A tribute to a great human being and a true professional.
Carl. H. Gomes
One of the last surviving veterans of the World War II passed away on 23 October, exactly one month before his 87th birthday.
Former Chief of Naval staff, Admiral (Retd) Oscar Stanley Dawson, AVSM, PVSM, died at the Air Force Hospital, Bangalore on Sunday 23rd October, due to brain hemorrhage. Admiral Dawson, whose naval career spanned 41 years, was the first Aide-de-Camp (ADC) to the first President of India, Mr Rajendra Prasad in 1953-54.
As a young Lieutenant in the Royal Indian Navy, he took part in the Burma Campaign as the Commanding Officer of a MTB (Motor Torpedo Boat). He served as Chief of Naval Staff from March 1, 1982 until his retirement on November 30, 1984. He was awarded the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (AVSM) for his services and leadership. He was also the recipient of the Param Vishisht Seva Medal.
On retirement from the Navy he served as India’s High Commissioner to New Zealand before finally settling down to a retired life in a quaint cottage in the quiet suburb of Richards Town in Bangalore, which his parents moved into on arriving in India from Burma when he was a boy. He was associated with the British Association of Cemeteries in South Asia. He was also president of Anga Karunya Kendra and Chairman - Project Lead Free. After retirement, he was involved in the development of the Goa Shipyard, the cleaning of Ulsoor Lake in Bangalore, the campaign for unleaded petrol, rehabilitation of the handicapped etc.
Admiral Oscar Stanley Dawson, or “Stan” as he was known to his friends, was a bachelor, married to the Navy. He set very high standards for himself and had a low tolerance for mediocrity. As commanding officer he ran a tight ship, and was known to be a hard task master, which did not make him popular with some of his officers but he was greatly admired and respected by others especially from the lower decks. During the 1971 Indo-Pak war, he was the Director Naval Operations in Naval Headquarters notably, and was responsible for the operations, notably the successful planning and execution of Op Trident and Op Python. In true naval tradition, the captain takes the bouquets and the brickbats and hence all the credit for the Navy’s spectacular successes in that war went to the CNS, Admiral Nanda. Naval history is silent on Dawson’s role but it had to be significant.
As the Naval Chief he was responsible for the acquisition and refurbishment of the mothballed Royal Navy aircraft carrier, HMS HERMES and her airborne package, which was commissioned as INS VIRAAT to replace the ageing INS VIKRANT, which earned him the sobriquet, “a naval aviator at heart”, but this does not mean he neglected the surface and subsurface arms of the navy. But he will be remembered by posterity for his brainchild, the “Karwar Project”, which went on to be called ‘Project Seabird’ and is now commissioned as the naval base, INS KADAMBA. It is entirely appropriate that his final guard of honour should be provided by the men from that establishment.
Although considerably watered down due to financial constraints and some thoughtless pruning and alterations by his successors, the Karwar naval facility still bears the mark of his genius. This prompted another naval veteran and good friend and colleague, (late) Admiral “Jerry” Nair to remark at the inauguration, “Stan, they should erect your statue at an important cross-road in the naval base as a tribute to your genius” and then went on to add, “Unfortunately, it might spoil the scenery!” Whether or not the navy recognizes this and erects a statue or names a road or a building in the naval base after him, the state of Karnataka and the district of Karwar will be forever indebted to him for putting Karwar on the map of the world. It is pertinent to mention that Karnataka is the most neglected coastal state in India and still does not have any ambitious plans for developing its ports and coastline. Admiral Dawson’s sage advice to the Karnataka government on this score fell on deaf ears.
As Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee, when the deliberations of the 4th Pay Commission were in progress, he arranged for the Chairman of the CPC to experience life on board a submarine and in the high altitude, which resulted in the institution of Submarine Allowance and High Altitude Allowance for personnel serving in submarines and in high altitudes. He was also responsible for getting Naval/Defence Attaches posts for naval officers in several Indian embassies like Tokyo, Muscat, Canberra, Nairobi, etc.
Those like me who had the privilege of serving on his staff will remember him as a true professional who was wedded to the navy, a martinet at work but a very warm, jovial friend and confidante, a sportsman and a music lover otherwise. They don’t make people like him any more – they broke the mold. A contemporary of his, Admiral Awati had this to say to me: “Stan and I grew up in the service together. We had the same seniority from the rank of Commander on, until he succeeded Ronnie in April 1982. ….When in Delhi Stan insisted that I stay at the Navy House which I did. Stan is almost exactly three years older to me, a kind and generous person. ….Stan brought a certain dignity to the Chair while he occupied it. A good man.”
MAY HIS SOUL REST IN PEACE.
- Carl H. Gomes
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