Mangaluru: VSM Commodore Kasaragod Patnashetti Gopal Rao, with Mangalurean’s root, expiration in Besant Nagar, Chennai because of old age on Monday.
He is 95 years old.
He survived his wife, son and two daughters.
The funeral was held in Chennai with all military awards.
His nephew, K P Vasudeva Rao, an advocate, told Tii that Rao was born in Mangaluru in 1926, assigned to the Indian Navy on April 21, 1950 and is a gunnery specialist.
In 1971, Rao was the commander of the Killtan in the East Navy command.
However, with the war soaring against Pakistan, Admiral BC Nanda, the Navy staff employees later, personally appointed Rao to join the Western Navy command so as to order ‘Trident’s Operations’ against Pakistan.
Admiral Nanda believes that Rao is the best person to order this offensive operation against Pakistan.
The Indian government came forward to attack Karachi Port after Pakistan carried out an attack on India without declaring war.
This is the first offensive navy action from the Indian side.
On the night 04/05 December 1971, during Indo-sir, a group of small tasks from the West Fleet under Rao carried offensive sweeps on the Karachi section.
Apart from the threat of enemies, air surfaces and submarine attacks, Rao led their duty group far into the waters of the enemy and found two groups of large enemy warships.
Despite the heavy gun shot from the destroyer of the enemy, Rao carried out a specified attack which resulted in the sinking of the destroyer of the enemy and one mine.
After the surface engagement with an enemy warship, Rao left his job group to attack far into the enemy waters and bombarding the Karachi port burning oil and other installations at the port.
In this operation, Rao has featured striking and extraordinary leadership in the best tradition of the Indian Navy and was awarded the first Maha Virchakra in the Indian Navy.
As a result, Karachi Port is paralyzed.
This is to mark this operational victory that the Indian Navy celebrates naval day every year in 4.
Vasudev Rao said the father of Gopal Rao K Pan Janardhan Rao was the first IGP in Madras, 1937.
The last visit of Gopal Rao to Mangaluru was in 2010.