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{{Short description|Indian Navy admiral}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox military person
| honorific prefix = [[Vice admiral (India)|Vice Admiral]]
| name = K. L. Kulkarni
| honorific suffix = [[PVSM]]
| birth_date = {{birth date|1921|10|19|df=y}}
| death_date = {{Death date and age|df=yes|1991|03|24|1921|10|19}}
| birth_place =
| death_place = Ganeshpur, [[Belgaum]], [[Karnataka]]
| placeofburial =
| image =
| caption =
| nickname =
| allegiance = {{flag|British Raj}} {{flag|India}}
| branch = {{navy|British Raj}} {{flagicon image|Naval Ensign of India.svg}} [[Indian Navy]]
| serviceyears = 1940–1976
| rank = [[File:British_Royal_Navy_(sleeves)_OF-8.svg|23px]] [[File:13-Indian_Navy-VADM.svg|23px]]
[[Vice Admiral]]
| commands = [[Eastern Naval Command]] [[Chief of Materiel (India)|Chief of Material]] Assistant Chief of the Naval Staff Naval Officer-in-Charge, Goa 15th Frigate Squadron INS ''[[HMS Raider (H15)|Rana]]'' INS ''[[HMS Rotherham|Rajput]]'' INS ''Trishul''
| unit =
| battles = [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1971]] [[World War II]]
| awards = [[File:Param_Vishisht_Seva_Medal_ribbon.svg|20px]] [[Param Vishisht Seva Medal]]
| relations =
| laterwork =
}}

[[Vice admiral (India)|Vice Admiral]] '''Kamalakar Laxman Kulkarni''' [[Param Vishisht Seva Medal|PVSM]] (19 October 1921 – 24 March 1991) was an [[Indian Navy]] admiral.<ref name="passes">{{cite web|title=Vice Admiral Kulkarni Passes Away|url=https://archive.pib.gov.in/archive/ArchiveSecondPhase/DEFENCE/1991-DEFENCE/PDF/DEF-1991-03-25_096.pdf|website=Press Information Bureau of India - Archive|date=25 March 1991|access-date=26 December 2020}}</ref>

==Career==
===Early career===
Kulkarni was commissioned a midshipman in the [[Royal Indian Navy]] on 1 September 1940.<ref>{{cite book |date=1940 |title=The Navy List: December 1940|chapter=The Royal Indian Navy|publisher=H.M. Government|chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/navylistdec1940grea/page/760/mode/2up?q=|pages=761 }}</ref> As a gunnery officer on ''[[HMS Glasgow (C21)|HMS Glasgow]]'', he was involved in a friendly fire incident on 7 December 1941 in which ''Glasgow'' sank the patrol vessel ''HMIS Prabhavati'', having mistaken it for a submarine.<ref>{{cite book|year=1964 |chapter=Chapter VI: The Japanese Peril |chapter-url=https://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/UN/India/RIN/RIN-6.html |editor1-last=Collins |editor1-first=D. J. E. |editor2-last=Prasad |editor2-first=Bisheshwar |title=The Royal Indian Navy: 1939-1945|pages=96–97 }}</ref> He was promoted acting sub-lieutenant on 1 May 1942, having undergone gunnery and navigation courses at Portsmouth.<ref>{{cite book |date=1942 |title=The Navy List: October 1942|chapter=Courses|publisher=H.M. Government|chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/navylistoct1942grea/page/1735/mode/2up?q=|pages=1735 }}</ref> He was assigned to the minesweeper ''[[HMIS Carnatic (J199)|HMIS Carnatic]]'' on 19 October 1942,<ref>{{cite book |date=1942 |title=The Navy List: December 1942|chapter=The Royal Indian Navy: Alphabetical List of Vessels with their Complements of Officers|publisher=H.M. Government|chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/navylistdec1942grea/page/1874/mode/2up|pages=1875}}</ref> and was promoted lieutenant on 1 July 1943.<ref>{{cite book |date=1943 |title=The Navy List: December 1943|chapter=Officers of the Royal Indian Navy|publisher=H.M. Government|chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/navylistdec1943v2grea/page/1802/mode/2up|pages=1802}}</ref> On 22 July, he was posted to the sloop ''[[HMIS Hindustan]]''.<ref>{{cite book |date=1944 |title=The Navy List: June 1944|chapter=The Royal Indian Navy: Alphabetical List of Vessels with their Complements of Officers|publisher=H.M. Government|chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/navylistjun1944v2grea/page/3068/mode/2up?q=|pages=3069}}</ref>

===Post-Independence===
Kulkarni was promoted acting lieutenant-commander on 31 December 1948,<ref>{{cite web|title=Promotion of Officers in the RIN|url=https://archive.pib.gov.in/archive/ArchiveSecondPhase/DEFENCE/1948-JULY-DEC-MIN-OF-DEFENCE/PDF/DEF-1948-12-31_479.pdf|website=Press Information Bureau of India - Archive|date=31 December 1948|access-date=26 December 2020}}</ref> and to substantive lieutenant-commander on 1 July 1951.<ref>{{cite news |title=Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Navy Branch) |page=127 |date=7 July 1951 |url=http://egazette.nic.in/WriteReadData/1951/O-2307-1951-0027-107892.pdf |publisher=The Gazette of India}}</ref> Specialising in radar and advanced navigation, he qualified in various advanced courses in the United Kingdom, along with the National Defence College course.<ref name="retires"/> On 15 February 1955, he was promoted acting commander and appointed Executive Officer I.N. Barracks, Bombay,<ref>{{cite news |title=Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Navy Branch) |page=89 |date=30 April 1955 |url=http://egazette.nic.in/WriteReadData/1955/O-2198-1955-0018-100716.pdf |publisher=The Gazette of India}}</ref> with promotion to the substantive rank on 31 December.<ref>{{cite news |title=Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Navy Branch) |page=74 |date=14 April 1956 |url=http://egazette.nic.in/WriteReadData/1956/O-2166-1956-0015-98855.pdf |publisher=The Gazette of India}}</ref> He successively commanded the frigate INS ''Trishul'' and the destroyers ''[[HMS Rotherham|Rajput]]'' and ''[[HMS Raider (H15)|Rana]]''.<ref name="retires">{{cite web|title=Admiral Kulkarni Retires|url=https://archive.pib.gov.in/archive/ArchiveSecondPhase/DEFENCE/1976-JAN-DEC-MIN-OF-DEFENCE/PDF/DEF-1976-04-01_086.pdf|website=Press Information Bureau of India - Archive|date=1 April 1976|access-date=26 December 2020}}</ref> Promoted captain, he commanded the 15th Frigate Squadron from 1961 to 1963.<ref name="promoted">{{cite web|title=Vice Admiral to Head Eastern Naval Command: Admiral Kulkarni Promoted|url=https://archive.pib.gov.in/archive/ArchiveSecondPhase/DEFENCE/1973-JUNE-DEC-MIN-OF-DEFENCE/PDF/DEF-1973-11-01_149.pdf|website=Press Information Bureau of India - Archive|date=1 November 1973|access-date=26 December 2020}}</ref> He then served as Director National Cadet Corps for Gujarat for a year, and was appointed Naval Officer-in-Charge, Goa in 1964.<ref name="retires"/> He was promoted [[Commodore (India)|commodore]] and appointed Assistant Chief of the Naval Staff in 1967.<ref name="retires"/>

===Flag rank===
On 23 December 1968, Kulkarni was promoted acting [[Rear admiral (India)|rear admiral]] and appointed [[Chief of Materiel (India)|Chief of Material]].<ref name="appointments">{{cite web|title=Senior Naval Appointments: Admiral Kohli to Head NDC|url=https://archive.pib.gov.in/archive/ArchiveSecondPhase/DEFENCE/1968-MAY-DEC-MIN-OF-DEFENCE/PDF/DEF-1968-11-03_252.pdf|website=Press Information Bureau of India - Archive|date=3 November 1968|access-date=26 December 2020}}</ref> Kulkarni was promoted substantive rear admiral on 22 May 1971.<ref>{{cite news |title=Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Navy Branch) |page=970 |date=21 August 1971 |url=http://egazette.nic.in/WriteReadData/1971/O-1356-1971-0034-60822.pdf |publisher=The Gazette of India}}</ref> In March 1973, he was promoted acting [[Vice admiral (India)|Vice admiral]] and appointed [[Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Eastern Naval Command]].<ref name="retires"/> The appointment was subsequently upgraded,<ref name="promoted"/> and Kulkarni was promoted substantive vice-admiral on 27 October 1973.<ref>{{cite news |title=Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Navy Branch) |page=1391 |date=14 December 1974 |url=http://egazette.nic.in/WriteReadData/1974/O-1255-1974-0050-55622.pdf|publisher=The Gazette of India}}</ref> He retired in April 1976.<ref name="retires"/>

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{s-start}}
{{s-mil}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Nilakanta Krishnan]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Eastern Naval Command]]|years=1973-1976}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Swaraj Parkash]]}}
{{s-bef|before=[[V. A. Kamath]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Chief of Materiel (India)|Chief of Material]]|years=1968-1973}}
{{s-aft|after=Rajendra Tandon}}
{{s-end}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kulkarni, K. L.}}
[[Category:1921 births]]
[[Category:1991 deaths]]
[[Category:Indian Navy admirals]]
[[Category:Indian military personnel of World War II]]
[[Category:Royal Indian Navy officers]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Param Vishisht Seva Medal]]
[[Category:Chiefs of Materiel (India)]]
[[Category:National Defence College, India alumni]]

K. L. Kulkarni - Revision history

Bot at 02:19, 26 October 2022