Mahendra Nath Mulla - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Captain Mahendra Nath Mulla, was an officer of the Indian Navy

Indian Navy

The Indian Navy is the naval branch of the armed forces of India. The President of India serves as the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy. The Chief of Naval Staff , usually a four-star officer in the rank of Admiral, commands the Navy...

and the Captain

Captain (naval)

Captain is the name most often given in English-speaking navies to the rank corresponding to command of the largest ships. The NATO rank code is OF-5, equivalent to an army full colonel....

of the INS Khukri

INS Khukri

INS Khukri was a British Type 14 frigate of the Indian Navy. She was sunk off the coast of Diu, Gujarat, India by the Pakistan Navy Daphne class submarine Hangor on 9 December 1971 during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. This was the first warship sunk in action by a submarine since World War II...

, who went down with his ship during the 1971 war on the old tradition, "captains don't abandon their ships".He was reported to be in a saluting gesture while sinking down with Khukri. He has remained so far the only Indian captain to go down with a vessel to his watery grave.

Personal life

He was born on 15 May 1926, in Uttar Pradesh and he was commissioned in the Indian Navy on 1 May 1948

During War

During the 1971 Indo-Pak War, Captain M.N. Mulla was commanding a task force of two ships which formed part of the Western Fleet. The task force was assigned the task of hunting & destroying enemy submarines in the North Arabian Sea. On 9 December 1971, INS Khukri of the task force was hit by torpedoes fired by an enemy submarine, about 64 km off Diu. The time was 2050 hours and the ship could not be saved. Captain Mulla decided to abandon the ship. Without regard to his personal safety he supervised the arrangements for rescue of his shipmates in a very cool, calm and methodical manner

With great presence of mind he continued to direct rescue operations even at a later stage when the ship was about to sink. He even gave his own life-saving gear to a sailor. Having directed many of his men as possible to leave the sinking ship, he went back to the bridge to see what further rescue operations could be performed. He had indeed chosen a water grave for himself. He was last seen going down with his ship.

Explanation of Bravery

"One of the survivors Commander Manu Sharma tells us of the final moments of the ship and its valiant commanding officer: 'Captain Mulla pushed Lieutenant

Lieutenant

A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...

Kundan Mall and me off the bridge. We tried to take him along with us but he refused to abandon ship, passed his life-jacket to a junior officer and ordered us to jump to safety. We both jumped into the sea from the starboard side.' Commander

Commander

Commander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Commander as a naval...

Sharma was swimming to safety when he caught his last glimpse of the INS Khukri

INS Khukri

: "The bow of the ship was pointing upwards at an angle of eight degrees and sinking slowly. I got a glimpse of Captain Mulla sitting on his chair and hanging on to the railing. He was still smoking a cigarette."

Captain Mulla's action and behaviour and the example he set have been in keeping with highest tradition of Military of India.For displaying conspicuous gallantry and dedication to duty, Captain Mahendra Nath Mulla was awarded the Maha Vir Chakra

Maha Vir Chakra

The Maha Vir Chakra is the second highest military decoration in India and is awarded for acts of conspicuous gallantry in the presence of the enemy, whether on land, at sea or in the air. It may be awarded posthumously. Literally Maha Veer means extraordinarily brave.-Appearance:The medal is made...

, posthumously though several knowledgeable people in the armed forces have argued that this seems to have been a classic case of a Param Vir Chakra

Param Vir Chakra

The Param Vir Chakra is India's highest military decoration awarded for the highest degree of valour or self-sacrifice in the presence of the enemy. It can be, and often has been, awarded posthumously....

wrongfully denied.

Memorial

A memorial for the tribute to Captain Mahendra Nath Mulla and other dead sailors exists at Diu20°42′10"N 70°58′37"E. The memorial constitutes a full-scale model of INS Khukri encased in a glass house, placed atop a hillock facing the sea. The memorial was inaugurated by Vice Admiral Madhvendra Singh as the flag officer commanding-in-chief.[6]

External links

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