the first time in 35 years that we have commemorated the lost ship,” said defence spokesperson TK Singha.
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