Navy Day Special: Operation Trident to Operation Python, The Indian Navy’s Decisive Role in the 1971 War

The 1971 conflict was unlike any India had fought before. Pakistan was split into East and West, separated by 1,600 km of Indian territory. With East Pakistan in revolt and India supporting the liberation of Bangladesh, Pakistan needed the sea to move troops, ammunition, and supplies.

The Indian Navy saw an opportunity. If it could cut off maritime access to East Pakistan and neutralise Pakistan’s western fleet, it could paralyse the enemy's war-fighting capacity.

In the east, the Eastern Naval Command imposed a near-total blockade, supported by the aircraft carrier INS Vikrant. In the West, calculations led commanders to one crucial target:

Karachi was not just a port. It was:

1. the headquarters of the Pakistan Navy,
2. the entry point for 90% of Pakistan’s fuel, and
3. the hub of foreign trade.

Destroying Karachi’s maritime infrastructure meant striking at Pakistan’s economic and military lifelines.

India had quietly invested in Soviet-made Osa-class missile boats, small but lethal platforms armed with P-15 Styx missiles—each capable of destroying a large vessel from over 40 km away.

The catch? These boats had limited range and needed to be towed or escorted for long operations. But their speed, stealth, and firepower made them perfect for a night strike deep into enemy waters.

Under the Western Naval Command, a bold plan took shape: a surprise nighttime attack on Karachi’s naval assets and fuel reserves.

Just after sunset on 4 December, the Karachi Strike Group sailed out under radio silence:

1. INS Nipat,
2. INS Nirghat,
3. INS Veer, escorted by INS Kiltan and INS Katchall, and supported by tanker INS Poshak.

Commander Babru Bhan Yadav of the 25th Missile Boat Squadron led the flotilla.

Near midnight, Indian radars picked up multiple ships northwest of Karachi.

1. INS Nirghat fired the first Styx missile at destroyer PNS Khaibar.
   The ship mistook the missile for an aircraft and opened anti-aircraft fire. Moments later, the missile struck with devastating force. A second hit finished the job. Khaibar sank with over 200 sailors.
2. INS Veer targeted and sank the minesweeper PNS Muhafiz, which went under so quickly it couldn’t even send a distress call.
3. INS Nipat destroyed the merchant vessel MV Venus Challenger—laden with ammunition—and damaged destroyer PNS Shah Jahan.

Then came the strike that lit up Karachi’s skies:
INS Nipat fired at the Kemari oil storage tanks. A massive fireball rose over the city, burning through vital fuel reserves.

Not a single Indian ship was hit. Not a single casualty was reported on the Indian side. The attack stunned Pakistan, earning 4 December its place as Navy Day.

Pakistan knew the missile boats were a threat and tried to retaliate with air strikes on coastal installations at Okha. But the Indian Navy had dispersed its assets in time.

The Western Command planned a second, sharper strike.

This time, the raiding force was even smaller:

1. INS Vinash (missile boat)
2. INS Talwar and INS Trishul (frigates)

Later, on 8 December, the ships closed in on Karachi yet again.

INS Vinash fired all four of its Styx missiles:

1. One struck the Kemari oil tanks again, igniting another massive inferno.
2. One sank the foreign merchant vessel SS Gulf Star.
3. One crippled Pakistan Navy’s fleet tanker, PNS Dacca, a major logistic asset.
4. One hit SS Harmattan, a British ship, which later sank.

Once again, the Indian ships slipped away into the night untouched.

The twin strikes had far-reaching consequences:

1. Over half of Karachi’s fuel reserves were destroyed.
2. Pakistan’s western fleet was paralysed and confined to harbour.
3. Merchant vessels avoided Karachi, effectively blockading Pakistan’s main port.
4. Pakistan diverted resources to defence instead of supporting its eastern front.

A naval campaign of a few nights had created strategic shockwaves across the subcontinent.

While Karachi burned, the Eastern Naval Command executed a textbook maritime blockade:

1. INS Vikrant’s Sea Hawks bombed Chittagong and Cox’s Bazar.
2. Pakistani gunboats and merchant vessels were destroyed.
3. Supply lines to East Pakistan were completely choked.

The sinking of PNS Ghazi, Pakistan’s best submarine—whether by accident or action—removed the last major undersea threat.

Cut off by sea and air, Pakistani forces in East Pakistan found themselves isolated, undersupplied, and surrounded—leading to their surrender on 16 December 1971.

The success of Operations Trident and Python reshaped India’s naval doctrine.
The Indian Navy had demonstrated long-range sea-denial capability, pioneered missile-boat warfare in the region, executed precision night strikes, and helped deliver a decisive strategic victory.

Vice Admiral GM Hiranandani’s official naval history repeatedly highlights these operations as landmark achievements in India’s maritime evolution.

When we look back at those two nights in December 1971, we honour the audacity of young officers, the precision of their planning, the calm bravery in the face of danger, and the brilliance of using limited means for maximum effect.

From Trident to Python, the Indian Navy showed that strength is not merely about the size of a fleet—it's about skill, strategy, and the will to act.

This Navy Day, we remember the flames over Karachi, the silent missile boats slicing through the Arabian Sea, and the sailors who rewrote naval warfare in the subcontinent.

Also read: History of the Indian Navy