An Anti-Submarine Rocket Lands on Dockyard Chief's Rooftop

While there must be many more incidents of operations and exercises gone awry and no list can ever be complete, there is a remarkable one which I must add here. I know this to be true and Viji Malhotra reminded me of it as he was an eyewitness.

In the early ‘60s, Viji was on the minesweeper Cuddalore which was undergoing a refit in the Wet Basin of the Naval Dockyard, Bombay. Ahead on the adjoining wall was berthed the frigate Cauvery.

Viji was on duty as Officer of the Day (OOD) on a quiet, lazy Sunday morning and was on the upper deck enjoying fresh breeze when he observed a group of young, smart sea cadet girls approaching his ship. Bachelor that he was, he was excited by the prospect of receiving them on board and showing them around. To his dismay though, he found they bypassed his ship, did a Corpen 9 (naval signal for a 90* wheel to the right) and went up the gangway of Cauvery.

OOD Cauvery received them and started showing them around the ship. They started with the forecastle and its anchors and cables and went on to the big guns, the Bridge, boats, lifeboats etc. till they came to the anti-submarine mortars called ‘Hedgehog’, so named because the empty rows of the launcher spigots resembled spines of the beast. The OOD explained how on detecting an enemy submarine by sonar, the launcher was directed towards the target and fired mortars ahead of the ship by pressing a switch which was located on the launcher itself. Believing the launcher to be inactive and empty, he proceeded to press the switch.

There was shock and awe when with a rumbling noise and an eerie whoosh, they watched a mortar shoot off in the air. Fascinated, they followed its trajectory and watched it come down with a thud on the rooftop of the office of the head of the Dockyard, the Commodore Superintendent (CSD). Viji watched this from Cuddalore and wondered what was going on.

Apparently, unknown to the OOD, the electrical duty staff was carrying out maintenance on the Hedgehog system, switched on the power, and loaded a single dummy mortar inside the launcher. Fortunately, there was no explosive in the mortar and the CSD’s roof only suffered minor damage.

It took some time for all on board Cauvery to recover. The girls marveled at the amazing live demonstration of rocket firing and wondered if a gunfire demonstration was possible as well! The OOD regained outward composure and quickly brought the girls’ visit to an end.

The Commanding Officer of Cauvery, enjoying his holiday at home, was informed and rushed to the ship. Investigations began and higher authorities were informed. With no damage and it being a Sunday, there were few eyewitnesses and not much pandemonium.

The next day, CO Cauvery and the OOD were summoned in No. 2s (formal uniform) by Rear Admiral SG Karmarkar, Flag Officer Bombay (equivalent of FOC-in-C West of present day) and given a thorough dressing down. Viji Malhotra was also required to be present as the major independent eyewitness.

OOD Cauvery, Lieut VK Kapoor's name was immortalised as 'Hedgehog' Kapoor. Commodore Baswan, CSD, had the last word with the following signal to the Fleet Commander (FOCIF), “I will repair your ships free of charge but please tell your ships to stop firing at me!”