New Delhi: Every year on December 4, Navy Day is celebrated in India to commemorate the Indian Navy’s victory over the Pakistan Navy in the Operation Trident during the 1971 India-Pakistan War. During the war, the sinking of PNS Ghazi, a famous ship of the Pakistani Navy became the talking point as its fate is debated and contested to this day. In this article, we will take a look at the ship and how it met its end.
What was PNS Ghazi?
PNS Ghazi was a Tench-class diesel-electric submarine and the Pakistan Navy’s first fast-attack submarine. In 1963, it was leased from the US Navy. Before becoming a Pakistani ship, during its tenure in the US Navy, it was known as the USS Diablo. On June 1, 1964, Diablo was decommissioned and it was commissioned in the Pakistan Navy the same day.
Pakistan got the PNS Ghazi after a lengthy and complicated negotiation process with the US administration. The Pakistan Navy, since the 1950s, was looking to get imported submarines and initially negotiated with the Royal Navy and later also with the US Navy.
The arrival of PNS Ghazi in Pakistan Navy
In South Asia, PNS Ghazi was the first submarine that a Navy operated and the Indian Navy took it as a serious threat. However, its technological feats were downgraded and when it joined the Pakistan Navy, the ship was mostly unmodernized. But Indian Navy was of the view that the updated submarine was a serious threat to them. The submarine got 14 vintage Mark-14 torpedoes and on September 4, 1964, it arrived at Karachi’s Naval Dockyard and became Pakistan Navy’s first long-range fast-attack submarine. The Pakistan Navy named it Ghazi (Holiest Warrior).
PNS Ghazi and the 1965 India-Pakistan War
On August 5, 1965, war broke out between India and Pakistan. In the conflict arena, Ghazi was the sole submarine and could attack Indian Navy’s major warships. It only aided the tactical task force and sought INS Vikrant, the only aircraft carrier, but failed to detect it. On September 17, 1965, Ghazi fired three World War II-era Mark 14 torpedoes at INS Brahmaputra, but the latter was not sunk. In 1968 Ghazi executed a submerged circumnavigation of Africa and southern parts of Europe.
The end of PNS Ghazi in 1971
Before being deployed for the 1971 India-Pakistan War, PNS Ghazi was experiencing equipment failures and reportedly had aging issues. Nevertheless, Ghazi was deployed to destroy or damage Vikrant. On November 14, 1971, she sailed 3,000 miles around the Indian peninsula from the Arabian Sea to the Bay of Bengal.
However, on the December 4-5 night, Ghazi sank with all 93 servicemen on board off the Visakhapatnam coast, which allowed the Indian Navy to effect a naval blockade of East Pakistan. Even though there are some reported mysteries surrounding the sinking of PNS Ghazi, the Indian government investigated the incident after the 1971 ceasefire and came to the conclusion that the submarine was sunk due to the Indian Navy’s series of manoeuvres. Later, India built a “Victory at Sea Memorial” on the coast near where Ghazi was sunk. According to India, the INS Rajput sunk Ghazi and it is considered a significant event in the 1971 War.
The PNS Ghazi, Pakistan Navy’s first submarine, played a significant role in the 1965 and 1971 Indo-Pak wars. Leased from the US Navy, it was a key asset despite its aging technology. knowledge Knowledge News, Photos and Videos on General Knowledge
