Former Indian Navy chief Adm. Dawson dies
October 24th, 2011 - 12:02 am ICT by IANSBangalore, Oct 23 (IANS) Admiral Oscar Stanley Dawson, the Indian Navy chief from March 1982 to November 1984, passed away at the Command Hospital here Sunday, the defence ministry said. He was 87.
Commissioned in the Royal Indian Naval Volunteer Reserve on Jan 7 1943, Dawson had participated in the Second World War in the Arakan operations (in what was then Burma), on convoy escort duty in the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea and in the minesweeping operations soon after the war.
He served as the naval ADC to India’s first president Rajendra Prasad during 1953-54.
It was during Dawson’s tenure as Flag Officer Commanding in-Chief, Southern Naval Command, at Kochi from March 1979 to February 1982, that the site for the future Indian Naval Academy at Ezhimala was identified, a defence ministry statement said.
The admiral was Director of Naval Operations during the India-Pakistan conflict in 1971, for which he was awarded the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal.
During the latter half of his tenure as navy chief, Dawson was also Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee (COSC).
He retired from the navy on Nov 30 1984, after more than 41 years of glorious naval service.
After retirement, he was appointed India’s high commissioner to New Zealand in August 1985 and he returned to Bangalore in September 1987 on the completion of his tenure there.
As the general manager of Goa Shipyard Limited, he introduced a corporate development plan for the shipyard and also brought about progressive management practices which improved the relationship between the workers and the management, the statement said.
Vice Admiral K.N. Sushil, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Southern Naval Command, while paying tributes to Dawson, said he was an inspiring military leader and visionary navy chief.
He recalled that that it was Dawson who conceived the daring attack on Karachi harbour by Indian Navy missile boats during the 1971 War.
Dawson’s funeral will take place with full military honours at the St John’s Church here on Tuesday.
- Navy chief takes over as tri-services panel head - Jul 29, 2011
- Vice Admiral Thapliyal is Indian Navy chief of personnel - Jan 27, 2012
- New chief of staff for Eastern Naval Command - May 02, 2011
- 'Aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov shaping up for sea trials' - Jul 20, 2011
- Vice Admiral Sinha takes over as IDS chief - Jul 04, 2011
- Man who initiated India's new navy school forgotten now - Jan 07, 2009
- Sunil Lanba takes over as chief of staff of eastern naval command - May 02, 2011
- India to order eight minesweepers from South Korea - Apr 17, 2011
- National Maritime Foundation gets new chief - Jul 31, 2011
- Navy orders inquiry into Rear Admiral Jamwal's death - Jul 07, 2010
- Indian Navy to focus on manpower, operational assets - Oct 14, 2011
- Fleet tanker INS Deepak joins Navy's Western Fleet - Jan 21, 2011
- Vietnam navy chief seeks expansion of defence cooperation - Jun 27, 2011
- US Navy operations chief in India - Apr 23, 2012
- 'Indian military lacks IT-networking capability' - Jul 26, 2011
Tags: bay of bengal, chiefs of staff, convoy escort, daring attack, defence ministry, escort duty, flag officer, india pakistan conflict, indian navy, minesweeping operations, ministry statement, missile boats, naval command, navy chief, navy missile, progressive management, rajendra prasad, staff committee, vice admiral, volunteer reserve