Western Fleet RAdm Praveen Nair presents appointment letter to Lt Cdr Prerna Deostalee. (Photo via special arrangement.)
New Delhi: In a watershed in India’s maritime history, a woman officer has been appointed the commanding officer of a warship, Navy chief Admiral R Hari Kumar had said on Friday, as India Sentinels reported.
Without naming the woman officer and the warship, the Navy chief had also said the officer was currently undergoing pre-commissioning training and will command a fast-attack craft. India Sentinels had learned that the ship the woman officer – a lieutenant commander – would command is INS Trinkat.
On Saturday, the Navy revealed the name of the officer who would command INS Trinkat. It is Lieutenant Commander Prerna Deosthalee.
Lt Cdr Prerna Deosthalee, First Lt #INSChennai, on being selected as Commanding Officer of Waterjet FAC #INSTrinkat, was presented the appointment letter by #FOCWF RAdm Praveen Nair.
— The Sword Arm (@IN_WesternFleet) December 2, 2023
She would be the first woman officer of @indiannavy to command an Indian Naval Warship@IN_WNC pic.twitter.com/mPTS1UjpNd
Who is Lt Cdr Prerna Deosthalee, the first woman officer set to command a warship?
Lt Cdr Prerana is the first lady observer on Tupolev Tu-142 – a maritime reconnaissance aircraft followed a stint on the P8I, also a reconnaissance aircraft.
The naval officer is hailing from Mumbai and schooled at the Convent of Jesus and Mary.
A postgraduate in psychology from St Xaviers College, Prerna Deosthalee was commissioned into the Indian Navy in 2009. Her brother is also an Indian Navy officer.
She is married to a naval officer and has a three-year-old daughter.
The announcement has come in sync with the Indian armed force's philosophy of “all roles, all ranks” for female personnel.
The Indian Navy has been inducting women as officers since last three decades and this is for the first time a woman officer will be taking a charge of a warship.
INS Trinkat
Commissioned into the Navy in September 2000, INS Trinkat has a crew of around 50.
The ship is named after an island in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. She is fitted with anti-surface and anti-air guns, as well as medium and heavy machine guns.
It has the capability to operate at high speeds and shallower depths.
