A recently acquired Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicle (DSRV) from the Indian Navy has successfully identified the remains of the PNS Ghazi, the Pakistani submarine that sank on December 4, 1971 in the midst of the India-Pakistan conflict.
The Tench-class submarine, formerly known as the USS Diablo in the US Navy, was discovered approximately 100 meters deep and 2 to 2.5 kilometers off the coast.
However, the Indian Navy has decided not to disturb the wreckage as a mark of respect for those who lost their lives in the line of duty, following an unwavering naval tradition, reports media.
However, the Indian Navy has decided not to disturb the wreckage as a mark of respect for those who lost their lives in the line of duty, following an unwavering naval tradition, reports media.
Pakistan had deployed the US-built PNS Ghazi to mine India's east coast and to track, follow, and possibly sink INS Vikrant, India's Majestic-class aircraft carrier.
Ghazi set sail from Karachi on November 14, 1971, and made a discreet 4,800-km voyage around the Indian peninsula, eventually reaching the coast of Vizag. In response, India deployed the destroyer INS Rajput, which followed the Ghazi and set depth charges, resulting in its sinking.
The Pakistani military offers a contrasting perspective, attributing Ghazi's demise to accidental explosions. However, Ghazi is not the only submarine to lie on the Bay of Bengal seabed near Vizag; an Imperial Japanese Navy submarine (RO-110) met a similar fate during World War II off Rambilli on February 12, 1944.
HMAS Launceston and HMIS Jumna were responsible for sinking the Japanese submarine with depth charges.