PNS Ghazi (" Ghazi ") - a submarine (PL) of the Navy of Pakistan . Built in the USA , it belonged to the Tench type and was called USS Diablo (SS-479). It went into operation in March 1945 and served for 18 years as part of the US Navy . It is transferred to Pakistan in 1963 , participated in the Indo-Pakistan war of 1965 . She took part in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 , during which she died from an internal explosion at the entrance to the Indian base of Vishakhapatnam . The explosion is associated with the attack made by the Indian destroyer , although the reasons for it are not fully established. It became the first submarine in the world that died in battle after the Second World War .
| Gazi | |
|---|---|
| PNS Ghazi | |
 Diablo submarine in 1949 | |
| Ship history | |
| Flag state |  USA  Pakistan |
| Main characteristics | |
| Project designation | Submarines of the Tench type |
| Speed (surface) | 20 knots |
| Speed (underwater) | 8.75 nodes under electric motors, 12 in RPD mode |
| Immersion depth | 120 m |
| Autonomy of swimming | 11,000 miles at 10 knots above water; 48 hours under water at 2 knots |
| Crew | 81 pax in the U.S. Navy; 76 pax in the Pakistan Navy |
| Dimensions | |
| Surface displacement | 1570 t surface, 2414 t full underwater |
| The length is the greatest (on design basis) | 95.0 m |
| The width of the body naib. | 8.33 m |
| Average draft (on design basis) | 5,2 m |
| Power point | |
| 4 × diesel engines rotating electric generators ( Fairbanks-Morse ; 5400 hp under diesels, 2750 hp under electric motors | |
| Armament | |
| Artillery | 1 - 127 mm ; in the U.S. Navy also 2 - 40 mm |
| Torpedo mine weapons | 10 TA caliber 533 mm (6 bow, 4 stern), 28 torpedoes |
Build
The Diablo submarine of the Tench type was built, like most submarines of this type, at the shipyard in Portsmouth ( Maine ). When designing submarines of the Tench type, the experience of military operations at sea gained during the years of World War II was taken into account. This concerned advanced diesel engines, easier to handle, increased survivability of air lines, increased stock of torpedoes (28 compared to 24 on a submarine of the previous Balao type ) [1] . "Diablo" was laid down on December 1, 1944 , entered into operation on March 31, 1945 with tail number SS-479 [2] . The armament of the boat was 10 torpedo tubes of 533 mm caliber (6 bow and 4 stern), one lightened 127 mm gun and two 40 mm anti-aircraft guns. Several turrets were also mounted on the upper deck for the installation of large-caliber (12.7 mm) machine guns [1] .
US Navy Service
World War II
After the commissioning of the Diablo, in the conditions of the ongoing war, it was sent to the Pacific Ocean . Leaving New London , she arrived at Pearl Harbor on July 21. The boat left this base on its first military campaign on August 10, 1945 (five days before the Japanese emperor declared surrender ) under the command of a lieutenant commander [approx. 1] G. Matherson [2] . It was supposed that the submarine would enter the base on the island of Saipan , but the news of surrender caused a change in the route - Diablo entered the base in Guam . The boat returned to Pearl Harbor on August 31. Then she was sent to the Atlantic Ocean and on October 11 came to New York , where she remained until the beginning of the next year, with the exception of a single call to Charleston [2] .
Post-war period
From January 1945 to August 1949, Diablo was based in the Panama Canal Zone . She participated in various maneuvers several times. So, in August-October 1947, she, along with two other submarines, conducted exercises off the western coast of South America and near Tierra del Fuego . During this trip, boats made a call to Valparaiso . In November and December of the same year, the Diablo took part in other maneuvers, based on Key West ( Florida ). In March 1948, she was based in New Orleans ; on the boat during this period fleet reservists were trained [2] .
In June 1949, the Diablo was relocated to Norfolk , and in 1952 to New London, where it was a training ship at the submarine school. In May-June 1954, she was transferred to Key West to test new types of weapons and equipment. After this, the submarine spent a long time in the Caribbean , taking part in a number of maneuvers in this water area and in the Bermuda area . In February – April 1959, Diablo, passing through the Panama Canal , made a trip along the coast of South America. During this exit, she participated in maneuvers together with the ships of Colombia , Ecuador , Peru and Chile . In May 1960, it was delivered to Philadelphia for repairs, which lasted until October. [2]
In 1963, the submarine underwent modernization as part of the GUPPI program : in particular, a snorkel was installed. After modernization, the displacement of the boat was 1570 tons above water and 2414 tons underwater. It gave rise to 20 knots in the above-water position and 12 nodes in the underwater under diesels with a snorkel, or 8.75 knots when driving on electric motors. The crew totaled 76 people. (of which 9 officers) [3] .
Transfer to Pakistan
In the first half of the 1960s, the leadership of the Pakistan Navy began taking urgent measures to acquire submarines. Since the country's industrial potential did not allow building submarines on its own, we could only talk about importing or leasing from a foreign state. Pakistan's appeals to Japan , the Netherlands , France and Sweden were not successful. Only Great Britain and the USA were ready to provide Pakistanis with submarines, although not of modern types. Researchers report that the Pakistani side chose Diablo only because more modern submarines were not available due to the reluctance of the state-owners to supply them [4] .
In 1963, the US Congress approved the lease of Diablo to Pakistan for a four-year term. The transfer of submarines was carried out through one of the to the Third World countries - the US allies. In May 1963, Pakistan sent the first group to receive the boat. On June 1, 1964, the boat was withdrawn from the US Navy and formally became part of the Pakistani Navy on the basis of leasing for a period of four years, receiving the new name "Gazi" (after four years the contract was renewed). In September 1964, the boat came to Karachi , the main base of the Pakistani fleet, and was recorded on September 14 [3] [4] .
Participation in the 1965 War
After the outbreak of war (August 1965), the Gazi sailed under the command of a commander [approx. 2] , who later became chief of staff of the Pakistan Navy [5] . "Gazi" patrolled in the Bombay area, having orders to attack only large ships of the Indian fleet [3] .
The Indian military knew that the largest Pakistani submarine was on alert, and took measures to find it. On September 9, the Indian frigate Beas discovered it with the help of a sonar and attacked with depth charges, but to no avail [3] . September 22 (according to other sources - September 17 [3] ) the boat itself launched 4 torpedoes along the Indian frigate “Brahmaputra” and, allegedly, “heard” 3 hits. However, the frigate was not damaged, moreover, even the fact of the attack went unnoticed on it. The Indians had to invite foreign military attaches to visit the frigate, so that they could make sure that everything was in order with him [6] [7] .
Pakistani authors, in particular, Lieutenant General Amir Niyazi , a relative of the boat commander who was the commander of troops in East Pakistan during the next Indo-Pakistani war, claimed in his memoirs that Gazi acted "exceptionally successfully." In any case, the commander of the boat after the war was awarded the medal " " [5] [8] .
Repair in Turkey
At the end of the war, the question arose of repairing the Gazi, whose technical condition was far from the best. However, American aid became unavailable due to the fact that the USA imposed an embargo on direct military products against Pakistan (as well as India) in connection with the war. Therefore, it was decided to carry out repairs in Turkey , which had considerable experience in the operation of submarines of American projects. In addition, Ankara back in 1953, having received relevant technologies from the USA, had its own experience in re-equipping submarines with the installation of snorkel. The cost of repairing Gazi proposed by Turkey - $ 1.5 million - was acceptable for Pakistan [3] .
The boat got into repair at the in the city of Goldzhuk in March 1968 . Since the Suez Canal was closed for shipping in connection with the Arab-Israeli war , Gazi was forced to go to Turkey by the circuit route through the Indian and Atlantic oceans, circling Africa . In order for the submarine to be able to make such a transition, a special short-term repair was carried out in Karachi. Repair continued until April 1970 . There is reason to believe that US mines produced by Gazi during the Indo-Pakistani war of 1971 were purchased by Pakistanis from Turkey just during the period of Gazi’s stay in Göljuk - bypassing US sanctions [6] [ 3] .
Doom
Previous Events
In November 1971, when the conflict between India and Pakistan entered the stage of active hostilities, the Gazi was given the task of going to the Bay of Bengal in order to attack the enemy ships there, first of all, the only Indian aircraft carrier Wickrant . She was the only submarine in Pakistan whose autonomy made it possible to make such a long journey and stay in that area for quite a long time; the rest of the Pakistani submarines (French type Daphne ) would have needed refueling during such a trip, which was practically impossible to carry out under the dominance of the Indians at sea. In the leadership of the Navy there were opponents of sending the boat to the eastern theater due to the obsolescence of its machines, but a different opinion prevailed. On November 14, Gazi left Karachi; its commander was commander Zafar Muhammad Khan. During the campaign, it was likely that the boat had malfunctions of the radio communication systems, since it did not enter the communication session on November 26, despite a command request [9] .
The Indians found out about the presence of submarines in the Bay of Bengal by intercepting a radiogram sent to Chittagong , the main port of East Pakistan, in which there was a request for the availability of a special kind of lubricant oil that was used only on submarines. Indian Fleet Commander decided to immediately withdraw ships, including the aircraft carrier, into the sea in order to secure them. At the same time, the Indians made every effort to mislead the Pakistanis and convince them that the Vikrant is located in the port of Vishakhapatnam , the main base of the Indian Eastern Fleet. The Indians established an intensive exchange of false messages, calculated on their interception by the Pakistanis. For this purpose, the destroyer “ ” (formerly English “Rotherham”) was allocated. He was supposed to be at sea near Vishakhapatnam, conducting intensive radio communications. A radiogram was even sent from him, allegedly on behalf of the sailor Vikrant, who asked about the health of his sick mother. All this allowed the Pakistanis to be misinformed quite effectively - the Gazi began a search for Vikrant near Madras , not suspecting that he was already on the Andaman Islands , then headed for Visakhapatnam [7] .
It is reported that the fleet commander instructed the Rajput commander in detail on December 1, reporting that a Pakistani submarine was spotted in the Ceylon area. The destroyer was supposed to refuel and, if possible, secretly leave Vishakhapatnam, proceeding to the search for the submarine. This was done around midnight from December 3 to 4 [7] - a few hours after the war was officially declared (however, on land, hostilities with increasing intensity have been going on for several days).
The death of a boat
Various information is available regarding the sinking of the boat. One version says that when the Rajput walked along the exit channel, its commander was captain [approx. 3] Inder Singh suggested that a Pakistani boat could be on duty right at the port exit and attack when the pilot left the ship for a boat. As a result, the pilot landed halfway, after which the destroyer gave full speed. Almost exactly at midnight, sonar contact with the submarine was established, and observers noticed a whirlpool on the right nose, as if a submarine had just sunk in this place. The destroyer commander immediately ordered two deep bombs to be dropped. At 00:15 two strong explosions thundered, from which the Rajput literally threw it into the air [7] . Other sources say that the “Rajput” carried out only preventive bombing, since in the area from the merchant ships in the afternoon they saw the periscope of the submarine. After the bombs were dropped, an oil stain appeared on the water, there were other signs indicating damage or sinking of the submarine [10] . However, sources (primarily Indian, published immediately after the war and based on the evidence of its direct participants) usually give a different version of events. It is reported that immediately after the attack on the Rajput, no bombing results were noted, and the explosion occurred about half an hour later.
In any case, it is unconditional that the Rajput carried out bombing that night, as well as the fact that shortly after midnight a violent explosion occurred at Vishakhapatnam at sea. The detonation was so strong that the inhabitants of the surrounding villages thought that an earthquake had begun. On December 5, local fishermen delivered to the military the fragments of a life jacket with the American marking that they found. After that, a diving team was sent to the supposed site of the submarine’s drowning, which discovered the “Gazi” [11] [12] . The boat, with its bow destroyed before logging, was found one and a half miles from the base entrance at a depth of 50 m, at a point with approximate coordinates of [13] . The nature of the damage indicated the detonation of the ammunition of the torpedoes and / or mines. Divers managed to open the entry hatch and penetrate the submarine. Various documents were found there, including a Pakistani Navy command radiogram received on November 20, which said: “Intelligence reports that the aircraft carrier is in port, follow Vishakhapatnam in full swing” [7] , as well as the logbook [11] .
Probable Causes
An official statement by the Indian side after confirming the death of the boat said that the Gazi were sunk as a result of the attack of Rajput. The Pakistanis, in turn, officially announced that the submarine died as a result of the accident, which led to an internal explosion (that is, they denied the fact that the submarines were sunk by the Indians). However, the authors, summarizing the information about this incident, emphasize that most sources based on the words of the participants in the events agree that the death of the boat was not directly caused by the explosions of the depth charges of the destroyer, although they caused malfunctions that led to detonation. It is noteworthy that the captain of one of the fishing vessels, who were at Vishakhapatnam on the night of December 3–4, 1971, said that he had heard a deafening explosion, but did not understand what had happened. He did not observe any of the ships of the Indian Navy at that moment [13] . Similar testimonies belonged to one officer of the Egyptian Navy , who was then in Vishakhapatnam: he heard as if two explosions, and only then saw the "Rajput" leaving the base accompanied by another ship [3] . The moment of the boat’s death, however, is precisely determined - the chronometer found by divers on the Gazi stopped at 00:15, which confirms the explosion time recorded on the Rajput [13] .
According to Soviet experts, the most likely cause of the death of the boat was damage as a result of close explosions of deep bombs of the safety mechanism on one of the barrage mines (the submarine was equipped to carry up to 40 minutes), which, obviously, were on the Gazi, as times, probably at the moment when they were being prepared for production. Because of this, a mine fuse could spontaneously fire. There are also reports that the Gazi was equipped to carry manned torpedoes. Perhaps they exploded at the time of launch [12] .
One of the Indian submarine officers who participated in the war believes that as a result of close explosions, water fell into the hull of the boat, which then caused a short circuit and, as a result, an explosion [13] . For example, at a depth of 30 m, even a hole in a strong submarine case measuring only half a millimeter will result in the supply of such an amount of water that will be fatal for a submarine of such a displacement [14] .
There is also a Pakistani version that the submarine could have been blown up on its own, shortly before that, mines. This can be refuted by the fact that the hull sheets in the destroyed bow of the boat are bent outward, which indicates an internal explosion [14] . The Pakistani lieutenant general A. Niyazi believed that the boat died because it plunged to a depth deeper than estimated and then could not emerge [8] .
Consequences
Pakistani authors say that while the Gazi was at sea, the very fact of its presence had a serious deterrent effect on the Indian fleet. It is emphasized that the aircraft carrier "Vikrant" was forced to stay out of the combat zone because of fears of a submarine attack. Пакистанские военные утверждали, что командующий ВМС Индии Н. Кришнан, якобы, до потопления «Гази» каждый день молился высшим силам, чтобы они позволили уничтожить подлодку, которую адмирал сравнивал-де с индуистской богиней Кали , олицетворяющей силы разрушения [15] .
Отмечается, что поход «Гази» от Карачи до Вишакхапатнама был успешным с точки зрения реализации возможностей ПЛ данного типа. В то же время аналитики подчёркивают качественно проведённую индийской стороной работу по дезинформации противника, которая и привела к потоплению крупнейшей в ВМС Пакистана подводной лодки. Её уничтожение стало крупным успехом индийского флота, позволившим устранить самую опасную угрозу со стороны пакистанских ВМС. Устранение подводной угрозы позволило индийским силам, и прежде всего, авианосцу «Викрант», гораздо свободнее действовать в Бенгальском заливе, что, в свою очередь, стало одним из важных факторов достижения победы на бенгальском театре [3] .
И США, и СССР предлагали Индии содействие в целях подъёма лодки, однако индийцы приняли решение оставить «Гази» на дне [3] . Все члены экипажа «Гази» были объявлены в Пакистане мучениками ( шахидами ), а командир лодки Зафар Хан посмертно награждён медалью « » (награда, присваиваемая за мужество в бою). Его именем назван один из объектов ВМС Пакистана, расположенных в Исламабаде [3] .
В декабре 2003 года водолазы индийского флота вновь осмотрели «Гази». Сообщалось, что её корпус был буквально покрыт тысячами рыболовных сетей [13] . Водолазы, проникнув внутрь лодки, подняли останки шести пакистанских моряков. Были сделаны многочисленные фотографии затонувшей лодки [14] .
«Гази» в популярной культуре
Судьба «Гази» нашла отражение в кинематографе Индии и Пакистана, в частности:
- пакистанском минисериале 1998 года .
- индийском фильме 2017 года . По сюжету фильма, «Гази» гибнет в ходе дуэли с индийской подводной лодкой « ».
Comments
- ↑ Примерно соответствует званию капитана третьего ранга в ВМФ России .
- ↑ Примерно соответствует званию капитана второго ранга в ВМФ России .
- ↑ Примерно соответствует званию капитана первого ранга в ВМФ России .
Notes
- ↑ 1 2 David L. Johnston. A Visual Guide to the US Fleet Submarines. Part Three: Balao and Tench Classes 1942 — 1950 (англ.) (PDF) (2012). — 1st Edition. Date of treatment February 17, 2017.
- ↑ 1 2 3 4 5 Diablo SS-497 (англ.) . History of the US Navy and Naval Ships. Date of treatment February 17, 2017.
- ↑ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Last voyage of PNS Ghazi 1971 (англ.) (24 декабря 2015). Date of treatment February 17, 2017.
- ↑ 1 2 KR Singh. Navies of South Asia / Institute for Defence Studies and Analysis. — New Delhi: Rupa & Co, 2002. — С. 152—153. — 459 с.
- ↑ 1 2 Lt.-Gen. AAK Niazi. The Betrayal of East Pakistan. — New Delhi: Ajay Kumar Jain for Manohar Publishers & Distributors, 1998. — С. 3. — 321 с. — ISBN 81-7304-256-X .
- ↑ 1 2 GM Hiranandani. Transition to Triumph: History of the Indian Navy, 1965-1975 (англ.) . — Текст книги; with. 108. Дата обращения 17 февраля 2017.
- ↑ 1 2 3 4 5 А. Г. Больных . Подлодки в бою. «Топи их всех!» — С. 53 . Fantasy Read. Date of treatment February 16, 2017.
- ↑ 1 2 Lt.-Gen. AAK Niazi. The Betrayal of East Pakistan. — New Delhi: Ajay Kumar Jain for Manohar Publishers & Distributors, 1998. — С. 150—151. - 321 p. — ISBN 81-7304-256-X .
- ↑ GM Hiranandani. Transition to Triumph: History of the Indian Navy, 1965-1975 (англ.) . — Текст книги; with. 141—143. Date of treatment February 17, 2017.
- ↑ В. Доценко . Флоты в локальных конфликтах второй половины XX века. — М., СПб.: АСТ ; Terra Fantastica, 2001. — С. 214. — 512 с. - 1000 copies. — ISBN 5-17-005627-3 .
- ↑ 1 2 DR Mankekar. Pakistan Cut to Size. The Authentic Story of the 14-day Indo-Pak War told for the First Time by the Veteran Writer. — New Delhi: Indian Book Company, 1972. — С. 112—113. — 175 с.
- ↑ 1 2 П. В. Боженко . Индо-пакистанский конфликт 1971 года. Действия на море. — Львов , 1993. — С. 23—24. — 65 с. - 3000 copies.
- ↑ 1 2 3 4 5 SNV Sudhir. Visakhapatnam: Sunk Pakistani submarine Ghazi is an enigma (англ.) . Deccan Cronicle (24 ноября 2015). Date of treatment February 16, 2017.
- ↑ 1 2 3 Sandeep Unnithan. The Ghazi mystery (англ.) . India Today (26 января 2004). Дата обращения 17 февраля 2017. Архивировано 19 июня 2017 года.
- ↑ Commander (Retd) Muhammad Azam Khan. Maritime Awareness and Pakistan Navy (англ.) . Defence Journal. Date of treatment February 16, 2017.
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