Ahead of Navy Day on December 4, Indian Navy Chief Admiral Hari Kumar announced the appointment of Lieutenant Commander Prerana Deosthali as the commanding officer of INS Trinkat based in Goa.
This marks a significant milestone for the Indian Navy, as Lt Cdr Deosthali is the first woman to command a naval ship.
Lt Cdr Deosthali is a highly experienced and qualified officer who has served in a variety of roles, including as an observer on TU and P8I maritime reconnaissance aircraft.
She is a native of Mumbai and holds a postgraduate degree in psychology from St Xaviers College.
Lt Cdr Deosthali joined the Indian Navy in 2009 and is married to a naval officer with whom she has a three-year-old daughter.
Her appointment is a testament to the Indian Navy’s commitment to gender equality and its philosophy of ‘all roles-all-ranks’ for female personnel.
INS Trinkat is a fast attack craft named after Trinkat Island in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
The Indian Navy has been steadily promoting gender equality in all ranks while maintaining its service ethos and values.
In recent years, the Navy has appointed the first woman pilot Sub-lieutenant Shivangi for a fixed-wing Dornier maritime aircraft, sent six women naval officers to circumnavigate the globe, and trained two women officers for the circumnavigation sailing expedition on a sailing boat next year.
The Navy has also trained women officers to stand shoulder-shoulder with their male counterparts.
In addition, the overall strength of women engineers is over 1,000 in the Navy. The appointment of Lt Cdr Deosthali is a significant step forward for the Indian Navy and sends a powerful message to women and girls across the country.
