truth behind sinking of INS Khukri 1971 Indo-Pak War.


Lies being taught;
In “Transition to Triumph”, published by the Naval Headquarters it is stated that December 9 1971; Pak submarine ‘Hangor’ fired three torpedoes, first at INS Kirpan which failed to explode, second at INS Khukri which hit it leading to its sinking and third again at INS Kirpan, which Kirpan out maneuvered and ran it out.

Truth to the Surface
One of the few survivors of the submarine attack that sank the INS Khukri in 1971 sheds new light on the mysterious circumstances in which the ship went down during the war. A report by VK Shashikumar
                The Indian Navy is considering launching salvage operations to bring up the remains of INS Khukri, which was sunk during the 1971 India-Pakistan war. In March this year, the remains of the ship were believed to have been located about 40 Km sought of Diu. If Khukri is salvaged, it will finally set to rest intrigue and speculation about the circumstances in which the ship went down. 
sunk in controversy: INS Khukri which sank during the 1971 India-Pakistan war

        Thirty three years later, one of the six surviving officers, Chanchal Singh gill, 54, a shipwright artificer on board Khukri reveals his version of what happened on the night of December 9, 1971. He says there are strong reasons to believe that an American submarine, which might have been a part of the US 7th fleet, fired at Khukri.
        Last year, the Naval headquarters dispatched a letter to Gill recognizing his bravery when Khukri was torpedoed. The letter states: “It has been brought to the notice of the Chief of the Naval Staff that you were on board INS Khukri during the 1971 war and displayed exemplary courage and dedication to duty while fighting with enemy. Subsequently, you took all the corrective actions during the sinking of INS Khukri whilst it as hit by the enemy torpedoes on 09 December 1971.” The Indian Navy recalled his contribution and sanctioned a one time cash reward of Rs. 50,000/-. Official naval history of this period states that PNS Hangor, a Pakistani submarine commanded by Captain Taslim Ahmed, sank it on the night of December 09, 1971.it says that the submarine fired three torpedoes, one went under INS Kirpan and the other hit Khukri. The submarine fired a third torpedo at INS Kuthar, but the ship is believed to have taken antisubmarine maneuvers and avoided being hit. Khukri’s Commanding Officer, Capt. Mahender Mulla, went down with the ship along with 18 officers and 178 sailors. Only six officers and 61 sailors survived. Mulla was awarded a Param Vir Chakra posthumously and Captain RR Sood of INS Kirpan got a Vir Chakra. Khukri, Kirpan and Kuthar were sister ships, three antisubmarine frigates that took part in 1971 naval operations.
        Gill says that the reason why he is revealing what happened on December 9, 1971, is because he believes that the Navy has concealed the truth about the sinking of Khukri. “After I read about the spate of fake encounters, like the one on Siachen glacier, for bravery awards I wanted to share the truth with the nation. The government must come out with the truth about the sinking of INS Khukri,” says Gill.
       The Indian Navy’s two fierce attacks on Karachi had completely demoralized the Pakistani Navy. “The Indian Navy western fleet had choked Pakistani Navy and was patrolling off the coast of Karachi. Not even a fishing boat could get to Karachi without the Indian Navy interdicting it. So how could a Pakistani submarine escape the Indian Navy’s dragnet?” asks Gill.
       But what is intriguing is Gill’s detailed account of the submarine’s movements. Pakistan had four submarines- PNS Ghazi, Hangor, Mangor and Shiusk. These were conventional submarines that needed to resurface for two hours within a 24 hour span. These subs had extremely low endurance capacity and had to come up to snorting depth to suck in air, charge batteries and then submerge again. But the movements of the submarine that sunk Khukri were not that like of a conventional sub. It never resurfaced and was never spotted. “There were regular intelligence reports of a submarine prowling in the vicinity of our ships but we could never spot it or hit it with our antisubmarine warfare,” says Gill.
       The western fleet had a complement of three sister ships- INS Khukri, INS Kirpan and INS Kuthar- all antisubmarine frigates. INS Khukri was the squadron commander. During the operations INS Kuthar developed a problem in the boiler room because of the bursting of a steam pipe. The ship was completely “off power” and was towed back to the Mumbai harbour. INS Kirpan was tasked to tow it and INS Khukri was detailed to provide screening support against any enemy submarine attack or air warfare. On December 5, 1971, as the frigates set sail towards the base, INS Khukri made contact with a submarine. Its sonar picked up echoes of a submarine and Khukri’s commander, Captain Mahendra Mulla, ordered immediate counter measures. Antisubmarine ammunition- limbos- was fired. But a hit could not be confirmed. Generally, the appearance of the oil patches on surface of the sea or bubbles is considered as evidence of a hit on a submarine.
       As part of the counter measures INS Kuthar was dehooked from INS Kirpan. This was done so that the latter did not become a sitting duck. INS Kirpan, commanded by Captain RR Sood, was asked to join the fight against the submarine. The next day the frigates reached the base. Repair work and replenishment of the frigates began almost immediately. New lifeboats were attached and the Navy fixed a new antisubmarine detection system on INS Khukri on a trial basis. It was fixed below the anchor cable lockers located at the keel of the ship.
       On December 8, while INS Kuthar was still being serviced, the other two frigates sailed to join the fleet patrolling off Karachi. As soon as these ships were on the high seas they established classified contacts with the submarine again. The submarine was engaged but could not be hit. The next day a naval intelligence dispatch led to impromptu celebrations on board INS Khukri. The dispatch said that a Pakistani submarine, PNS Ghazi, was sunk off the coast of Vishakhapatnam on the intervening night of December  3 and 4. There was jubilation on board. The morale of the Indian Navy was high.
       Challenging the official version of events, he says that INS Khukri was not on ‘action station’ when the torpedoes were fired. Action station is sounded when direct contact is made with an enemy ship and everyone on board takes up their designated duty post, Senior Officers, including the Captain and Chief Engineer, were celebrating in the officers’ mess, raising a toast to the sinking of PNS Ghazi. Suddenly everyone forgot that the submarine was still lurking in the sea. Clearly, Khukri was not on ‘action station’ mode.
       Gill was on duty when the first torpedo fired by the submarine hit the ship’s propeller at 8.45 PM. The ship’s design was such that the ammunition storage area was just above the propeller. In the ammunition dump, stacks of limbo magazines were overlaid with mortars. Therefore, the first hit resulted in a massive explosion and that portion of the ship was blown away. The force of the explosion threw Gill off the ship into the cold Arabian Sea. When he bobbed up, he realized he was around 50 yards away from the right side of the ship.
       Then, there was a second hit between the engine room and the boiler room. Within seconds there was a third hit between the bow and the middle of the ship. “I saw a submarine surface and train a flashlight on the sinking ship. The submarine had surfaced to confirm the hit. At that time the bow of INS Khukri was up and slowly sinking. Then the submarine submerged again,” says Gill.
        INS Kirpan was on the port side. They got so panicky that they kept firing their mortars aimlessly. According to Gill, torpedoes are homing weapons and the first one did not go under INS Kirpan. All the three torpedoes hit Khukri. He alleges that “Kirpan ran off from the scene” and says he wants the navy to acknowledge and revealed that the INS Kirpan did not even rescue the navy men who were thrown off the ship.
        According to Gill, the third attack on Karachi was cancelled after the sinking of INS Khukri. So if the intention of the attack on Khukri was to deter the Indian Navy from doing so, then that intent was recognized by India. Certainly, it is difficult to make out a case for Pakistan Navy to send such a strong signal when its Navy was virtually routed by the fierce Indian naval attack. That brings up the question- whose and what kind of submarine attacked INS Khukri. From December 5 to December 14 Indian ships made contact with the submarine. It never surfaced and attacked Khukri at night. Even the Indian Navy’s antisubmarine helicopters could not detect the submarine.
     Chanchal Singh Gill, who was on duty when the first torpedo hit INS Khukri, says there are strong reasons to believe that an American submarine fired at the ship. Despite continuous naval intelligence of a presence of a submarine off the west coat of India why weren’t the survivors of Khukri debriefed? “Today they want to spend crores of rupees to extricate Khukri and find out the real reasons for its sinking during war. At that time nobody bothered to ask us what we saw,” says Gill, adding. “We were just asked how we got hold of a raft and survived.”
         So, was it a nuclear submarine, capable of staying underwater for a long period of time and part of the 7th fleet, responsible for the sinking of Khukri?"
Source; tehelka_khukri
Though Author has met Sh Chanchal singh but instead of writing a fresh article, I found that one written by tehalka was good so I am sharing their article.    
Kaps

25 comments:

  1. its really interesting version .. ..

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    1. this is not a version but the truth. US have been and always been poking its ugly nose everywhere. For exaample Vietnam, almost all of Middle east, Pakistan, India, Afghanistan, Africa...eta.
      Only few countries have the guts to stand and slap the itchy face of Americans for example the Russia, Israel (1967- Attack on USS Liberty) and more recently North Korea... etc.
      Its sad but the truth is that India fears USA due to is weak Nehru leadership then.

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    2. We require to lift the Ship up to confirm if got hit by three torpedoes.Also forencing tests of any splinters of the torpedoes can lead to as to which submarine has fired them. I was on INS Kirpan. We picked up survivors. Every one telling that it was three torpedoes. Also Kirpan was fired with three torpedoes, but out manoeuver them.

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  2. Why the INS kirpan officer were not question for not saving officer of INS Khukri. secondly if the karachi port was under fire and controlled by India navy, how come the HONGAR Submarine could make way near to the INS Khukri .
    Indian navy should make it public.

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  3. Mind it it was american Navy submarine . American navy is far superior to any navy in the world. This should not under estimate the alertness of PNS and complacent shown by India navy.

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  4. My father mr s r lal was a sailor at kuthar and burnt more than 30percent by tht bursting of that boiler as mentio.ed above.

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    1. Salute to your Father Mr. S.R Lal . It's only because of soldiers like him we are able to sleep Peacefully in our home...

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    2. Salute to your father Mr. S.R Lal. It's only because of soldiers like him we can sleep Peacefully...

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    3. Salute Mr. S. R Lal.Brave son of India

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  5. There are a few unanswered Questions, let us not bask in the stories of bravery by Capt Mulla and the Officers of other ships in the Battle zone.
    1. It was pitch dark at night under conditions of a black out in a war zone.
    2. The Pakistani Submarine detected the presence of Indian Ships through its electronic equipment and not through visual contact.
    3. The Indian ships did detect the presence of an unidentified signal on their RADAR but their Captain ignored the report as presence of merchant ships in the area.
    4.No one was on battle stations whereas they were in a war zone.They were overwhelmed by the sinking of Ghazi and were complacently celebrating this.Most were drunk.
    5.When the Pakistani submarine Hangoor attacked , a missile struck the Ammunition Magazine.It would have taken just seconds for a sympathetic detonation which ripped the ship into two, the sailors near the surface were thrown out and a few who survived the tremendous blast jumped into the sea.
    6.With all Respects to Capt Mulla, he never got a chance to organize a proper abandon the ship drill. The detonation wave from the explosion should have been so severe that most of the sailors in Khukri should have been knocked out or had severe haemorrages due to close proximity to the detonation wave of the exploding ammunition magazine.
    7, I wonder how a Captain of a ship whose entire ammunition magazine blows off and consequently splits the ship into two, stands on the bridge with a smouldering cigar in his mouth??
    8.As we can see the remaining ships in the were so stunned by the tremendous explosion and the consequent sinking by an unseen enemy, it must have taken some time to confirm that their ship had not been hit and all were safe and OK on board. Obviously flee was what the natural reaction would have been.
    9. It is a fact that a few surviving sailors were left to die the mercy of the frigid waters , because the Command of these ships chose to preserve their own lives first.
    10. Capt Mulla deserves respect because he died for the nation, however those who deserted the war zone and did not choose to fight back a lone submarine, allowing it to sail back to Karachi, must be taken to task!!
    11. On the contrary we see that they were awarded medals and awards whereas the widows of the martyrs are still languishing without pensions and financial support.
    Where is the conscious and integrity of the senior military leaders of India who themselves know and agree that these stories of valor have been concocted to save the skins of the then seniors in command.
    9.Let us get together to stand up and strip the liars of false respect and rewards paid from the poor Indian tax payers money.

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  6. The Nepalese Khukri knife is the national weapon of Nepal and official weapon of Gurkha Regimental Army.

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  7. My father was also posted in INS Khukri and transferred to another ship due to shortage of man power in the another ship during 1971 war.. Luckily he is with us today .. Condolences is always with 194 martyrs of Khukri.. May God keep them in peace..

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  8. My late father served on INS Kirpan (a young Engineer in Boiler Room) he obviously had no inputs into the command decisions made by commander on INS Kirpan but its worthwhile getting to the bottom of what happened on that very sad day for Indian Navy. Most accounts detail the submarine (Hangoor or American nuclear) fired first at Kirpan and that torpedo missed the target. We feel very fortunate that our father did not perish that day (apart from losing him, I would be bereft of a brother as he was born later). We all want our war heroes to stand tall and fight till the last breath and if the Commanding Officer of Kirpan did abandon the others in battlegroup, he should be court martialled. Overall it was a resounding win for our Naval forces but we should get to the bottom of this tragedy.

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  9. Almost all accounts of the incident point out that the Pakistani submarine was the attacker. It was slower than our ships but it was of of newer French Vintage and had much better avionics than our ships. It realized it could either not catch up or outrun our ships so its only chance was to stalk and wait in ambush after figuring out the navigation pattern of Kirpan and Khukri. In the end it boiled down to better avionics and the lesson should never be lost on us. We are now getting military hardware from all over but leveraging Israeli avionics across many platforms. Both these ships were older British heritage, We got tardy on avionics and perhaps the huge success of Ops Trident and Python made us complacent?
    The sad Irony is that the supplier of these ships - the Britsh bastards were not far from us in Arabic Sea threating us with their Aircraft carrier and we were saved by the Russians who sent in their nuclear submarines and made them surface near the British armada to tell them that bugger off and keep your dirty hands off this war. Overall huge military success for India yet lessons to learn...

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  10. Replies
    1. 18 officers and 158 sailors died and 6 sailors survived.

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  11. My uncle Sub lieutinent Sushil Kumar was on board the INS Khukri on that ill fated day.

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  12. Do anybody has the list of men died in the Sinking of INS khukri

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    1. A prototype of INS khukri has been prepared on the shores of Diu in Gujarat , you will find all the names of myrters there.

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  13. Salute to the Brave sailors and and Captain of INS Khukri

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  14. My Father was also in INS khukhri Late sh. G P SIngh (ERA-IV)

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  15. Nobody in Indian Navy has been awarded with Param Vir Chakra and this article says that capt Mulla was awarded with PVC but he was actually awarded by Mahvir chakra

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  16. Kamal ho gaya us marrine ne hamen duboya varna pak ki kya aukat.
    Islia jung ke modern wepon uptodate honne chahiye .nahin to jung ladna bekar ho jata hai

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  17. My close family friends uncle martyrd in INS khukari name Lt Ashok patil.

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  18. Here is the memorial with names with its own controversy (shortened names, ranks etc)
    http://defencelover.in/how-jawans-ins-khukri-met-discrimination/

    A perspective of the other side, Of course they take full credit for this kill. Someone needs to remind them that the lost the war very bady!

    More lessons:
    https://blogs.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/contentions/sinking-of-ins-khukri-are-facts-been-sunk-too/

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