Admiral Ronald Lynsdale 'Ronnie' Pereira, PVSM, AVSM (25 May 1923 – 14 October 1993) was a flag officer in the Indian Navy.

He served as deputy commandant of the National Defence Academy and as the director of combat policy & tactics at Naval HQ.

Returning to India in 1919, he was commissioned as a lieutenant and subsequently attached to the 72nd Punjabis which was a part of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force.

Successful at the interview, he was commissioned in the Royal Indian Naval Volunteer Reserve (RINVR) as a midshipman on 16 January 1943.

[5] He was asked to report to the Captain Coastal Forces, Eastern Theatre (CCFET) at HMIS Cheetah in Trombay.

The Navy had quickly fitted out vessels called motor launch (ML), having a small crew of about a dozen sailors, to ensure the coastal defence.

[16] Pereira was considered by the then Flag Officer Commanding Indian Fleet (FOCIF) Rear Admiral Adhar Kumar Chatterji as the best all round CO in the Indian Fleet and considered him suitable for higher sea-going commands.

[17] In June 1963, Pereira was posted to Bombay as the drafting commander, tasked with the planning of expanding manpower requirements for operational and administrative efficiency of the navy.

After an eighteen-month stint at Bombay, he was appointed director of weapon policy & tactics (DWPT) at Naval HQ in December 1964, with the acting rank of captain.

After a year and a half as CO Delhi, he was appointed naval officer-in-charge (NOIC) Bombay, in December 1968.

For planning and organising the PFR, Pereira was awarded the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal on 26 January 1971.

[20] In January 1971, Pereira was promoted to the rank of commodore and appointed deputy commandant (DepCom) of the National Defence Academy (NDA), Pune.

The commandant, Major General SD Varma, noted that Pereira was "an outstanding officer with lively personality, who is devoted to his profession.

"[3] Pereira was appointed the second Flag Officer Commanding Eastern Fleet (FOCEF) in February 1973.

[3] In January 1975, Pereira was appointed flag officer commanding Southern Naval Area at Cochin.

[23] After a year as FOC South, he was promoted to the rank of vice admiral on 1 March 1976 and appointed flag officer commanding-in-chief (FOC-in-C) Western Naval Command.

[24][25] On 26 January 1977, while he was the FOC-in-C West, he was awarded the Param Vishisht Seva Medal for distinguished service of the highest order.

However, in November 1978, the Government of India announced that Pereira was appointed the next chief of the Naval Staff.

[30] Pereira married Phyllis Beatrice Badal on 25 September 1952 at the Cathedral of the Holy Name, Mumbai, presided by Rev Angelo Innocent Fernandes.

As proud parents, the couple came to love every young cadet they met at the NDA, especially so for the mavericks who were sent to him for displeasure.

[6] On 16 October, Pereira was laid to rest at the Roman Catholic cemetery in Bangalore with full military honours.

[32] Former naval chiefs Oscar Stanley Dawson and Laxminarayan Ramdas paid their last respects, as did the FOC-in-C Southern Naval Command, the Director General Indian Coast Guard, the AOC-in-C Training Command, the GOC Karnataka and Goa Sub Area and senior police and civil officers.