ALL HOT ON THE WESTERN MARITIME FRONT
Never since antiquity, in the
history of mankind, a new nation was born resulting from a War between two
nations. The jointmanship of the three brave Armed Forces of India together
with Mukti-Bahini had written a Chapter of Glory and Valour, to be remembered
in footprints of time for the future generations. The attack on Karachi (OP
Trident and Python) on the western Seaboard, the attack on Dacca, Chittagong,
Khulna, Cox Bazar and Mongla by the Seahawks from Vikrant, The stealth attack
by the daredevils of Mukti-bahini trained for Operation X by Indian Navy in
Plassey, the joint attack by the valiant Indian Air Force’s precision bombing
and the charged up Army advancing through the Padma and Meghna fronts and the
Bangladesh terrain, closing in from all directions into Dhaka… resulted in the
surrender of the 95,000 Pak, 49 years ago… resulted in the birth of a new
Nation… “B-A-N-G-L-A-D-E-S-H”. A great Day for Sam Bahadur, Indira Gandhi and
Shaikh Mujibur Rahman.
Even as the two Nations rejoice the
Golden Jubilee of the momentous grand event of 1971, Capt SS Sethi (00710-T)(IN
Retd), an alumnus of NDA – 28th/J, has reset together the pieces of the jigsaw,
fragmented by Time, to bring to you the events of the Western Maritime Front,
that were the substantial contributor to the War’s outcome.
The Author says, “In
retrospect, the Western Fleet had demonstrated total dominance in the Arabian
Sea in Sea Control and Sea Denial. The Western Fleet had ensured total sea control
for the Indian Navy and total Sea Denial to the Pakistan Navy.”
The Western Fleet had successfully accomplished its stated directives;
1. Seek
and Destroy. The Pakistan ships patrolling off the Karachi harbour were engaged and
sunk.
2. Attack
and Cripple Karachi Port. The Karachi port was attacked and port operations
got suspended to a large extent. The fire in the oil farms in Karachi kept
burning for days.
3. Total
Blockade. The operations by Western Fleet ensured total blockade of tankers from
the Gulf and any other ships entering Pakistan ports.
The Chandigarh Tribune Monday, 06 Dec 1971
NAVAL
SCENARIO PRIOR TO 1971 AND FORMATION OF EASTERN FLEET
Indian Navy had only one Fleet till 1971. All operational frontline ships were part of the Indian Fleet, under the Command of Flag Officer Indian Fleet with its headquarters in Mumbai.
In May 1971, the Fleet was divided into the Western
Fleet based in Mumbai and the new Eastern Fleet based at Visakhapatnam.
In June 1971, the Aircraft Carrier of the Indian Navy,
INS Vikrant along with two escorts INS Brahmaputra and INS Beas were
transferred to the Eastern Fleet for deployment in the Bay of Bengal.
This was a good move as Vikrant played a pivotal role
in the operations in East Pakistan.
The Eastern Fleet with Vikrant was able to enforce a
total blockade in the ports of East Pakistan and thwart the escape of Pakistan
forces from sea. Also, the aircraft from Vikrant inflicted heavy damage to
Chittagong and various ports in East Pakistan and ensured an early surrender of
Pakistan forces.
MY
PERSONAL EXPERIENCE AS PART OF THE WESTERN FLEET DURING THE WAR
I
was the Navigating Officer of INS Betwa, part of the Western Fleet, Navigating
the Front-line Ship. I was fortunate to have been posted on Betwa at the
appropriate time.
I was
undergoing the Long Navigation and Direction Specialisation course in Cochin in
1971. The course was abruptly terminated in mid-October and I was posted as the
ND officer of INS Betwa.
Departure of Western Fleet from Mumbai
The
Western Fleet sailed out from Mumbai on Thursday, 02 Dec. I am emphasizing on
the day as Thursday, since my personal engagement was fixed for Sunday, the 05
Dec. This is a separate story and will be related later. However, the
engagement ceremony was solemnized on 05 Dec, in my absentia.
When we sailed out from Mumbai, we were 13 Ships with
INS Mysore, the Cruiser, as the Flag Ship under the Command of Capt RKS Gandhi
and with the Fleet Commander, Rear Admiral EC Kuruvilla embarked with his staff
on board. My Commanding Officer INS Betwa was Cdr RK Choudhry, from the 1st
course NDA.
The other twelve
Ships were;
1. INS Trishul and
Talwar of the 15th Frigate Squadron
2. INS Betwa of
the 16th Frigate Squadron
3. INS Khukri,
Kuthar and Kirpan from the 14th Frigate Squadron
4. INS Ranjit from
11th Destroyer Squadron
5. INS Kadmatt
from Petya Squadron
6.INS Deepak, the
Auxiliary Tanker
7. INS Sagardeep,
the Auxiliary Supply Vessel
8. INS Vinash and
Vijeta, the two Missile Boats under tow
The Second
Group
A
second group of 6 ships , consisting of two Petya class ships INS Kiltan and
Katchal along with four missile boats had sailed out to the Kathiawar coast and
positioned off Okha. The ships from this formation, took part in Operation
Trident, the first attack on Karachi on the night of 04/05 Dec. This will be
discussed in detail under the Operation Trident.
The entire
Scenario of the happenings in the Arabian Sea have been scripted in the
under-mentioned headings:
1. Incidents on 03
Dec.
2. Operation
Trident - Attack on Karachi.
3. Operation
Python - Second Attack on Karachi.
4. Attack on
Makran Coast.
5. Sinking of INS
Khukri.
6. Fleet Manoeuvers from 09 -16 Dec.
7. Two personal
experiences.
Incidents
On 03 December
The Fleet on
sailing out from Mumbai on 02 Dec had set course straight for Karachi. During
the forenoon of 03 Dec, a submarine contact was obtained. The Fleet took an
evasive turn and our ship Betwa along with INS Trishul were told to investigate
the contact with our Sonars. Trishul and Betwa formed the Anti-Submarine Warfare
formation and the contact on the sonar was established intermittently. After about two hours, both ships were signaled
to disengage and rejoin the Fleet. I was of the opinion that this was a
confirmed Pakistan submarine.
PM 03 December
Our Ship
Betwa was designated as Air Picket Ship, to search and report all air contacts.
The Ship was fitted with LR-960 Search Radar, with proven aircraft detection
capability.
In the late
afternoon, Betwa picked up an aircraft on LR-960. After tracking, it was estimated
to be a Pakistani reconnaissance aircraft, shadowing the fleet, but at the same
time remained outside our gun range. The Fleet Commander was informed accordingly.
Splitting of Fleet in Groups
At dusk on 03 Dec, we received the signal of
hostilities breaking out with Pakistan. The Fleet Cdr appreciated that the
shadowing Pakistan aircraft would compromise our position. A very smart manoeuver
was executed by splitting the fleet and altering course Southwards. At this
time, we were 200 miles South of Karachi. This confused the tracking aircraft,
and after sometime we lost it on our Radar screen.
The smart manoeuver by the Fleet Cdr to split the
force and alter course southwards helped the fleet tremendously in the rest of
the operation, as the air reconnaissance effort by Pakistan failed to detect
the Western Fleet thereafter. This was a huge tactical gain by the Western
Fleet.
However, the only disadvantage accrued was that the
Fleet had moved too far South of Karachi to launch the attack on the Naval base
on the very night of breaking out of hostilities with Pakistan.
Fleet Operations on 04 December
The Fleet regrouped on 04 Dec after evading the
Pakistan reconnaissance aircraft. It was important to keep the ships topped up
with Fuel and the tanker INS Deepak, kept fueling the ships one after another.
All this while, the Fleet was moving at high speed to avoid any lurking
submarines.
During the afternoon of 04 Dec, INS Kuthar had a major
fire in its Engine room, incapacitating the ship . The Fleet Commander decided
to detach the three Anti-Submarine Squadron Ships - Khukri , Kirpan and Kuthar
back to Mumbai . Also, Missile boat Vijeta, which had developed machinery
defects was sent back escorted by the Auxiliary Supply Ship ‘Sagar Deep’.
The Anti-Submarine
Squadron having departed, the remaining Six Gun-ships, Mysore, Trishul, Talwar,
Betwa, Ranjit and Kadmatt along with Missile boat Vinash and the tanker Deepak
became a formidable surface Strike Force capable of engaging Pakistani Naval
Ships and shore bombardment and inflicting heavy damage to the enemy.
As shown on the chart, the force set course towards
Karachi on PM 04 Dec, and at 1800 hrs was at a distance of 150 miles from
Karachi.
Around 2200 hrs, when the task force was about 70
miles from Karachi, they detected two targets on their Radars.
The Missile Boats closed in and took up positions to
engage the targets. The result of this daring attack on Karachi was as follows;
1. Pakistan Navy destroyer, PNS Khyber was patrolling
outside Karachi harbour. The Missile
fired by INS Nirghat hit the main engine room of Khyber, and the ship got
engulfed in fire. The next Missile fired by INS Nirghat was again a direct hit,
and within minutes the Ship sank, with more than 200 crew on board. The Captain
and the staff failed to appreciate, what had happened. They had earlier radioed
that they were under air attack, mistaking the Missile attack as an Air attack.
2. The Missile fired by INS Veer, hit the Pakistan
Navy Ship, PNS Muhafiz. This was a Minesweeper and she sank immediately.
3. INS Nipat engaged a ship underway close to the
Karachi port. The first Missile hit the ship resulting in a big explosion. The
second Missile hit resulted in the ship breaking in two and sinking. This was MV
Venus Challenger, a merchant ship carrying a full load of American ammunition
for Pakistan Navy and Air Force.
4. INS Nipat fired
a missile at the Shore establishments in Karachi.
5. The Force R/V
’ed after the attack and departed for Mumbai.
This Task force was able to return to Mumbai after
sinking three ships outside the Karachi harbour, without suffering any
casualties. This attack had a substantial effect on the overall outcome of the
war.
Jubilation in the Western Fleet (05 Dec)
The news of the attack on Karachi by the Missile Group
reached us on the night of 04/05 Dec after operation Trident was executed. We
on Betwa, were enthralled on getting the news and the spirits on board went sky
rocketing, with the determination to fight the war boldly and with resolute.
Tactical Picture In The Ops Room Of Betwa
In INS Betwa, the Operations room and the
Communication room are next to each other. The teams in the communication room
were decrypting all the messages, concerning the operations in the Arabian Sea,
and forwarding a copy to the Ops Room.
In the operations room, we had the General Operations Plot, where the
movements of all the units in the Arabian Sea were getting plotted and updated.
Thus, our ship had the uptodate real time operational tactical picture at all
times.
OPERATION PYTHON - Second Attack on Karachi
on 08/09 Night
The Fleet was manoeuvered on 06 and 07 December and kept fully fuelled up and ready to carry out the attack on Pakistan coast, when suitable.
The opportunity came on the 08/09 night. The Fleet was
split into three groups on the forenoon of 08 December. At this time, the Fleet
was about 250 miles South West from Karachi and 200 miles South of the Makran
Coast. The plan was to carry out a two pronged attack on Karachi and Makran
coast around midnight by splitting the Force,
and thereafter again rendezvous in a position 350 miles South West of Karachi
by PM 09 December (as indicated on the chart).
The three groups
were formed as follows;
1. INS Trishul and
Talwar along with Missile boat INS Vinash, took departure for the attack on
Karachi.
2. The Flag Ship
INS Mysore along with Ranjit and our Ship Betwa, took departure for the Makran
Coast to attack Gwadar and Jiwani.
3. The Tanker ,
INS Deepak along with consort ship INS Kadmatt, sailed towards the African
coast with orders to return to Rendezvous the Fleet PM the next day, 09
December .
The Missile boat,
INS Vinash, took up position off Karachi and fired all the four missiles, which
scored the following hits;
1. The first
Missile struck the oil tanks on the shoreline of Karachi and started a huge
fire.
2. The second
Missile hit a ship in harbour. This was later identified as British merchant
ship MV Hamilton.
3.The third
Missile hit another Ship in harbour and it sank in a few minutes. This was
later identified as Panama Vessel, MV Gulf Star .
4. The fourth
Missile hit the Pakistan Navy Tanker, PNS Dacca. This ship got severely
damaged.
A few minutes after this attack, the Indian Air Force
attacked the Karachi Airfield and the Port installations. The blazing Oil tanks
were easy to home on, and the additional bombing by the IAF aircraft, kept the
fires burning in Karachi for many days.
ATTACK ON MAKRAN COAST
When the task force was about 70 miles from the
target, a merchant ship was sighted. This was identified as Pakistani merchant
ship MV Madhumati. A little later, a Radio transmission by Madhumati to Karachi
was intercepted by us.
The Fleet Cdr felt that the position of the task force
had been compromised, and aborted the attack on the Makran coast. The boarding
party from our Ship was sent on Madhumati and the ship was captured.
This task group, thereafter withdrew with the prize
catch of Pakistani Ship Madhumati, to rejoin the INS Trishul group returning
after the successful OPERATION PYTHON.
There was total jubilation in the Indian Navy after operation Python - the second attack on Karachi on the night of 08/09 December. However, it is learnt that the situation in the Pakistan Navy was extremely different. The Warships were not only asked to take shelter in the inner Karachi Port, but also de-ammunition the Ships, to avoid catastrophic damage in case of subsequent Missile attacks by the Indian Navy.
Fleet Operations on 09 and 10 Dec.
Since all
the missiles had been expended, the Fleet Cdr felt prudent for the ships to
return to Mumbai, carry out emergency machinery repairs, pick up loaded
Missiles boats, and redeploy for operations thereafter. Thus a South westerly
course towards Bombay was ordered.
These two ships sailed out on 08 December and set up an anti-submarine patrol off the Diu head in Gujarat. At about 2049 hrs on 09 Dec, while on the anti-submarine patrol, INS Khukri was hit by a torpedo. We first intercepted an Emergency signal from INS Kirpan about an explosion on Khukri. A few minutes later, a Flash signal was received from Kirpan, stating that the radar contact of Khukri was lost. After being hit by the torpedoes, Khukri sank in a few minutes, taking down with her 18 Officers and 175 men, including the Commanding Officer, Capt MN Mulla. It has been reported that Capt Mulla, could have saved himself, but decided to go down with the ship, in accordance with true naval traditions.
FLEET MANOEUVERS - 09 TO 16 Dec
During the return passage to Mumbai, the following facts were evident and counter-measures catered for;
Surface Threat: There was minimal threat from the Pakistan Fleet. Their deployment in the Arabian Sea away from the coastline was unlikely.
In view of the above assessment, the Fleet Commander decided to continue to proceed in the South Easterly direction. In the forenoon of 11 Dec, we had reached 250 miles west of Goa. At this time, the course was altered eastwards, towards the Indian Coast. The overall speed of the Fleet had reduced due to the slow speed of the captured Pakistani ship, Madhumati.
On PM 12 Dec, the course of the Fleet was altered in a North Easterly direction to make a landfall at Jaigarh. The shallow water continental shelf from Mumbai, extends for nearly 140 miles to the south, till Jaigarh. Thereafter the depths drop quite steeply.
It was appreciated by the Fleet Commander, that once the Fleet starts transiting through shallow waters, it would not be possible for the the Pakistan submarines to close in to attack the returning fleet. We made landfall at Jaigarh around midnight on 12 Dec and thereafter proceeded in line astern formation, hugging the coastline. These waters were too shallow for the submarine to operate. Also, we had used the surprise element to make a landfall well to the south of Mumbai. This ruse by the Fleet Commander paid off and all the ships, including the captured Pakistani ship Madhumati, entered the Bombay harbour safely on 13 December.
The Pakistan Army in the East surrendered on 16 December and the hostilities were terminated with the ceasefire being announced. Thereafter, we entered the Bombay Naval Dockyard, to a rousing reception by the Headquarters Western Naval command. I continued to serve on board INS Betwa, till my specialisation course was resumed in Jan 1972.
PARTY ONBOARD
On the day of ceasefire, my department
sailors organised a small tea party. There was overall jubilation on board and
on being invited, I readily agreed to join the tea party. However, I was
totally surprised when my Navigator Yeoman read out my total sleep in 12 days
from 02 December to 13 December. He was recording all the winks taken by me on
the Camp cot in the Ops room, my sleeping and resting place. The total sleep recorded
in 12 days averaged less than 3 hrs a day. It was indeed a very touching gesture
from my men and nostalgic till to date.
-- CAPT SURINDER SINGH SETHI
