Here’s why December 4 is celebrated as Indian Navy Day

December 4 is celebrated as Navy Day to celebrate Indian Navy’s achievement and as a tribute to the courage and determination made by the Indian Navy during the 1971 war. The Navy plays an important role in securing the marine borders as well as for the betterment of international relations via joint exercises, humanitarian missions, and calamity relief, among others. As the nation celebrates Navy Day, we narrate you the story behind the heroism that brought victory to India in the India-Pakistan war of 1971.

On December 4, 1971, the Indian Navy played a significant role in the Operation Trident, which was an attack on Pakistan Naval headquarters and sank Pakistan Naval Ship Ghazi. During the operation, the anti-ship missiles were used for the first time in the region. The attack killed over 500 Pakistani Navy personnel and destroyed four Pakistani vessels. Three Indian Navy missile boats – INS Nirghat, INS Veer and INS Nipat – played an important role in the operation.

The Operation
With an aim to attack the Karachi port, the Indian Navy sailed from Okha Port in Gujarat towards Pakistan at around 2 pm on December 4, 1971. At around 10:30 pm when they reached 70 miles South of Karachi, the lieutenants noticed an enemy vessel. The first missile was fired which hit the vessel PNS Khaibar but it was still floating. The second missile hit the ship destroyed the vessel. To defend the harbour, Pakistani vessel PNS Muhafiz too approached and then INS Veer fired its first missile. The attack resulted in sinking the vessel thus killing the entire crew in it.

The operation was carried for 90 minutes, which resulted in the firing of six missiles by Indian Amry that destroyed four enemy vessels including a cargo ship that was loaded with ammunition. The operation was successful without a single Indian casualty. Since then to commemorate the day, December 4 is celebrated as the Indian Navy Day.

Celebration
The day is celebrated by showcasing Indian Navy’s technological progress and the maritime achievements of India. In 2017, Indian Navy’s award-winning innovations are put on display at the ‘Innovation Pavilion’ at the Navy House, New Delhi. On display are the innovations by the INS Kuthar and INS Vikramaditya which have been selected as the winner and runner-up respectively in the ‘Operation Units’ category. At the Gateway of India in Mumbai, the Indian Navy performed the Beating Retreat ceremony and also did a spectacular display of performances to enthrall the massive crowd.

Movie
In 2017, a movie title ‘The Ghazi Attack’ was released. The movie is inspired by Indian Navy’s attack on Pakistani’s submarine in the India-Pakistan war of 1971. The film beautifully explores how Indian Navy carried out the attack and how the Indian Submarine INS Karanj destroyed Pakistani vessel PNS Ghazi that sank off the coast of Visakhapatnam. PNS Ghazi ventured into Indian water to destroy INS Vikrant that was on the shore of RK Beach in Visakhapatnam. The film features Rana Daggubati, Kay Kay Menon, Atul Kulkarni and Taapsee Pannu.