command of the Western Naval Command, Pereira moved to Naval HQ as the vice chief of the Naval Staff in March 1977. In August 1978, he was appointed honorary ADC to the president of India. During his stint as VCNS, the CNS Admiral Jal Cursetji noted that he considered him fit for promotion as CNS. Chief of Naval Staff With Admiral Cursetji's tenure coming to an end in early 1979, the FOC-in-C West Vice Admiral RKS Ghandhi was tipped to be the next CNS. However, in November 1978, the Government of India announced that Pereira was appointed the next chief of the Naval Staff. On 1 March 1979, he took over as the tenth chief of the Naval Staff in the rank of admiral. He is considered one of the architects of the modern Indian Navy. Personal life Pereira married Phyllis Beatrice Badal on 25 September 1952 at the Cathedral of the Holy Name, Mumbai, presided by Rev Angelo Innocent Fernandes. The couple did not have any children. As proud parents, the couple came to love every young cadet they met at the NDA, especially so for the mavericks who were sent to him for displeasure. Ronnie addressed them as ‘Son’, a tradition that came to be in all services. Later life, death and legacy After superannuating from the Navy, the Pereiras moved to Bangalore. While he was the VCNS, he had purchased land and constructed a house in the outskirts of the city. The modest house was called ‘At last’ and was at Whitefield, Bangalore. In 1988, the couple decided to move to Wellington Cantonment in The Nilgiris by selling off their Bangalore home and shifted into their new home called 'Broadsides'. In the early 1990s, Pereira, a life-long smoker, was diagnosed with lung cancer. He underwent treatment at the INHS Asvini in Bombay before moving back home. In 1993, the cancer relapsed and his condition deteriorated. Initially hospitalised at the Military Hospital in Wellington, he was moved to the Command Hospital in Bangalore. On 14 October 1993, he succumbed to the disease at the age of 70. On 16 October, Pereira was laid to rest at the Roman Catholic cemetery in Bangalore with full military honours. Wreaths were placed on behalf of the president and vice president of India, the prime minister and the defence minister, apart from the three service chiefs. The prime minister and defence minister