Indian Navy Day (04/12)

On December 4, India celebrates Navy Day in India.

The holiday commemorates the date when the Navy, through Operation «Trident», played a significant role in the bombing of port territory in Karachi during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. Karachi — port in Pakistan, which was not only the strategic center of the country, but also an important link in international trade, the blockade of Karachi was a disaster for the Pakistani economy.

The original plan was to launch a combined strike on Karachi on the same day that Pakistan began hostilities. But given the fact that Pakistan attacked Indian airfields on the evening of December 3, it was not possible to retaliate that evening. The retaliatory strike was planned jointly with the Indian Air Force on the night of December 4-5.

However, «OSA-1» jet boats were designed and designed for coastal defense operations and did not have the required strength and range that were necessary for such operations. Therefore, a strategic decision was made by — to tow them to a certain point in the port of Karachi, from where they could carry out an attack at full power. Remaining in touch and monitoring the progress of the operation, the Commander-in-Chief of the squadron was on one of the ships. Airborne photographs of the port of Karachi by the air squadron were an invaluable contribution to the planning of the operation.

Another unusual aspect was that the crew could communicate freely in Russian, since the Indian sailors were trained in the USSR. Therefore, communication between the attacking ships was mainly in Russian, which was very useful during the operation.

These unique innovations introduced by the Indian Navy guaranteed the success of the operation.

Today the Naval Forces — is one of the branches of the armed forces of the Republic of India. They were created on the basis of the colonial fleet inherited by India after gaining independence from Great Britain in 1947.

Currently, the celebration of Indian Navy Day continues for a week, during which there are demonstration performances by troops, entertainment events (including air shows), and a demonstration of the military power of the Indian Navy — jet boats, weapons and equipment used on warships. Musical performances, a football championship and much more — all this is part of the annual Navy Day celebration, which concludes the grand ball.

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