INS Shivaji Receives 'Vir Chakra' Of 1971 War Hero

Utkarsh Classes Last Updated 21-12-2023

INS Shivaji Receives 'Vir Chakra' Of 1971 War Hero

Defence 5 min read

INS Shivaji received the original 'Vir Chakra' awarded to the late Vice-Admiral Benoy Roy Chowdhury, the 1971 War Hero. INS Shivaji serves as the Indian Navy's leading technical training institution.

Vice-Admiral Dinesh Prabhakar of INS Shivaji received the honour on 18 December 2023 at the training ground at Lonavala. Dinesh Prabhakar received the Vir Chakra on behalf of the Navy from Vice Admiral Chaudhary's family members, Padipta and Gargi Bose.

About Vir Chakra Award:

'Veer Chakra' is an award given for military bravery during wartime.
This award is given for bravery and courage shown by military personnel on land, air or sea during war.

Vice Admiral Benoy Roy Chowdhury:

Benoy Roy Chowdhury is the only technical officer of the Navy to be honoured with this award.
The bravery of Vice Admiral Chaudhary was seen during the Indo-Pak war of 1971. In 1971, Benoy Roy was posted as an engineer on INS Vikrant.

Played a key role in repairing INS Vikrant:

Amid the war with Pakistan, the boilers of the Indian Navy's aircraft carrier INS Vikrant were not functioning at full capacity. Then Benoy Roy, as Chief Engineer, took over the responsibility of repairing the boilers with his team.
These tasks required considerable technical expertise. Benoy Roy provided supreme leadership to convince his people to undertake risky tasks. His contribution during the war was significant in every way.
The then Navy Chief Admiral SM Nanda gave him the title of 'An Engineer Par Excellence'.
His bravery, patriotism and dedicated service stand as testimony to various significant achievements. Benoy Roy was awarded the 'Vir Chakra' for his heroic actions in the 1971 war.

Vikrant played a decisive role in the 1971 war:

The role of INS Vikrant proved to be decisive in the Indian victory in the 1971 war. Indian Navy fighter jets deployed on INS Vikrant destroyed the ports of Chittagong, Cox's Bazar, Khulna, Chalna and Mongla in East Pakistan.
Due to this, Pakistan could not use its airfields, power houses, wireless stations, fuel stores, ports and other facilities.

About INS Shivaji:

It is an Indian Naval station located in Lonavala, Maharashtra. INS Shivaji houses the Naval College of Engineering.
It educates and trains Indian Navy and Coast Guard officers. INS Shivaji has three major training institutions:
- Center of Marine Engineering and Technology (CMET)
- Center of Excellence in Marine Engineering
- School of Basic Sciences
The Indian Naval Station was commissioned in February 1945 as His Majesty's Indian Ship (HMIS) Shivaji.
INS Shivaji was aimed at massively improving the skills of personnel across the Indian Navy, friendly foreign navies and the entire ecosystem.