https://indianpedia.org/index.php?action=history&feed=atom&title=Kasargod_Patnashetti_Gopal_RaoKasargod Patnashetti Gopal Rao - Revision history2026-07-31T14:38:50ZRevision history for this page on the wikiMediaWiki 1.45.4https://indianpedia.org/index.php?title=Kasargod_Patnashetti_Gopal_Rao&diff=374370&oldid=prevBot at 20:08, 22 July 20222022-07-22T20:08:43Z<p></p>
<p><b>New page</b></p><div>{{Short description|Indian Navy Officer (1926–2021)}}<br />
{{more footnotes|date=July 2020}}<br />
<br />
{{Use Indian English|date=July 2020}}<br />
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2020}}<br />
{{Infobox military person<br />
| honorific_prefix = [[Commodore (India)|Commodore]]<br />
| name = Kasargod Patnashetti Gopal Rao<br />
| honorific_suffix = [[Maha Vir Chakra|MVC]], [[Vishisht Seva Medal|VSM]]<br />
| caption = <br />
| birth_date = {{Birth date|df=yes|1926|11|13}}<br />
| death_date = {{Death date and age|df=yes|2021|8|9|1926|11|13}}<br />
| birth_place = [[Mangalore]], [[South Canara]], [[Madras Presidency]], [[British Raj]]<br>(present-day [[Karnataka]])<br />
| death_place = [[Chennai]], [[Tamil Nadu]], India<br />
| nickname = <br />
| allegiance = {{flag|India}}<br />
| branch = {{Navy|India}}<br />
| serviceyears = <br />
| servicenumber = <br />
| rank = [[File:IN_Commodore.png|20px]] [[Commodore (India)|Commodore]]<br />
| unit = [[Western Fleet (India)]]<br />
| commands = <br />
| battles = {{Unbulleted list|<br />
[[Indo-Pakistani War of 1971]]<br><br />
[[Operation Trident (1971)]]<br />
}}<br />
| awards = [[File:Maha Vir Chakra ribbon.svg|32px]] [[Maha Vir Chakra]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://gallantryawards.gov.in/Awardee/cdr-kp-gopal-rao|title=CDR KP GOPAL RAO MAHA VIR CHAKRA|publisher=Gallantry Awards, Ministry of Defence, Govt of India website}}</ref><br><br />
[[File:Vishisht Seva Medal ribbon.svg|32px]] [[Vishisht Seva Medal]]<br />
}}<br />
<br />
[[Commodore (India)|Commodore]] '''Kasargod Patnashetti Gopal Rao''' [[Maha Vir Chakra|MVC]], [[Vishisht Seva Medal|VSM]] (13 November 1926 – 9 August 2021) was an officer in the [[Indian Navy]] notable for his participation in the [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1971]] and was awarded the [[Maha Vir Chakra]] for his outstanding contributions during [[Operation Trident (1971)|Operation Trident]].<ref name="war_hero">{{cite news |last=Shivakumar |first=C. |date=9 August 2021 |title=Indian Navy war hero Commodore Gopal Rao who led Karachi Port attack in 1971 dies at 95 |url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/chennai/2021/aug/09/indian-navy-war-hero-commodore-gopal-rao-who-led-karachi-port-attack-in-1971-dies-at-95-2342310.html |work=The New Indian Express |location= |access-date=9 August 2021}}</ref><br />
<br />
== Early life ==<br />
Commodore K. P. Gopal Rao was born in a [[Gaud Saraswat Brahmin|Goud Saraswat brahmin]] family<ref>{{Cite web|title=Commodore Gopal Rao -- man who brought Pakistan to its knees in 1971 Indo-Pak war|url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/chennai/2021/dec/04/commodore-gopal-rao---man-who-brought-pakistan-to-its-knees-in-1971-indo-pak-war-2391598.html|access-date=2022-01-12|website=The New Indian Express}}</ref>[[Mangalore]] on 13 November 1926. His father's name was Rai Bahadur K.P.Janardhan Rao. His elder brother, Maj. K.P.S. Rao had also served in the [[Indian Armed Forces]], in the [[Indian Army]] during the [[Second World War]].<br />
<br />
== Military career ==<br />
Commodore K. P. Gopal Rao was commissioned into the Indian Navy on 21 April 1950. In January 1971, he was awarded the [[Vishisht Seva Medal]] for distinguished service of a high order.<br />
<br />
During the 1971 war, he was commander of two [[Arnala-class corvette|Arnala-class]] anti-submarine corvettes INS Kiltan and INS Katchall that were part of the task group that attacked [[Karachi Harbour]] on 4 December 1971 during [[Operation Trident (1971)|Operation Trident]]. The two corvettes were tasked to provide communications and conduct target acquisition with their superior radar as well as give anti-submarine cover.<br />
Operation Trident was a huge success and resulted in sinking two Pakistani destroyers ([[HMS Cadiz (D79)|PNS Khaiber]] and [[PNS Shah Jehan]]), one minesweeper ([[PNS Muhafiz]]), one cargo ship (MV Venus Challenger) and setting afire oil dumps and other installations.<ref>{{cite news |date=23 June 2013|title=The Veer Ahir who set Karachi ablaze|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/chandigarh/the-veer-ahir-who-set-karachi-ablaze/story-Qn5CTypParRpoT36AGQeoJ.html|newspaper=Hindustan Times}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uzizVBSb4YsC&dq=Kasargod+Patnashetti+Gopal+Rao&pg=PA180|title=Stories of Heroism: PVC & MVC Winners|last=Chakravorty|first=B.|date=1995|publisher=Allied Publishers|isbn=9788170235163 |location=180 |pages=387 |language=en}}</ref><br />
For his outstanding performance, he was awarded the [[Maha Vir Chakra]], India's second highest military decoration.<br />
<br />
== Personal life ==<br />
Rao was married and had two sons and a daughter. He is from the Goud Saraswat Brahmin (GSB) Community. He died on August 9, 2021, in the southern Indian city of [[Chennai]]. He was aged 94.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-08-09|title=War hero who bombarded Karachi port in 1971 no more|url=https://indianexpress.com/article/india/war-hero-kp-gopal-rao-karachi-port-1971-war-death-7445997/|access-date=2021-08-10|website=The Indian Express|language=en}}</ref> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaud_Saraswat_Brahmin<br />
<br />
== See also ==<br />
* [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1971]]<br />
* [[Operation Trident (1971)]]<br />
* [[Operation Python]]<br />
<br />
==References==<br />
{{Reflist}}<br />
<br />
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gopal Rao, K.P.}}<br />
[[Category:Recipients of the Maha Vir Chakra]]<br />
[[Category:1926 births]]<br />
[[Category:2021 deaths]]<br />
[[Category:People from Mangalore]]<br />
<br />
<br />
{{India-mil-bio-stub}}</div>Bot