Leslie Mungavin

Rear-Admiral Leslie Norman Mungavin (b. 1923-1995) was a high-ranking two-star admiral in the Pakistan Navy who served as the deputy chief of naval staff and chairman of the Chairman Pakistan National Shipping Corporation in 1980.

Mungavin joined the Royal Indian Navy in 1945. When Pakistan and India became independent in 1947 he joined the Pakistan Navy where his career gradually progressed till his retirement as Deputy Chief of Naval Staff at the rank of Rear Admiral.

During his 33 years of service with the Pakistan Navy, Mungavin held a number of command appointments at sea and ashore at Naval Headquarters. He served on various Pakistan Navy ships and was acknowledged as a leading navigation specialist. He did his long course in navigation at HMS Dryad in the UK. He commanded the PNS Alamgir and the Pakistan Navy flagship PNS Babur.

At the beginning of the 1971 Indo-Pakistani war Mungavin was Defence and Naval Attaché at the Pakistan High Commission in London where his services and negotiation skills merited him a Sitara-e-Pakistan award. He returned to active service and after the ceasefire Commander Mungavin was taken prisoner in Chittagong (now Bangla Desh).

Rear Admiral Mungavin was also involved with the negotiations with the US Department of State when the Pakistan Navy was interested in replacing their aging fleet with gearing class destroyers.

From January 1979 to April 1980 he served as the Chairman of the Board of the Pakistan National Shipping Corporation.

Admiral Mungavin died in 1995 in England. At his request his body was cremated, ashes taken back to Pakistan and spread in the Arabian Sea. The Pakistan Navy honored him with a full military funeral and his ashes were taken out to sea on board the PNS Babur and scattered there.