Key Facts
- Date of attack
- Night of 8–9 December 1971
- Indian strike group size
- 1 missile boat and 2 frigates
- Pakistani assets destroyed
- PNS Dacca (tanker) and Kemari Oil Storage facility
- Foreign ships sunk
- 2
- Indian losses
- None
Strategic Narrative Overview
On the night of 8–9 December 1971, an Indian Navy strike group comprising one missile boat and two frigates approached Karachi under cover of darkness. The group targeted a cluster of ships off the coast. Pakistani attempts to disguise warships among merchant vessels were overcome, and Indian forces engaged the targets with missiles and naval gunfire, striking both military and fuel infrastructure.
01 / The Origins
Operation Python was a follow-up naval strike to Operation Trident during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. After the initial Trident attack on the Port of Karachi, Pakistan intensified aerial coastal surveillance and had its warships mingle with merchant shipping to obscure their positions, anticipating another Indian strike. India devised a counter-strategy to neutralise Pakistani naval assets and fuel infrastructure supporting the war effort.
03 / The Outcome
The attack resulted in the Pakistani fleet tanker PNS Dacca being damaged beyond repair and the destruction of the Kemari Oil Storage facility, a critical fuel depot. Two foreign ships in Karachi harbour were also sunk. India suffered no losses. The twin strikes of Trident and Python left Pakistan's western naval command severely weakened for the remainder of the conflict.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Side B
1 belligerent
Kinetic Engagement Axis
Scroll horizontally to view full axis. Events plotted relatively.