Rear Admiral Musharraf Husain Khan was the Founder Chairman (1978 to 1989) and Chief Advisor (1990 to 2018) of the National Oceanographic And Maritime Institute (NOAMI) and took a lot of pains to establish NOAMI. As a Naval Chief, he was very much interested in the exploration of the Ocean for utilization of the Ocean Resources, which are very important for the sustainability of human beings and other living beings and the blue economy. He used to know that the Ocean would be a great source of food and resources if explored properly and it would ensure food security. He himself was the Ocean of knowledge in respect of the Ocean, seasonal changes of weather related to ocean movement, and meteorology. He was the source of inspiration for NOAMI for his selfless and meritorious services and used to advise for the betterment of this institute.
Musharraf Husain Khan (known as M. H. Khan; 1 February 1932 – 13 October 2018) was a Bangladesh Navy Rear Admiral who served as the chief of the Bangladesh Navy from 7 November 1973 to 3 November 1979. During his tenure, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on December 10, 1974, commissioned Bangladesh Navy’s largest training base BNS Issa Khan and also handed over a “naval ensign” to Bangladesh Navy on the same day.
Musharraf H. Khan had an active and substantive Naval career with the Pakistan Navy. In addition to commanding several ships, he was also Controller of Pakistan Shipping in Karachi in 1967 on secondment from the Navy. On his return to the Pakistan Navy in 1969 he was given command of the PNS Babur, then the largest naval ship of the Pakistan Navy, and subsequently command of the Flagship destroyer Khaibar. Previously he saw active service in the 1965 Indo-Pak war when he was in command of the patrol craft squadron in the Arabian sea.
On his return to Bangladesh, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman appointed him immediately as the first Naval Chief of the country in November 1973. Musharraf Khan created a master plan for the Navy and its growth for multiple decades. 50 years on, the Bangladesh Navy continues to follow that path. Under his stewardship, the Navy acquired its first frigates from the Royal Navy, BNS Umar Faruq (1976) and BNS Ali Haider (1979). Numerous foreign training opportunities were established for young Bangladesh Naval cadets, primarily in the UK and other European NATO countries. He was able to develop and build the current NHQ establishment (1976) in Dhaka and several of the shore establishments in Bangladesh, located in Dhaka, Chittagong, Kaptai, Khulna, and Mongla.
