Fate of PNS Ghazi, 1971. Historical Scenario.

Fate of PNS Ghazi, 1971. Historical Scenario.

A Harpoon Commander's Edition scenario for the EC2003 Battle for the IOPG Battleset and the HCCW-130923 1950-1975 Cold War Platform Database.

Image: AGSS-479 USS Diablo after the Fleet Snorkel conversion in 1964, in Long Island Sound and before the delivery to the Pakistani Navy. Source: Wikipedia Commons and navsource.org, probably first released by LCDR Tomme J. Lambertson USN (RET).

To avoid spoilers is better to play this scenario a few times first playing the Pakistani/Blue side, and only after the Indian/Red side. Is a long ASW scenario with very limited forces in quantity and quality in both sides, sailing the immense Bay of Bengal, where from long time nothing happens, but with frantic moments after the enemy is in contact.

The PNS Ghazi (a title given to Muslim warriors or champions) was a Tench-class submarine (SS-479 USS Diablo) transferred to Pakistan on 1 June 1964 after a Fleet Snorkel conversion (The Fleet Snorkel conversion were conversion of fleet boats by far cheaper, slower, noisier and with poorer sensors than the more celebrated GUPPY conversions, developed to fulfil the number of submarines requested by the US Navy, impossible with the expensive Guppies. The Fleet Snorkel keep the four original fast-running electric engines not replacing them by two quieter slow-running engines, as the Guppies, and her hull and sail are not so streamlined as in the Guppies. Also, it was at least two Fleet Snorkel main variants: an US Navy variant with the big German-derivative BQR-2 chin-mounted passive sonar array, and other diverse austere variants for export, mainly for training submarine crews and employ the Fleet Snorkels as targets in ASW exercises in many allied navies, with simpler sensors, usually the BQR-3 passive sonar,

an old JT in a dome. And as a Tench-class Fleet Snorkel converted her torpedo capacity was 28, not 24 as in the Gato and Balao-classes conversions.

In the 1965 Indo-Pakistani War PNS Ghazi was the only submarine in both sides, and sailed in deterrent preventing the major ships of the Indian Navy to came out of harbour, and supporting Operation Dwarka, but not firing anytime in anger.

In the 1971 Indo-Pakistani War, concluded after a fast 13 days campaign with the secession of East Pakistan (now Bangladesh), the Pakistani Navy strategic plan was to send Ghazi into the Bay of Bengal, to mine some ports, to do some intelligence and to menace and prevent with her presence the use of the Indian Navy sole carrier, INS Vikrant.

Ghazi was the only one Pakistani submarine capable of that task because her greater range (11000 nm against 4500 nm) and higher weapons capacity than the three modern Pakistani Daphne-class submarines, but noisier and with older sensors than the French-made boats.

As the mission was considered highly dangerous Ghazi staff was changed to employ young naval officers, under the new command of Commander Zafar Muhammada Khan, promoted to this rank only four days before the mission begins.

After looking for Vikrant in Madras/Chennai, and perhaps induced to go to Visakhapatnam by some Indian settled HUMINT trap, Ghazi was sunk near the entrance of that last harbour, when was executing minelaying operations.

She was lost with all hands, but the sinking causes are dubious, more probable an spontaneous internal explosion caused by hydrogen leaked from the batteries or the accidental explosion of one of her own mines, less probably sunk for a pair of depth charges randomly launched without sonar contact by INS Rajput.

This scenario departs from this initial historical situation the first day of war, and speculates with Ghazi surviving the minelaying attempt at Visakhapatnam, and hunting for Vikrant in the Bay of Bengal.

Unnamed places are:

ZTp Visakhapatnam port, India.

ZQp Madras/Chennai port, India.

ZRp Haldia/Calcutta port; India.

ZQp Port Blair port, India.

Enrique Mas, September 2013.