Indian Navy hails contribution of INS Mysore in 1971 Indo-Pak War ahead of Navy Day

The Indian Navy took to Twitter to recall moments from the 1971 war which witnessed a military confrontation between India and Pakistan during the Bangladesh liberation war. Indian Navy also recalled the contribution of INS Mysore during the Western Fleet Operations of 1971 War. This comes ahead of Navy Day that is celebrated on December 4 every year to recognise the achievements and contribution of the Indian Navy during the Indo-Pakistan war of 1971

"Reliving 1971"

Since November 11, in a series of tweets, Indian Navy has been sharing moments and facts from the 1971 war that broke out between India and Pakistan on December 3, 1971, and went on till December 16, 1971. Indian Navy informed that Pakistan Navy Submarine PNS Ghazi was 'on the prowl' on the Eastern coast of India since the end of November 1971 in a bid to target Indian Navy's aircraft carrier INS Vikrant. From November 27, 1971, onwards, PNS Ghazi, armed with torpedoes and mines, was waiting for INS Vikrant about 5 to 10 miles off the entrance of Visakhapatnam harbour. In order to counter Pakistan's attack, INS Vikrant along with Seahawks, Alizes and Alouettes left for Andaman & Nicobar Islands from Chennai. While INS Vikrant remained safe in Andaman, Ghazi arrived off the coast of Visakhapatnam to meets its 'unexpected fate'.

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Remembering the contributions of the then Chief of Naval Staff Admiral SM Nanda, Indian Navy shared a picture of him while adding that it was under his leadership 'the Indian Navy adopted a decisively aggressive posture'. Indian Navy also stated that in 1971 the force was very different from its 'previous avatars' while hailing Admiral Nanda for his efforts during the 1971 war. 

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Recalling the years leading to 1971 War, Indian Navy said, "1965 onwards, lot of thought was given to how best to synergize India’s Naval position with the existing threat perceptions. New platforms acquired. Effective learning & development frameworks institutionalized to exploit these newly acquired platforms to the fullest. 5 Petya class Anti-Submarine vessels, 4 submarines, a submarine rescue vessel, 2 landing ships & 5 patrol boats acquired from 1965-70. Further in 1970-71, 8 missile boats were in various stages of delivery. When the time came, these and decisive Naval leadership, combined to deliver a power-packed punch."

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Navy Day 

Celebrated on December 4, Navy Day recognises the achievements, contribution and role of the Indian Navy in keeping the country safe. December 4 was chosen to be celebrated as Navy Day because on that day in 1971, Indian Navy undertook Operation Trident during which four Pakistan Navy vessels including PNS Khaibar were sunk. This day is also aimed at remembering those who were martyred during the Indo-Pakistan War of 1971. 

Operation Trident was an offensive operation launched by the Indian Navy to target Pakistan's port city Karachi in a strategic move to win the 1971 Indo-Pakistan War. This mission was the first one which witnessed the use of anti-ship missiles in combat in the region. Conducted on the night of December 4-5, Indian Navy's Operation Trident inflicted heavy damage on Pakistan's vessels, facilities and Karachi port. A minesweeper, a destroyer, a cargo vessel carrying ammunition along with fuel storage tanks in Karachi were destroyed by the Indian Navy during the operation along with another destroyer that was damaged so badly that it had to be scrapped eventually.

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