Indian Navy Day is celebrated on December 4 to commemorate the launch of Operation Trident against Pakistan during the 71′ Indo-Pak War.
The operation was carried out on the intervening night of December 4 and 5 and had caused heavy damage to Pakistan’s vessels. It was during the Trident Operation that an anti-ship missile ship was used for the first time. Nearly 300 soldiers laid down their lives and around 700 were injured during this particular operation.
Each year on the eve of the Indian Navy Day, a Beating Retreat ceremony is organised at the Gateway of India in Mumbai. The Indian Naval Band performs across places between Gateway of India and Radio Club and warships, aircraft are open for visitors.
All you need to know about the victory:
- Operation Trident was launched in Karachi which was the headquarters of the Pakistan Navy
- The Indian Navy planned the attack at night as Pakistan did not have aircraft that could carry out bombings at night
- The Indian attack consisted of 3 Vidyut class missile boats, 2 anti-submarines, and a tanker
- After the operation, there were no casualties from India, though 5 Pakistani sailors and over 700 men were injured.
Indian Navy Day History
During the British occupation period, Navy Day in India coincided with the Royal Navy’s Trafalgar Day. In 1944, the Royal Indian Navy celebrated Navy Day in October, the month of its commissioning in 1944. After World War-II, in 1945 Navy Day was celebrated on December 01. On the night of November 30, 1945, on the eve of the Navy Day celebrations, Indian members in the Royal navy painted the slogans such as Inqualab Zindabad and other Independence slogans.
But today, we celebrate Navy Day on December 04 to mark the Indian Navy’s victorious operation in Karachi Harbour during the 1971 Indo-Pak war. In December 1971, the Indian Navy successfully conducted Operation Trident. The Indian Navy’s three warships INS Nipat, INS Nirghat, and INS Veer — played an important role in the attack. The Indian Navy fleet sailed from Gujarat’s Okha Port towards Pakistani waters to attack the Karachi port. The fleet reached 70 miles south of Karachi at night and after missiles were fired Pakistani vessel — PNS Khaibar– sunk. During the attack, Indian sailors communicated in Russian to avoid detection. No Indian sailors were killed in the attack. The war ended on 16th December 1971 with the liberation of East Pakistan, now known as Bangladesh. Navy personnel who were part of the successful operation were honoured with gallantry awards.
