Chief Hydrographer
Senior Appointment in the Indian Navy
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Chief Hydrographer to the Government of India is a senior appointment in the Indian Navy. The Chief Hydrographer is the executive head of the National Hydrographic Office. The appointment is held by a Three star officer in the rank of Vice Admiral. The current Chief Hydrographer, Vice Admiral Lochan Singh Pathania, took over on 1 February 2024.
| Chief Hydrographer | |
|---|---|
Flag of the Vice Admiral | |
 Indian Navy | |
| Reports to | Vice Chief of the Naval Staff |
| Seat | National Hydrographic Office, Dehradun |
| Salary | Joint Chief Hydrographer |
History
The Marine Survey of India (MSI) was established in 1874 at Kolkata and was responsible for hydrographic surveys. It was headed by the Surveyor-in-Charge, who functioned under the Surveyor General of India.[1] After the partition of India, the only survey vessel HMIS Investigator was allotted to the MSI. On 1 Jun 1954, MSI was relocated to Dehradun, its present location, and was renamed Naval Hydrographic Office. The appointment of Surveyor-in-Charge Marine Survey of India was re-designated Chief Hydrographer of the Navy. Captain SJ Hennessy took over as the first Chief Hydrographer.[2][3]
The following year, on 26 November 1955, Captain Jal Cursetji, the senior most Indian officer in the Hydrographic Survey branch was appointed the first Chief Hydrographer.[4] In 1964, with the increase in the responsibilities of the appointment, the Chief Hydrographer was re-designated as the Chief Hydrographer to the Government of India.[5]
Rear Admiral F. L. Fraser was the first Chief Hydrographer to be promoted to Flag rank, in 1977.[6] Rear Admiral K. R. Srinivasan had the longest tenure, almost 10 years. Vice Admiral B. R. Rao was the first Chief Hydrographer to be promoted to three-star rank.[7]
Current organisation
The Chief Hydrographer is assisted by the Joint Chief Hydrographer, a two-star officer of the rank of Rear Admiral. The units under the Chief Hydrographer are:
- National Hydrographic Office, Dehradun
- Directorate of Hydrography, Naval Headquarters
- National Institute of Hydrography, Goa
- Survey vessels at Chennai, Karwar, Kochi and Visakhapatnam
- Survey Units at Karwar, Kochi, Mumbai, Sri Vijayapuram and Visakhapatnam
- Charts Depots at Mumbai and Visakhapatnam
Chief Hydrographers
| S.No. | Name | Assumed office | Left office | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Captain S. J. Hennessy OBE, FRICS | 15 August 1954 | 25 November 1955 | [2] |
| 2 | Captain Jal Cursetji | 26 November 1955 | 27 October 1957 | Later Chief of the Naval Staff.[8] |
| 3 | Captain I. K. Puri | 27 October 1957 | 28 May 1961 | [9] |
| 4 | Captain J. S. Mehra | 29 May 1961 | 4 June 1962 | |
| 5 | Captain S. Rajendra | 5 June 1962 | 3 January 1966 | |
| 6 | Commodore D. C. Kapoor AVSM | 4 January 1966 | 30 July 1972 | First Asian to serve as Director of International Hydrographic Organization.[10] |
| 7 | Rear Admiral F. L. Fraser AVSM | 31 July 1972[n 1] | 31 May 1982 | First Chief Hydrographer to be promoted to Flag rank. |
| 8 | Rear Admiral A. G. Moraes | 1 June 1982 | 29 December 1986 | |
| 9 | Rear Admiral V. K. Singh VSM | 30 December 1986 | 31 May 1991 | [12] |
| 10 | Rear Admiral P. P. Nandi AVSM, VSM | 1 June 1991 | 8 June 1994 | Died in harness.[13] |
| 11 | Rear Admiral K. R. Srinivasan AVSM, NM, VSM | 30 August 1994 | 30 June 2004 | Longest tenure as Chief Hydrographer.[14] |
| 11 | Vice Admiral B. R. Rao AVSM, NM, VSM | 1 July 2004 | 30 September 2011 | First Chief Hydrographer to be promoted to Vice Admiral. |
| 12 | Vice Admiral S. K. Jha AVSM, NM | 1 October 2011 | 31 December 2015 | [15] |
| 13 | Vice Admiral Vinay Bhadwar AVSM, NM | 1 January 2016 | 30 September 2021 | [16] |
| 14 | Vice Admiral Adhir Arora AVSM, NM | 1 October 2021 | 31 January 2024 | [17] |
| 15 | Vice Admiral Lochan Singh Pathania AVSM | 1 February 2024 | 30 June 2026 | [18] [19] |