Life Journey!
My Martyr's Life Journey
Commodore Kasargod Patnashetti Gopal Rao
Commodore Kasargod Patnashetti Gopal Rao (13 November 1926 – 9 August 2021) was an officer in the Indian Navy notable for his participation in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 and was awarded the Maha Vir Chakra for his outstanding contributions during Operation Trident.
Personal Life:
Commodore
K. P. Gopal Rao was born in a Goud Saraswat brahmin family Mangalore on 13
November 1926. His father's name was Rai Bahadur K.P.Janardhan Rao. His elder
brother, Maj. K.P.S. Rao had also served
in the Indian Armed Forces, in the Indian Army during the Second World War.
Rao was married and had two sons and a daughter. He is from the Goud Saraswat Brahmin (GSB) Community. He died on August 9, 2021, in the southern Indian city of Chennai. He was aged 94.
Military Life and His Contributions:
Commodore
K. P. Gopal Rao was commissioned into the Indian Navy on 21 April 1950. He was
in the post of a commodore: a naval rank above captain and below rear admiral,
generally given temporarily to an officer commanding a squadron or division of
a fleet.
In
January 1971, he was awarded the Vishisht Seva Medal for distinguished
service of a high order.
During the 1971 war, he was
commander of two Arnala-class anti-submarine corvettes
INS Kiltan and INS Katchall that were part of the task group that
attacked Karachi Harbour on 4 December 1971
during Operation Trident.
The two corvettes were tasked
to provide communications and conduct target acquisition with their superior
radar as well as give anti-submarine cover.
Operation Trident was a huge
success and resulted in sinking two Pakistani destroyers (PNS Khaiber and PNS Shah Jehan), one minesweeper (PNS Muhafiz),
one cargo ship (MV Venus Challenger) and setting on fire oil dumps and other
installations.
For
his outstanding performance, he was awarded the Maha Vir
Chakra, India's second highest military decoration.
Operation Trident:
Operation
Trident was an offensive operation launched by the Indian Navy on Pakistan's
port city of Karachi during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. Operation Trident
saw the first use of anti-ship missiles in combat in the region. The operation
was conducted on the night of 4–5 December and inflicted heavy damage on
Pakistani vessels and facilities. While India suffered no losses, Pakistan lost
a minesweeper, a destroyer, a cargo vessel carrying ammunition, and fuel
storage tanks in Karachi. Another destroyer was also badly damaged and
eventually scrapped. India celebrates its Navy Day annually on 4 December to
mark this operation. Trident was followed up by Operation Python three days
later.
Background of Operation Trident:
Towards the end of 1971, there were rising tensions between India and Pakistan, and after Pakistan declared a national emergency on 23 November, the Indian Navy deployed three Vidyut-class missile boats in the vicinity of Okha, near Karachi, to carry out patrols. As the Pakistani fleet would also be operating in the same waters, the Indian Navy set a demarcation line which ships in their fleet would not cross. Later this deployment proved to be useful for gaining experience in the region's waters. On 3 December, after Pakistan attacked Indian airfields along the border, the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 officially began.
Attack Plan of Operation Trident:
On
4 December, what was now designated as the Karachi Strike Group was formed and
consisted of the three Vidyut-class missile boats: INS Nipat, INS Nirghat and
INS Veer, each armed with four Soviet made SS-N-2B Styx surface-to-surface
missiles with a range of 40 nautical miles (74 km; 46 mi), two Arnala-class
anti-submarine corvettes: INS Kiltan and INS Katchall, and a fleet tanker, INS
Poshak.
The group was under the command
of Commander Babru Bhan Yadav, the commanding officer of the 25th Missile Boat
Squadron.
Commodore
KP Gopal Rao was the commander of the anti-submarine corvettes: INS KIltan and
INS Katchall.
Attack by the Trident Team:
On the night of December 3, a group of Osa-I missile boats — INS Nipat, INS Nirghat and INS Veer set sail from Mumbai harbour. On the 3rd Night, December 4, INS Kiltan (Cdr Gopal Rao) was given command of a force with INS Katchall (Cdr K.N. Zadu). The 2 Petya class Frigates — the INS Katchall and INS Kiltan rendezvoused with the missile boats to form the Trident team. They were then put on their way to Karachi under shore control in Operation Trident.
Sailing westward and then northwards with a speed of 28 knots, the Trident Team boats were successfully towed to reach the Karachi harbour (the stronghold of the Pakistani Navy) by night. From there, they proceeded in an arrowhead formation, changing course frequently with radar inputs from INS Kiltan to avoid enemy detection.
After releasing tow, the missile boats launched their Styx missiles on the enemy ships. Pakistani officers on duty in the control room at Karachi failed to realize that it was a seaborne attack. Assuming it was an air attack, the Pakistan defenders were confused, mesmerized and utterly in disarray to arrange for seaward defence. In the biggest naval battle since the Second World War, the Indian Task Force sank two Pakistani destroyers (PNS Khaiber and PNS Shah Jehan), one minesweeper (PNS Muhafiz), one cargo ship (MV Venus Challenger) carrying ammunition for the Pakistani Army and setting on fire oil dumps and other installations.
All Indian commanding officers were decorated for their heroic sortie, which will long be remembered for it earned the Navy two Maha Vir Chakras and four Veer Chakras. 4 December is therefore celebrated as Navy Day. Not one of the Indian units which attacked Karachi received the slightest damage in the first major naval battle fought by the Indian Navy since Independence.
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