Vice Admiral Elenjikal Chandy Kuruvila, PVSM, AVSM was a former Flag officer in the Indian Navy.

He later led the Southern Naval Area and then served as the chairman and managing director of Mazagon Dock Limited.

[1] Kuruvila applied for a commission in the Royal Indian Naval Volunteer Reserve (RINVR).

[3] He later served on the Black Swan-class sloop HMIS Sutlej when it was deployed in the Bay of Bengal.

After the war, he was granted a permanent commission in the Royal Indian Navy (RIN).

[8] In early 1952, Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh set out for a tour of Australia and New Zealand by way of Kenya.

He visited the ASW ships periodically and provided help and advice to the commissioning commanding officers.

Kistna and Beas called on Tanga and participated in the celebrations of Tanganyika National Union Day.

[17] Thereafter, for a short stint, he also commanded the Naval air station INS Garuda at Cochin.

On 26 January 1971, he was awarded the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal for distinguished service of an exceptional order.

Thousands of East Pakistanis died, and nearly ten million refugees fled to West Bengal, an adjacent Indian state.

The Mysore, commanded by Captain R K S Ghandhi, became the flagship of the Western Fleet on which Kuruvila flew his flag.

He even wrote to the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief (FOC-in-C) Western Naval Command Vice Admiral Surendra Nath Kohli in a proposal stating: "I have no doubt whatsoever that the correct utilisation of the missile boats is to use them offensively, two at a time, in company with the Fleet.

If I have these boats with me at sea, as your Fleet Commander I can guarantee total victory once contact has been made with enemy surface units, regard less of his superiority in speed and gun power".

[27] For his command of the Western Fleet during the war, Kuruvila was awarded the Param Vishisht Seva Medal (PVSM) on 26 January 1972.

The officer guided the Naval operations in his theatre of war with exemplary skill and determination and displayed an offensive spirit and ingenuity of the.

His forces gained a decisive victory over the enemy in the crucial Naval action of the war and attacked the so far impregnable defences of Karachi port causing serious damage to vital harbour installations.

This denied enemy forces the much needed support from outside the country and severely restricted their ability to continue to fight.

[31][32] In March 1973, he was appointed Flag Officer Commanding Southern Naval Area (FOCSOUTH).

This was a short stint, as he was appointed chairman and managing director (CMD) of the Mazagon Dock Limited (MDL) in Mumbai.