COIMBATORE: The mortal remains of Commodore KS Subramanian, Commanding Officer of India’s first submarine INS Kalvari, were cremated on Friday. Subramanian breathed his last on Monday in Coimbatore at the age of 94.
Subramanian was commissioned on September 1, 1951 and his career spanned over three decades and left an indelible mark on Indian Navy, especially in the submarine arm. One of his notable achievements was commanding Indian Navy’s first submarine, INS Kalvari (S23), a Foxtrot-class boat.
On December 8, 1967, INS Kalvari was commissioned at the Soviet naval base in Riga, Latvia. Accompanied by three naval officers from Chennai, the team undertook the remarkable task of delivering the submarine from St. Petersburg to Visakhapatnam in 79 days. This significant milestone marked the birth of Indian Navy’s submarine arm and Subramanian played a pivotal role in its establishment, said a press release from INS Agrani, Coimbatore.
During his career, Commodore Subramanian held various positions, including director of the tactical school and commanding officer of INS Virbahu and INS Amba. Also, he served as the Captain of the 8th and 9th Submarine Squadrons and held the esteemed position of Chief of Staff of the Southern Naval Command before retiring from service in 1978, the release stated.
A large number of serving and retired officers of the Indian Navy paid their last respects to Commodore KS Subramanian in the crematorium at PN Palayam.