Daya Shankar (admiral)

Vice Admiral Daya Shankar PVSM, DSC (2 January 1912 – 18 November 1993) was a decorated Indian Navy admiral, naval engineer and the first Indian Armed Forces officer to hold the appointment of Controller General Defence Production.[1]

Vice Admiral

Daya Shankar

PVSM, DSC
Born(1912-01-02)2 January 1912[1]
Died18 November 1993(1993-11-18) (aged 81)[1]
New Delhi
Allegiance British India
 India
Service/branch Royal Indian Navy
 Indian Navy
Years of service1930-1964
Rank Vice Admiral
UnitHMIS Hindustan
HMIS Lawrence
HMIS Dalhousie
HMIS Pathan
Commands heldINS Shivaji
Battles/warsSecond World War
AwardsParam Vishisht Seva Medal
Distinguished Service Cross

Early career

Among the first Indians to be selected for the Royal Indian Marine in 1930,[2] Shankar was appointed an engineer sub-lieutenant (on probation) in the Royal Indian Navy on 23 April 1935,[3] and was confirmed in his appointment on 23 October 1936.[4] He was promoted to engineer lieutenant on 23 April 1938.[5] On 2 August 1939, Shankar was assigned to HMIS Dalhousie, the RIN depot ship and training barracks based at Bombay, as well as to the P-class sloop HMIS Pathan.[6]

During the Second World War, Shankar was assigned to the sloop HMIS Lawrence on 21 November 1940; among the other junior officers then assigned to her was the future admiral and Indian Navy Chief of the Naval Staff Sourendra Nath Kohli.[7] For "courage, enterprise and devotion to duty in operations in the Persian Gulf," Shankar was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) on 10 March 1942, one of only a few Indian officers to be so decorated during the war.[8] On 3 December, he was assigned to the sloop HMIS Hindustan,[9] and was promoted acting engineer lieutenant-commander on 30 September 1943.[10] He was promoted substantive engineer lieutenant-commander on 23 April 1946.[11]

Post-independence

Following Indian independence in 1947, Shankar served at Naval Headquarters and was promoted engineer commander (acting engineer captain) on 31 December 1948.[12] In 1950, he became the second Indian officer to command INS Shivaji, the mechanical training establishment of the Indian Navy,[1] with promotion to substantive engineer captain on 30 June 1951.[13] He was subsequently appointed the Industrial Manager, Indian Naval Dockyard Bombay, and in July 1954 became the first Indian officer to be appointed Chief of Material at Naval HQ.[14] On 24 September 1956, the post of Chief of Material was upgraded to the status of a commodore (2nd class), making Shankar the first Indian naval engineer officer to be elevated to this rank.[2][15] He was promoted to engineer rear-admiral on 28 December 1959,[16] becoming the first naval engineering officer to attain flag rank, and was appointed Controller-General Ordnance Factories.[1] In 1960, he was further appointed Controller-General Defence Production, and held the appointment until his retirement on 20 August 1964.[17][1]

Later life

Retiring in Delhi, Shankar was conferred the honorary rank of vice-admiral on 20 December 1985.[1] He died at Delhi in the morning of 18 November 1993, and was cremated with full military honours the following afternoon. He was survived by his daughter and two sons, one an air commodore in the Indian Air Force.[18]

References
  1. "Obituary-Vice Admiral Daya Shankar DSC, VSM Class I (Ret'd)" (PDF). Press Information Bureau of India - Archive. 18 November 1993. Retrieved 7 March 2020.
  2. "Two New Commodores for Navy - Upgrading of Naval HQ Posts" (PDF). Press Information Bureau of India - Archive. 10 October 1956. Retrieved 7 March 2020.
  3. "No. 34159". The London Gazette. 10 May 1935. p. 3051.
  4. "No. 34356". The London Gazette. 1 January 1937. p. 18.
  5. "No. 34510". The London Gazette. 13 May 1938. p. 3121.
  6. "The Royal Indian Navy (Royal Indian Navy - Establishments)". The Navy List: December 1939. HM Government, UK. 1939. pp. 762–763.
  7. "The Royal Indian Navy". The Navy List: February 1941. HM Government, UK. 1941. p. 1302.
  8. "No. 35481". The London Gazette (Supplement). 6 March 1942. p. 1105.
  9. "The Royal Indian Navy". The Navy List: December 1943. HM Government, UK. 1943. p. 2823.
  10. "The Royal Indian Navy - Officers of the Royal Indian Navy". The Navy List: July 1945. HM Government, UK. 1945. p. 2101.
  11. "No. 37699". The London Gazette. 23 August 1946. p. 4249.
  12. "Promotion of Officers in the RIN" (PDF). Press Information Bureau of India - Archive. 31 December 1948. Retrieved 7 March 2020.
  13. "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Navy Branch)". The Gazette of India. 14 July 1951. p. 133.
  14. "Changes in Senior Naval Appointments" (PDF). Press Information Bureau of India - Archive. 15 July 1954. Retrieved 7 March 2020.
  15. "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Navy Branch)". The Gazette of India. 27 April 1957. p. 107.
  16. "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Navy Branch)" (PDF). The Gazette of India. 2 July 1960. p. 162.
  17. "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Navy Branch)" (PDF). The Gazette of India. 17 October 1964. p. 428.
  18. "Vice Admiral (Ret'd) Daya Shankar - A Man of Many 'Firsts' - Laid to Rest" (PDF). Press Information Bureau of India - Archive. 19 November 1993. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
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