Admiral RK Dhowan appointed as the new Navy Chief

Admiral Robin K Dhowan on 17 April 2014 took over as the 22nd Chief of Indian Navy. At the time of being appointed as the chief of Navy, he was serving the Indian Navy as its acting Naval Chief. He is a successor of Admiral DK Joshi, who resigned on 26 February 2014 taking moral responsibility of the accident on INS Sindhuratna in Mumbai. Joshi was the first Defence forces Chief to resign, since independence.

Admiral Dhowan (59) after the resignation of Joshi was appointed as the acting Navy chief and his appointment as the Chief of Indian Navy Staff has helped him to supersede Western Naval Commander, Shekhar Sinha. His tenure on the post is of 25 months as he will retire in May 2016.

 About Admiral Dhowan
• As per a Defence Ministry release, Dhowan is a navigation and direction specialist and he has commanded frontline warships INS Khurki, INS Ranjit and INS Delhi.
• He has also served as Chief Staff Officer (Operations) Headquarters Western Naval Command.
• As a Flag Officer, he had commanded the Eastern Fleet
• He has served as the Chief of Staff at Headquarters Eastern Naval Command, Visakhapatnam
• He is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy
 
As per the rule of National Defence College, Admiral Dhowan will be succeeded by Commandant Vice Admiral Sunil Lamba in May 2016 as the Navy Chief.

Comment: The resignation of Admiral Joshi in February 2014, 15-months before superannuation paved path for the change in the line of succession in Navy. If Joshi would have retired on superannuation in August 2015, then Southern Naval Commander Vice Admiral Satish Soni would have been appointed as the next Navy Chief.

Some other recent accidents in Navy
• Submarine INS Sindhurakshak – it sank at the Naval Dockyard in Mumbai on 14 August 2013 in which 18 navy personnel were died on board
• Minesweeper INS Konkan – fire was reported in the engine room on 4 December 2013 while it was being repaired
• Frontline frigate INS Talwar – it collided on the Maharashtra coast with a fishing trawler on 23 December 2013
• Amphibious ship INS Airavat – damages was caused after its propellers striked the ground while returning to the harbour in Visakhapatnam on 30 January 2014
• Indian Navy vessel INS Matanga - on 6 April 2014 caught fire on board while undergoing repairs at the Mumbai