Naval Trident - Karachi Set Ablaze

Operation Trident and Python - The Birth of Navy Day

On December 4, 1971, missile boats INS Nipat, Nirghat, and Veer attacked Karachi harbor in Operation Trident. They sank Pakistani destroyers and set oil tanks ablaze. Four days later, Operation Python struck again. December 4 is now Navy Day.

Fire on the Water

December 4, 1971. 10:45 PM.

Three small boats cut through the Arabian Sea, running dark and silent toward Karachi. Each displaced barely 200 tons - specks compared to the destroyers and cruisers of conventional navies.

But these were not conventional boats. They were Vidyut-class missile boats - the first of their kind in Indian service, armed with Soviet P-15 Termit anti-ship missiles. Each boat carried four missiles capable of sinking ships many times their size.

Their target: Pakistan's main naval port. Their mission: demonstrate that India's Navy could strike the enemy's most defended harbor with impunity.

The boats' names: INS Nipat ("Deadly"), INS Nirghat ("Typhoon"), INS Veer ("Brave").

In a few hours, Karachi would burn. And India would have a new Navy Day.

INS Nipat launches a P-15 anti-ship missile off Karachi at night

The Strategic Context

Why Attack Karachi?

Karachi was Pakistan's principal naval base - home to most of its surface fleet, its main oil storage, and critical port infrastructure. Destroying or damaging these assets would:

Neutralize the Pakistani Navy - Prevent it from interfering with Indian operations
Destroy fuel reserves - Cripple Pakistan's ability to sustain military operations
Demonstrate reach - Show that India could strike Pakistan's most vital installations
Boost morale - A bold stroke to match Army and Air Force victories

The Risks

But Karachi was also heavily defended:

Multiple destroyers patrolled the approaches
Coastal radar installations could detect incoming vessels
Shore-based anti-aircraft and anti-ship defenses
Proximity to Pakistani air bases

For small missile boats operating 400+ nautical miles from their nearest base, these defenses posed severe challenges. If detected before launching missiles, the boats would be sitting ducks.

The plan required audacity, precision, and a bit of luck.

The Missile Boats

India's Secret Weapon

The Vidyut-class (also called Osa-class) missile boats were acquired from the Soviet Union in the late 1960s. Small, fast, and deadly, they represented a new kind of naval warfare.