Operation Trident (1971)

Operation Trident
Part of Indo-Pakistani War of 1971
Date 4–5 December 1971 Location Arabian Sea, 14–17 nautical miles (26–31 km; 16–20 mi) south of the Port of Karachi, Pakistan. Result Strategic Indian naval victory and partial naval blockade on Pakistan.
Belligerents
India	Pakistan
Commanders and leaders
Admiral S. M. Nanda (CNS) Vice Admiral G. M. Hiranandani (Fleet Operations Officer) Commander B. B. Yadav (Commander, Karachi Strike Group) Commanding Officers of the ships engaged	Commanding Officers of the ships engaged
Units involved
Indian Navy	Pakistan Navy
Strength
Three Vidyut-class missile boats Two Arnala-class anti-submarine corvettes One fleet tanker	Ships deployed off the coast of Karachi
Casualties and losses
None	Three ships sunk One ship badly damaged, scrapped as result Karachi harbour fuel storage tanks destroyed

Operation Trident and the follow-up Operation Python were offensive operations launched by the Indian Navy on Pakistan's port city of Karachi during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. Operation Trident saw the first use of anti-ship missiles in combat in the region. The operation was conducted on the night of 4–5 December and inflicted heavy damage on Pakistani vessels and facilities. While India suffered no losses, Pakistan lost a minesweeper, a destroyer, a cargo vessel carrying ammunition, and fuel storage tanks in Karachi. Another destroyer was also badly damaged and eventually scrapped. India celebrates its Navy Day annually on 4 December to mark this operation.

In 1971, the Port of Karachi housed the headquarters of the Pakistan Navy and almost its entire fleet was based in Karachi Harbour. Since Karachi was also the hub of Pakistan's maritime trade, a blockade would be disastrous for Pakistan’s economy. The security of Karachi Harbour was predominant to the Pakistani High Command and it was heavily defended against any air or naval strikes. The port's airspace was secured by the strike aircraft based at 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 for gaining 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.

The Indian Naval Headquarters (NHQ) in Delhi, along with the Western Naval Command, planned to attack the Port of Karachi and for this purpose, a strike group, under Western Naval Command, was formed. This strike group was to be based around the three Vidyut-class missile boats already deployed off the coast of Okha. However, these boats had limited operational and radar range and to overcome this difficulty, it was decided to assign support vessels to the group. On 4 December, what was now designated as the Karachi Strike Group was formed and consisted of the three Vidyut-class missile boats: INS Nipat, INS Nirghat and INS Veer, each armed with four Soviet made SS-N-2B Styx surface-to-surface missiles with a range of 40 nautical miles (74 km; 46 mi), two Arnala-class anti-submarine corvettes: INS Kiltan and INS Katchall, and a fleet tanker, INS Poshak. The group was under the command of Commander Babru Bhan Yadav, the commanding officer of the 25th Missile Boat Squadron.

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