ADMIRAL TASNIM DIRECTING THE

FINAL STAGES OF THE TORPEDO

ATTACK ON INS KUKRI AS
COMMANDER OF THE PAKISTANI
DAPHNE CLASS SUBMARINE
HINGOR 1971 INDO PAK WAR
INDIAN NAVAL SHIP KUKRI

AERIAL VIEW OF THE PAKISTAN

NAVY SUBMARINE HINGOR
I INTERVIEWED ADMIRAL TASNIM IN
2001.THE FOLLOWING IS HIS
ACCOUNT OF HOW HE SANK INDIAN
NAVAL SHIP KUKRI

AGHA H AMIN
Enough has been written about Naval side of 1971 war including a number of
books by Indian writers. Briefly, things were heating up in East Pakistan and
war clouds were visible over the horizon. I volunteered and NHQ approved a
patrol in Enemy Waters in Aug 1971 to gather intelligence and pick up vital
operational information for war time submarine operations. This was one of the
longest patrols (over 30 days) by a Daphne Class Submarine. It helped us to
build confidence and to test our stamina and equipment under wartime
exacting conditions. On the night of 21/22 Nov when Indian Army crossed the
International Border in East Pakistan we sailed again with full wartime load of
Torpedoes and Hangor was on station off Bombay by about 26 Nov. A serious
defect in seawater circulating system developed which required docking the
submarine to effect repairs. It would have been shame all round returning to
Karachi so soon. Therefore, with consultation and support of my officers and
crew we decided to take risk. We rigged the submarine as a fishing boat (night
vision), listed her heavily by shifting water in tanks, kept vigilance for enemy
and with faith in God managed to rectify the defect within 36 hours. During the
night one Enemy Warship approached us. We would have been sitting duck if he
had opened fire. But I resisted the natural instinct to dive and kept my fingers
crossed. The ship closed to about 1000 yards and then taking us to be a fishing
boat turned back and left us. Such is the luck which favours the Brave who take
risk.

After rectifying our defect we were returning to our station off Bombay when
on the night of 2/3 Dec 1971 Indian Fleet (8 ships) left Bombay and passed over
us when Hangor was at 50 meters depth. It was an excellent opportunity to
attack but in absence of NHQ orders to ‘shoot’ one could not act on his own. I
do not think that Higher Military Command at Rawalpindi ever realised that
three Pakistani Submarines were on their War Stations since end of November
and, therefore, should have been authorized to attack ‘Targets of
opportunity’. Code word giving permission to attack Indian War Ships was
received on 4 December and we started to look for targets.

On night of 2/3 December the Indian Fleet was heading towards our waters
and, therefore, I broke Radio Silence to inform NHQ about the enemy
movement. Indians naturally intercepted this transmission and located my
position.

Instead of despatching a hunter killer group the Indian Naval Ships altogether
avoided the area while transiting in and out of Bombay. It was frustrating to
see lucrative targets passing outside my area and range. On about 6 December,
I requested NHQ to shift my area and in anticipation of approval headed for the
new area. Approval from NHQ came promptly and by 8 December Submarine
Hangor stationed herself at the middle of New Area.

DAPHNE CLASS SUBMARINE HINGOR WHICH SANK INS KUKRI-CLICK TO

ENLARGE:--
We could hear SONAR of Enemy Ships and it took us some time to establish
their Search Pattern. We were operating in shallow depth with bathy conditions
extremely favourable for ships to detect submarines. Similarly sea was flat
calm and any use of periscope, even for short duration, would be immediately
picked up by Enemy Radars and sure suicide for the submarine.

Therefore, we closed the two targets at 50 meters depth with caution,

prudence and exercising all professionalism to avoid our own detection. At
about 2000 hours one target came within firing range and with excellent fire
control solution one torpedo was fired. The torpedo homed on to the target,
passed under and did not explode. Immediately we turned round at high speed
and fired second torpedo on the second ship.

The torpedo exploded under the magazine of INS KUKRI and the huge
explosion broke the ship in two and she sank in less than two minutes
causing heavy casualties. KUKRI was ship of the Squadron Commander
Captain Mohindera Nath Mollah who went down with the ship. Meanwhile,
third torpedo was fired on Enemy Ship closing in fast to attack Hangor.

The ship on hearing the torpedo reversed course, increased speed to outrun the
torpedo. The torpedo hit her at long distance causing severe damage. Indians
lost about 250 men in this action including Squadron Commander Captain M.N.
Mullah. For the next three days Hangor was subjected to extensive depth
charge attacks.

Someone in the crew kept the count and according to him it came to be 156
attacks during this period. An extensive air search combined with surface ships
made our life miserable but with intelligent evasive action we managed to
survive these attacks and arrived in Karachi safely after the ceasefire.Having
trained very hard including patrols the Hangor Crew had become efficient, well
integrated and above all motivated for war. It was a team effort where
everyone did his bit and did it well.

I had the privilege to command an outstanding, intelligent and hard-working

set of officers proven by the point that later on one made CNS (Admiral
Bokhari) two Vice Admirals (A.U. Khan and myself) one Rear Admiral (R.A.
Kadri) two Commodores (Waseem and Pasha). Others would have gone up too if
they had stayed in the service.

In deference to intelligence and professionalism of my officers I tolerated free

discussion (a trait I picked up from Admiral Niazi while serving on board Ghazi)
even if it was pain in the neck at times. Hangor action being a team effort I
wish everyone of the 52 crew to have been rewarded but sadly it could not be
so. Government awarded four SJ’s, four TJ’s and a number of Imtiazi Sanads.

I, however, morally share my second SJ with all my officers, CPOs and Sailors
who made it possible for us to sink first warship by a submarine torpedo since
Second World War. I owe profound gratitude to all my crew members for their
loyalty, dedication, hard work, professionalism and support given to me during
the war.

LIEUTENANT TASNIM AS NAVAL AIDE DE CAMP WITH PRESIDENT AYUB

KHAN ON HIS VISIT TO USA IN 1964
ADMIRAL TASNIM RECOLLECTS
HIS TRAINING YEARS WITH US
NAVY
While ADC to President I got married in March, 1963 and then having left Nahid
to complete her studies at the college left for Submarine training at United
States Submarine School, New London, Connecticut. Lt/Cdr. K. R. Niazi was the
Commanding Officer designate and I was given the assignment of Operations
Officer. After the Basic Course we were assigned to various U.S. Submarines for
sea training.

I joined USS Angler, a World War II Submarine, under the command of

Commander James Rooney who was an excellent person and helped me
qualify in diving, torpedo firing and other operations of the Submarine.

He was courageous enough to even give me independent watch at night, a

great responsibility which I discharged with utmost devotion, alertness,
presence of mind and correct reaction to emergencies. Before commissioning
of PNS/M GHAZI in June 1964 three of us (Lt.Cdr. Niazi, Lt.Cdr. Bazal, myself)
qualified a prospective commanding officer course with other allied officers
mostly from Latin America. Crew of GHAZI was well formed up and efficiently
integrated.

PAKISTAN NAVY SUBMARINE DAPHNE CLASS SUBMARINE HINGOR WHICH SANK

KUKRI AT THE NAVAL MUSEUM KARACHI