Operation Python

Operation Python
Part of Indo-Pakistani War of 1971
Date 8/9 December 1971 Location Arabian Sea, 12 nmi (22 km; 14 mi) off Karachi port, Pakistan Result Strategic Indian naval victory and partial naval blockade on Pakistan.
Belligerents
India	Pakistan
Commanders and leaders
Admiral S. M. Nanda Commanding Officers of the ships engaged	Rear Admiral Hasan Ahmed Commanding Officers of the ships engaged
Units involved
Indian Navy	Pakistan Navy
Strength
1 missile boat 2 multipurpose frigates	A group of ships stationed off the coast of Karachi
Casualties and losses
None	One ship damaged beyond repair Two ships sunk Oil storage facility destroyed

Operation Python, a follow-up to Operation Trident, was the code name of a naval attack launched on West Pakistan's port city of Karachi by the Indian Navy during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. After the first attack during Operation Trident on the Port of Karachi, Pakistan stepped up aerial surveillance of its coast as the presence of large Indian Navy ships gave the impression that another attack was being planned. Pakistani warships attempted to outsmart the Indian Navy by mingling with merchant shipping. To counter these moves, Operation Python was launched on the night on 8/9 December 1971. A strike group consisting of one missile boat and two frigates attacked the group of ships off the coast of Karachi. While India suffered no losses, Pakistani fleet tanker PNS Dacca was damaged beyond repair, and the Kemari Oil Storage facility was lost. Two other foreign ships stationed in Karachi were also sunk during the attack.

In 1971, the Port of Karachi housed the headquarters of the Pakistani Navy and almost the entire Pakistan Naval fleet was based at Karachi Harbour. It is also the hub of Pakistan's maritime trade, meaning that a blockade would be disastrous for Pakistan’s economy. The defence of Karachi harbour was therefore paramount to the Pakistani High Command and it was heavily defended against any air or naval strikes, including cover from strike aircraft based at two airfields in the area.

Towards the end of 1971, there were rising tensions between India and Pakistan, and after Pakistan declared a national emergency on 23 November, the Indian Navy deployed three Vidyut-class missile boats in the vicinity of Okha, near Karachi, to carry out patrols. As the Pakistani fleet would also be operating in the same waters, the Indian Navy set a demarcation line which ships in their fleet would not cross. Later this deployment proved to be useful to gain experience in the region's waters. On 3 December, after Pakistan attacked Indian airfields along the border, the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 officially began.

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