On December 8, 1967, India joined other nations of the world that had a submarine arm in their naval defences. Commodore K.S. Subra-Manian, then a Commander, read out the commissioning warrant of INS Kalvari (S23), India’s first submarine, at Riga in Latvia in the erstwhile U.S.S.R., and the rest is history.
Aged 94, Cmde Subra-Manian died on June 5, and was laid to rest in Coimbatore on Friday, June 9, 2023.
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Accompanied by three naval officers from Chennai, Cdr Subra-Manian’s trailblazing team undertook the remarkable task of delivering India’s commissioned submarine, a Foxtrot-class boat, from St. Petersburg to Visakhapatnam in 79 days. To commemorate INS Kalvari’s Commissioning, the Indian Navy celebrates December 8 as Submarine Day.
According to an official release, Cmde Subra-Manian was commissioned into the Indian Navy on September 1, 1951. In April 1962, he was selected to attend HMS Dolphin, the home of the Royal Navy’s submarine service.
Later, he went on to train for the Foxtrot class submarines in the erstwhile U.S.S.R. ‘The heroic Arm’, INS Virbahu, was also commissioned as a full-fledged submarine ‘Mother Base’ under his command on May 19, 1971, it said.
Considered one of the pioneers in the formulation ground-breaking tactics and in laying the foundation for a strong submarine arm in the Navy, Cmde Subra-Manian’s career spanned over three decades, during which he held positions including that of Director of the Tactical School and Commanding Officer of INS Virbahu and INS Amba.
He additionally served as the Captain of the 8th and 9th Submarine Squadrons of the Indian Navy. He retired as the Chief of Staff, Southern Naval Command, on July 1, 1978.
Serving and retired senior officers from the Navy and other services paid homage to him when his last rites were held in Coimbatore on Friday. Cmde Subra-Manian’s wife had predeceased him a few years ago and he is survived by two sons and a daughter.
