Thread by @srikantkesnur

Indeed @NwcSam the passing of Cmde HML Saxena renders India's Naval & Maritime community poorer. This coming soon after the demise of 2 other veterans RAdm Arun Auditto, (Hero of Goa liberation & pioneer submariner) & VAdm SW Lakhkar. Bhai Sahab's rich catalogue of achievements

https://twitter.com/NwcSam/status/1391251419286495234

2/n. Will stay for posterity. Of course he will remembered for being XO of Vikrant during '71 war, at a time when we are celebrating the golden jubilee of that event & Vikrant's magnificent role in it. The flattop had a stellar cast of characters - RAdm SH Sarma, the Fleet Cdr

3/n. And his staff, the genial Cdr CM Vyas as the FOO & reputed Cdr PP Sivamani as the FNO. The carrier boss Capt Swaraj Parkash had a formidable reputation & so did the Cdr E, BR (Bilu) Chowdhury, the CO Seahawks sqn Lt Cdr SK Gupta & CO Alize sqn Lt Cdr Ravi Dhir. The XO's job

4/n. In such circumstances is often underrated but any naval officer worth his salt knows that it is the Ship's Commander who runs the ship & is responsible for its efficiency and morale. Considering the numerous challenges & constraints Vikrant then faced, Bhai Sahab deserves

5/n. Our eternal gratitude for keeping the ship in top trim for combat. The high morale on the ship has been commented upon by many including Adm SM Nanda, then CNS, VAdm Krishnan, then FOCinC East & RAdm SH Sarma. It is of course delicious stroke of history that his own brother

6/n. Lt Cdr (later Cmde) MML Saxena was the navigator of Vikrant. Possibly, a rare occurrence in our Navy of siblings being posted on same ship & in war together. While the accompanying tweet of @NwcSam gives his career highlights & rich decorations, we must not forget that

7/n. Cmde HML Saxena was our first Fortress Cdr Andaman & Nicobar (FORTAN). Four decades later he would be much delighted to see it's triservice character & maritime orientation. But above all, I think, possibly with my own bias, that Bhai Sahab was the most fond of old INS Delhi

8/n. I first connected with him when posted as the Commissioning SCO of Delhi (the second) & we were bringing out a book on the transition from old to new. Like most officers of his generation he was fanatical about his devotion to the ole Girl. He described how he first saw the

9/n. Delhi in Great Bitter Lake, Suez Canal, in Aug 48, when he was enroute to Dartmouth on P & O Liner Ranchi, and what a beautiful sight it was to behold Delhi, India's first Capital ship. He then spoke of coming alongside Delhi in Singapore, when he was a Midshipman on board

10/n. HMS Kenya, of the British Far Eastern Fleet, in Jul 1950. He then talked wistfully of his tenure as NO 2 (second Navigator), from 1956 to 57 of Delhi with the great PS (Peter) Mahindroo as the skipper & his fantastic shiphandling skills & his Ops Room acumen. Saxena saw two

11/n. Ships Commanders then & no doubt learnt a lot from them. He speaks of the 'simplicity, genuineness & fairness' of Cdr (later VAdm) VA (Vasu) Kamath and the compassion & care of Cdr (later Cmde) ML Barua. Doubtless, Bhai sahab put into practice these virtues when he went to

12/n. Vikrant as Commander later. Interestingly, he talks of an episode when Makhan Lal Barua would go to every officers cabin to pull them out to the Quarter Deck for fresh air when ship was in the grip of Asian Flu epidemic. At this time Delhi was to make an official trip to

13/n. East Africa & had to delay her departure to Madagascar, the first port of Call. But steaming continuously at high speed Delhi made ETA on schedule. Saxena was also Coxswain of the Delhi officers' whaler in 1956 Fleet regatta, then an annual feature at Kochi. INS Delhi &

14/n. INS Cauvery were running neck & neck. Officers' race would decide the winner. It was close call even there but Delhi beat Cauvery by a couple of feet. Interestingly, Delhi strokesman was Sub Lt (later Admiral) VS Shekhawat & Cauvery coxswain was Lt (later Admiral) L Ramdas.

15/n. As Bhai sahab laughingly quipped "who knew that race would produce two future Chiefs". That year, 1956, was apparently the first time Delhi won the cock. When I mentioned to him that the Delhi (new) Commissioning crew officers team had similarly put up a splendid show in

16/n. The 1997 Fleet Regatta, now at Mumbai, & beaten all competition by several boat lengths even though we were still to be Commissioned as a ship, Cmde Saxena let out a chuckle of delight & spoke of keeping tradition. His final fling with the old girl was when he came back

17/n. As the Captain of Delhi in Jun 1976, nearly three decades after he first saw her. He called it 'the proudest moment of all'. By then Delhi was a training ship and I am sure many future leaders of our Navy earned their spurs under the benign guiding gaze of Bhai Sahab.

18/n. Another fascinating sidestory is that Cmde HML Saxena was also considered as the Staff Officer Ops for Operation X. Cdr MNR Samant ultimately landed that assignment & did the country proud with his bunch of daredevils, fittingly winning the Maha Vir Chakra while Bhai Sahab

19/n. Went on to win the Nao Sena Medal for his significant but understated contribution. I had reconnected with him sometime in end of 2018 & was in touch on & off. He was encouraging of my naval history pursuits. His msg in Apr 19 talked of encouraging creativity in military.

20/n. The Saxena family legacy of Service to Navy was carried forward by his relatives later - Vice Admiral Yashwant Prasad who retired as Vice Chief of Navy & RAdm @NwcSam. Incidentally Vice Adm Prasad was Training Squadron Head honcho & CO Brahmputra, in 1986 when I was a Cadet

21/n. Rest in peace Cmde HML Saxena. Salute to your service. @indiannavy @arunp2810 @JaggiBedi @subnut @theUdayB @shekhar19541 @NwcSam @EmergingRoy @probirpaymate @SanjoyRoyTWA @w_karve @CaptDKS @MHSofIndia @nmfindia @navalhistorian @PadmajaParulkar @Moochikal @vgmenon99 @db2691

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Photographs in thread courtesy @SandeepUnnithan