Nilakanta Krishnan

Vice Admiral Nilakanta Krishnan, PVSM, DSC (8 June 1919 – 30 January 1982) was an Indian Navy Admiral. He was the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief of theEastern Naval Command during the 1971 Indo-Pakistani War. He is credited with using a very innovative strategy, while commanding the Eastern Navy which had the aircraft carrier INS Vikrant, in the Bay of Bengal. He is believed to have tricked the Pakistani submarine PNS Ghazi, which was on a search and destroy mission, into entering Visakhapatnam; where it was eliminated.

Krishnan was born into a reputed family based in Nagercoil. He was the youngest son of Rao Bahadur Mahadeva Nilakanta Ayyar, an Executive Engineer. While his eldest brother, Nilakanta Mahadeva Ayyar pursued his career in the Indian Civil Service, Krishnan joined the Royal Indian Navy. Krishnan’s other brothers included Nilakanta Ganapathy Iyer and Nilakanta Anjaneya Subramanian. NA Subramanian was a Constitutional lawyer and a professor at Madras Law College and author of the book Case Law on the Indian Constitution. The middle brother was Dr Nilakanta Sitaraman, a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and a prominent doctor in their hometown Nagercoil.

World War II

Starting his military career at the age of 16, Krishnan was appointed a Sub-Lieutenant of the Royal Indian Navy on 1 September 1940, with promotion to Lieutenant on 16 August 1941. In 1942, he was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for "courage, enterprise and devotion to duty in operations in the Persian Gulf". He had been serving on HMIS Investigator at that time.

Post-Independence

After India's independence in 1947, by which time he was an acting Lieutenant Commander, Krishnan continued in the new Indian Navy. He was promoted to Lieutenant Commander on 16 August 1949, and was appointed Director of Naval Plans on 19 December with the acting rank of Commander. He was promoted to substantive Commander on 30 June 1952.On 15 July 1955, Krishnan was appointed Director of Personnel Services, with the acting rank of Captain. He was appointed a deputy military secretary in the Cabinet Secretariat on 9 January 1956, and was promoted to the substantive rank of Captain on 31 December 1957. On 18 March 1958, he was promoted to Commodore 2nd Class, subsequently reverting to his permanent rank of Captain but again being promoted to Commodore on 1 January 1966.

On 12 December 1967, Krishnan was appointed Vice Chief of the Naval Staff (VCNS) with the acting rank of Rear Admiral (paid from 18 February 1968). He was promoted to substantive Rear Admiral on 16 June 1968. On 26 March 1969, the post of VCNS was upgraded to the rank of Vice Admiral, with Krishnan being promoted to the acting rank from the same date. He was promoted to substantive Vice Admiral on 1 March 1970.

Indo-Pakistani War of 1971

His command during the 1971 war led the crew of the Aircraft Carrier INS Vikrant to earn two Mahavir Chakras and 12 Vir Chakras. Under his leadership in 1971, the aircraft carrier's Sea Hawks struck shipping in the Chittagong and Cox's Bazar harbours, sinking or incapacitating most ships in harbour. Krishnan was present during the signing of the Pakistani Instrument of Surrender at the Ramna Race Course. He also received the Naval surrender from the Flag Officer East Pakistan Navy, Rear Admiral Mohammad Shariff. Sharif surrendered his TT pistol to at 1631 hrs saying "Admiral Krishnan, Sir, soon I will be disarmed. Your Navy fought magnificently and had us cornered everywhere. There is no one I would like to surrender my arms to other than the Commander-in-Chief of the Eastern Fleet." His TT Pistol is still placed in a covered glass display at the Indian Military Academy's Museum.

Admiral Krishnan retired from the Indian Navy on 29 February 1976.

Krishnan wrote an autobiography, A Sailor's Story, which was edited by his son Arjun Krishnan. He had also written No way But Surrender — An Account of the Indo-Pakistani War in the Bay of Bengal. He died in his sleep at Hyderabad on 30 January 1982.

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