CAPTAIN SIR HENRY DIGBY – BESTE
Captain Superintendent (1927 – 1937)
Captain Sir H. A. B. Digby-Beste, C.I.E., O.B.E., R.I.N., J.P. had his first posting on the “Dufferin” as a Lieutenant on 4th March 1910. Consequent to her conversion as the first Indian Mercantile Marine Training Ship in 1927, he became the first Captain Superintendent of the “Dufferin”. He was well-known for his understanding and solicitude for men under his command and after gaining an insight into the organization and working of various Training Ships in England, he took office.
Captain Digby-Beste successfully exalted the “Dufferin” from an oblivious career to rank as one of the foremost merchant navy training ships in the world. His hallowed tenure of a full decade will go down in the annals of the I.M.M.T.S. “Dufferin” as one which saw an overwhelming success in the raising of training standards.
On 16th December 1937 Capt. Digby-Beste relinquished the command of the training ship “Dufferin”. He expired on the 5th of September 1964 at his residence in Sussex, England at the age of 81. The name Digby-Beste will be remembered whenever the “Dufferin” is spoken of.
CAPTAIN R. C. C. Mc. CLEMENT
Captain Superintendent (1937 – 1943)
Born in 1889, Capt. Mc. Clement graduated from H. M. S. Conway in 1906 with an ‘Extra’ certificate.
Capt. Mc. Clement was appointed Captain Superintendent of T. S. “Dufferin” in 1937, when Capt. Digby-Beste retired. He steered the institution successfully during the war years. He died in Wales in December 1943.
CAPTAIN R. A. H. Mc. CONNELL, R. I. N. J. P.
Captain Superintendent (1944 – 1945)
Captain R. A. H. Mc. Connell was Captain Superintendent of the Indian Mercantile Marine Training Ship “Dufferin” for less than a year. He took over command on 1st November 1944 and relinquished it during the summer vacation of 1945 due to ill health.
CAPTAIN M. F. S. C. HARVEY, R. D. J. P.
Captain Superintendent (1945 – 1962)
Captain Harvey joined on 10th January 1932 in a leave vacancy, when Lieutenant Commander Cambell, the Chief Officer, proceeded on leave; but was subsequently appointed in a permanent capacity from September 1932.
Capt. Harvey is the fifth generation of his family who adopted the sea career. In March 1943, at the comparatively young age of 35, he was appointed to officiate as Captain Superintendent when Captain Mc. Clement retired on medical grounds.
In October 1941, he was awarded the Royal Naval Reserve Officer’s Decoration. In November of the same year, he was put in command of H. I. M. S. ‘Hindustan’ and saw service on the Burma and Andamans Coast and eventually rejoined the “Dufferin” as Captain Superintendent in September 1945.
In 1947, Captain Harvey acted a nautical Surveyor and Shipping Master at Chittagong for a period of four months. After a service extending to 3 decades, of which 19 years were as Captain Superintendent, Captain Harvey retired from service in 1962.
CAPTAIN D. G. HAZARI
Captain Superintendent (1962 – 1971)
Durgadas Gehi Hazari was the first Indian to become the Captain Superintendent of Training Ship “Dufferin”. He is also the first ex-cadet to occupy this coveted post.
Born in 1916 in Sindh, which now forms part of Pakistan, D. G. Hazari joined I. M. M. T. S. “Dufferin” in January 1931 along with other cadets of the fourth batch and passed out with a First Class Certificate in December 1933.
From 1943 to 1975, for over three decades he has served in the Govt. of India Training Ships. He is the only officer who has served as Captain Superintendent of all the four Training Ships in India. On board the “Dufferin” he was Executive Officer from 1943 – 1949, Chief Officer from 1949 to 1954 and Captain Superintendent from 1962 to 1970. Service in the Merchant Navy seems to be a family tradition of the Hazari’s. Both his sons Tarachand (“Dufferin” 1962-64) and Kishore (“Dufferin” 1963-65) hold senior positions in the industry. Capt. D. G. Hazari is known for his intelligence, human sympathy and personal integrity of a high order.
He passed away on …………………
CAPTAIN INDRAJIT SINGH
Captain Superintendent (1971 – 1981)
Captain Indrajit Singh assumed command of T. S. “Dufferin” on 1st January 1971.
Captain Singh received his training on the “Dufferin” from January 1938 to December 1940. After his sea-service in Scindia Steam Navigation Co. Ltd. for eight and a half years, he joined the Training Ship “Dufferin” as an Executive Officer in September 1949 and was promoted as Chief Officer in October 1959.
In October 1962 he was promoted to the post of Captain Superintendent of the rating Training Ship ‘Bhadra’.
After assuming charge as Captain Superintendent, of T. S. “Dufferin”, Captain Indrajit Singh initiated and implemented a number of measure to see that the reputation of the institution was enhanced in national and international shipping circles.
Captain Singh is remembered for his keenness, hard work and perseverance in improving the standards of training onboard the ship. He retired on 30th June 1981. He is……….
CAPTAIN A. P. KOTHURKAR
Captain Superintendent (1982 – 1983)
Born in 1930, Arvind Purshottam Kothurkar had his early education at Pune and Kalyan. He joined the Training Ship “Dufferin” in January 1945 and was a bright and successful cadet. After passing out in 1948, he joined the Scindia Steam Navigation Company Ltd. in 1948 for service at sea. He rose to become a Chief Officer there and opted for service on his Alma Mater in 1956 as an Executive Officer. He had a long innings of 18 years of service in the training institution. Thousands of ex-cadets have passed our of the “Dufferin” and “Rajendra” under his able leadership.
He then took charge of T. S. “Rajendra” as Captain Superintendent from March 1982 to March 1983. He then looked after the project of the Merchant Navy Training Academy which in now fast coming up at New Bombay. He retired in July 1987.
For Capt. Kothurkar, retirement does not mean hanging up his boots and taking life easy. He is at present working with Maritime Association of Shipowners Shipmangers & Agents (MASSA) as Hon. Secretary.
CAPT. T. K. JOSEPH
Captain Superintendent (1983 – 1985)
Captain T. K. Joseph took over as Captain Superintendent of Training Ship “Rajendra” on 24th March 1983. Throughout his sea career, Captain Joseph was with the Scindia Steam Navigation Company Ltd. He has served the L. B. S. Nautical and Engineering College with distinction for more than 25 years, retiring as Principal in ………..
As an ex-cadet of Training Ship “Dufferin” (1950-51), Captain Joseph knew this institution very well. Though strict, he is disarmingly pleasant and was genuinely interested in the welfare of the cadets. Energetic and full of enthusiasm, he was able to inculcate in the cadets, his penchant for excellence in professional knowledge and competence. Capt. Joseph took charge of the L. B. S. Nautical and Engineering College as Principal in April 1985.
CAPT. V. N. KANSRA
Captain Superintendent (1981-82; and 1985-87)
Captain Vishwanath Kansra was born at Delhi in 1935. He joined T. S. “Dufferin” in 1952 and passed in 1954. In 1963 he was selected for the post of Executive Officer, Training Ship ‘Naulakshi’ ‘Navlakhi’, Gujarat and was transferred to his Alma Mater two years later. He was promoted as Senior Nautical Officer in 1975 and as Chief Officer in 1976. Capt. Kansra was in charge of the ship as Captain Superintendent from July 1981 to February 1982 and also from April 1985 to April 1987.
CAPT. S. S. S. REWARI
Captain Superintendent (1987 onwards)
Born on 14th February 1937, Sham Sunder Singh Rewari linked his destiny with the foremost Merchant Navy Training Institution of India in February 1953, when he joined as a cadet on the T. S. “Dufferin”.
He honed his capabilities by attending a 4 months Executive Development Program “Trainer of Trainers” conducted at the Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies, Bombay University.
He obtained a Diploma in Effective Communication and Personnel Counseling from the St. Xavier’s Institute of Counseling, Bombay. He also attended a high-level course on Training Methodology and Techniques conducted by the Indian Institute of Public Administration, Delhi.
He decided in starting the Extra master’s Course in India. The dawn of 21st December 1984 brought a gift in the form of this Course being commenced for the first time in India.
He has written a book “Problems in Stability” and has completed the scripts of two other, viz., “Principles of Navigation” and “Spherical Trigonometry” in co-authorship with his colleague, Capt. T. K. Joseph.
And now, from April 1987, Capt. Rewari has joined the “Rajendra” in her Diamond Jubilee year. He has steadfastly attempted to upgrade the existing Course of T. S. “Rajendra” to a 3 year Degree Course in Nautical Science in affiliation with the Bombay University.
CAPT. H. SUBRAMANIAM
Captain Superintendent (1991 – 1995)
Born in 1942, Capt. Subramaniam joined the Training Ship “Dufferin” as a cadet in 1958. He has had a successful career on the Training Ship. He won several prizes including Runners up for the President’s Gold medal.
After passing out in 1960, he joined Scindia Steam Navigation Company Ltd. and was with them till 1968 when he joined the L. B. S. Nautical College. In July 1970 he obtained the highest qualification in marine profession that of an Extra Master, from UK.
In 1990 he took over charge as the Principal of L. B. S. Nautical College. After serving for a period from 1991 to 1995 as Captain Superintendent of the Training Ship “Rajendra” and Training Ship “Chanakya”, he returned to the Nautical College as Principal
Capt. Subramaniam has had the distinction of leading an Indian delegation to STW-26 & STW-27 of the I.M.O. He has written a number of textbooks on variety of subjects on operation of merchant ships. Besides being the Chief examiner for extra Masters of India, he is also the Chairman of Nautical Institute, India Branch and Deputy Master of the Company of Master Mariners of India.
CAPT. M. BAVEJA
Captain Superintendent (1996 till date)
Capt. Mukesh Baveja the present Capt. Superintendent of T. S. “Chanakya” is the alumnus of the T. S. “Rajendra” belonging to the 1973-75 batch. On passing out of the “Rajendra” he joined the Shipping Corporation of Indian for his sea service. He served on the SCI ships in various capacities rising to the position of Master.
In June 1987, he entered Government service as Nautical Surveyor in Mercantile Marine Department, Jamnagar and subsequently as Nautical Officer in L. B. S. College of Advanced Maritime Studies and Research in September 1987. In December 1995, he was promoted as senior nautical Officer and transferred to T. S. “Chanakya” and in January 1996, he was promoted as Captain Superintendent of T. S. “Chanakya”.
Capt. Baveja is carrying on the daunting task of providing quality personnel; to the industry, with great zeal and sincerity. He is devoted to the Training Ship, the cadets and the campus. A lot of his efforts have also been directed to greening the “Chanakya” environment.