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Article: Bangladeshi War of IndependenceIndo-Pakistani War of 1971

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    Bangladeshi War of IndependenceIndo-Pakistani War of 1971

    34 Comments by Doc Vernon Published on 16th February 2016 09:22 PM
    PLEASE NOTE This Article is being posted on behalf of Red Lead Ted


    India-Pakistan Conflict Hub

    NB: Please note that the copyright of all the material belongs to CTW Houston, as the beneficiary of Capt HP Houston's will. Any use of relevant material will have to be acknowledged.


    Bangladeshi War of IndependenceIndo-Pakistani War of 1971
    The third war between India and Pakistan took place between November 22 (when the Indian's began providing active artillery support to the seperatists) and Dec 17, 1971.
    The origins of the third Indo-Pakistani conflict (1971) were different from the previous conflicts. The Pakistani failure to accommodate demands for autonomy in East Pakistan in 1970 led to secessionist demands in 1971. In March 1971, Pakistan's armed forces launched a fierce campaign to suppress the resistance movement that had emerged but encountered unexpected mass defections among East Pakistani soldiers and police. The Pakistani forces regrouped and reasserted their authority over most of East Pakistan by May.
    As a result of these military actions, thousands of East Pakistanis died at the hands of the Pakistani army. Resistance fighters and nearly 10 million refugees fled to sanctuary in West Bengal, the adjacent Indian state. By midsummer, the Indian leadership, in the absence of a political solution to the East Pakistan crisis, had fashioned a strategy designed to assist the establishment of the independent nation of Bangladesh. As part of this strategy, in August 1971, India signed a twenty-year Treaty of Peace, Friendship, and Cooperation with the Soviet Union. One of the treaty's clauses implied that each nation was expected to come to the assistance of the other in the event of a threat to national security such as that occurring in the 1965 war with Pakistan. Simultaneously, India organized, trained, and provided sanctuary to the Mukti Bahini (meaning Liberation Force in Bengali), the East Pakistani armed resistance fighters.
    Unable to deter India's activities in the eastern sector, on December 3, 1971, Pakistan launched an air attack in the western sector on a number of Indian airfields, including Ambala in Haryana, Amritsar in Punjab, and Udhampur in Jammu and Kashmir. The attacks did not succeed in inflicting substantial damage. The Indian air force retaliated the next day and quickly achieved air superiority. On the ground, the strategy in the eastern sector marked a significant departure from previous Indian battle plans and tactics, which had emphasized set-piece battles and slow advances. The strategy adopted was a swift, three-pronged assault of nine infantry divisions with attached armored units and close air support that rapidly converged on Dhaka, the capital of East Pakistan. Lieutenant General Sagat Singh, who commanded the eighth, twenty-third, and fifty-seventh divisions, led the Indian thrust into East Pakistan. As these forces attacked Pakistani formations, the Indian air force rapidly destroyed the small air contingent in East Pakistan and put the Dhaka airfield out of commission. In the meantime, the Indian navy effectively blockaded East Pakistan. Dhaka fell to combined Indian and Mukti Bahini forces on December 16, bringing a quick end to the war.
    Action in the western sector was divided into four segments, from the cease-fire line in Jammu and Kashmir to the marshes of the Rann of Kutch in northwestern Gujarat. On the evening of December 3, the Pakistani army launched ground operations in Kashmir and Punjab. It also started an armored operation in Rajasthan. In Kashmir, the operations were concentrated on two key points, Punch and Chhamb. The Chhamb area witnessed a particularly intense battle where the Pakistanis forced the Indians to withdraw from their positions. In other parts of Kashmir, the Indians made some small gains along the cease-fire line. The major Indian counteroffensive came in the Sialkot-Shakargarh area south and west of Chhamb. There, two Pakistani tank regiments, equipped with United States-made Patton tanks, confronted the Indian First Armored Corps, which had British Centurion tanks. In what proved to be the largest tank battle of the war, both sides suffered considerable casualties.
    Within hours of outbreak of hostilities, the Indian Missile Boat Group was ordered to execute operation Trident, the code name for the first attack on Karachi. The task group consisting of three OSA class missile boats, escorted by two Kamorta class anti-submarine patrol vessels, regrouped off Okha and charged towards Karachi. At 2150 hrs on December 4, the task group was 70 nautical miles south-west of Karachi. Soon thereafter, the task group detected patrolling Pakistani naval ships on their sensors. The deadly missiles were heading towards their targets which were soon hit. PNS Khyber, a destroyer and PNS Muhafiz, a minesweeper were sunk. Another Pakistani destroyer Shajehan was badly damaged. The fuel storage tanks at Karachi harbour were set ablaze, causing heavy loss. Operation Trident was a thundering success with no damage to any of the ships of the Indian Naval Task Group, which returned safely. Operation Trident had introduced to the war, the first ever ship launched missiles in the region.
    Enthused by the success of this attack, the Indian Navy planned another offensive operation, code named Python. The continued presence of the Indian Navy’s larger ships is the area gave enough indication to the Pakistani naval authorities that more offensive operations were in the offing. The Pak aerial surveillance was stepped up and their ships attempted to outsmart the Indian Navy by mingling with merchant shipping. Notwithstanding these measures by the Pakistanis, operation Python was launched on the night on December 8 and 9, 1971. Despite bad weather and rough seas, the task group consisting of missile boat Vinash and two multipurpose frigates, executed the attack with razor sharp precision. INS Vinash approached close to the Karachi coast and fired four missiles. The first missile struck the fuel tanks at the Keamari Oil Farm. The other three missiles hit the merchant tankers Harmattan, Gulf Star and the Pakistani naval tanker Dacca. More than 50 percent of the total fuel requirement of the Karachi zone was reported to have been blown up. Operation Python was another great success.
    Though the Indian conduct of the land war on the western front was somewhat timid, the role of the Indian air force was both extensive and daring. During the fourteen-day war, the air force's Western Command conducted some 4,000 sorties. There was little retaliation by Pakistan's air force, partly because of the paucity of non-Bengali technical personnel. Additionally, this lack of retaliation reflected the deliberate decision of the Pakistan Air Force headquarters to conserve its forces because of heavy losses incurred in the early days of the war.

    BHARAT RAKSHAK MONITOR - Volume 4(4) January-February 2002





    Trident, Grandslam and Python: Attacks on Karachi*
    B. Harry****** *
    "Well old boy,this happens in war.I am sorry your ships have been sunk" - C-in-C PAF to his naval counterpart in 1971
    "This is the best Diwali we've ever seen!" - The attacking force,"Trishul"
    Pakistan's Naval headquarters was based at the historic and strategic port of Karachi here almost their entire fleet was concentrated. Karachi not only represented the area of maximum strategic importance, but also was also critical for Pakistan’s external trade and maritime interests, meaning that a blockade would be disastrous for Pakistan’s economy. For these reasons, the port received some of the best defence Pakistan had to offer as well as cover from strike aircraft based at two airfields in the proximity. However, this did not stop the Indian Navy from knocking on Pakistan's doorstep and blasting Karachi in some of the most audacious, brilliantly planned and executed operations in the history of naval warfare which shocked the world. The offensive stance taken, the role played and the amount of damage done, by the Indian Navy was quite a different story from that of its lack of performance during the 1965 Indo-Pak conflict. After Pakistan declared a national emergency on 23 Nov 1971,3 Osa-I class missile boats were deployed at Okha to carry out patrols from which they gained valuable experience. The task force assigned to attack Karachi harbour comprised of 4 Missile boats each armed with 4 SS-N-2B Styx anti-ship missiles and 2 Petya class sub-chasers. One of the 4 missile boats was to remain on patrol off Dwarka to provide cover for the task force on it's way back The reason for selecting these small untried Osa-I missile boats over regular vessels was due to the fact that they would represent difficult, fast moving targets and would enable the operation to be carried out in complete stealth. The Petyas were mainly to provide communication and control and give indication of suitable targets with their superior radar as well as possible ASW cover.
    The plan was to strike Karachi with a composite force on the very day that Pakistan carried out its first acts of war. Pakistan attacked Indian airfields on the evening of the 3rd of December but since it was not possible to attack on the same evening, the attacks were planned for the night of 4/5 December which was to be coordinated with simultaneous aerial bombardment from the IAF. However, the Osa-I missile boats, built specifically for coastal defence did not have the range and endurance to carry out any sort of long range offensive operations hence was evolved the tactical decision to tow them to a certain point south of Karachi harbour from where they would proceed at full speed to carry out the attack. The squadron commander embarked on one of the attacking vessels would allocate targets and the missile boats would thereafter act independently, keeping in touch with the Squadron commander. The Petyas were to follow at a slower speed but stay not too far away from the rendezvous. Naval Headquarters and the HQ of the Western naval command were to listen in on Pakistani wireless circuits and pass the relevant intelligence to the force. The excellent photos of Karachi brought back by the IAF's No.106 Strategic PR Squadron were an invaluable asset for the operation. Another unusual asset was the fluency of the Indian crew in the Russian language, which was chosen to be taught to the Indian sailors who were deputed for training in the Soviet Union in order to ease the entire process. Indeed, communication between the attacking vessels was extensively in Russian, which proved to be extremely useful. These unique innovations introduced into the operations by the Indian Navy ensured their success in advance.
    Operation Trident
    The first missile attack on Karachi was to be undertaken by the "Killer" squadron comprising of the following 3 Osa missile boats:
    INS Nipat (Lt Cdr B.N Kavina VrC)
    INS Nirghat (Lt. Cdr I.J Sharma,AVSM,VrC )
    INS Veer (Lt Cdr O.P Mehta VrC NM)
    The Squadron commander (K-25) B.B Yadav was embarked on the Nipat. At the last minute, the Petya class vessel INS Kadmat(Cdr Tony Jain) who had been exercising with the "Killer" squadron, was replaced by INS Kiltan(Cdr K.P Gopal Rao MVC VSM) who had not worked up with the squadron and could only rendezvous with them at sea on 3 Dec.1971.On the afternoon of 4 Dec.1971,"Operation Trident" began and the strike group was on it's way to Karachi and remained in company. An oiler, INS Poshak was positioned about halfway to the target and refueled the strike force and enabled them to carry on. As per plan, the fourth missile boat INS Vidyut remained well astern to act as a deterrent in case of a counter attack by Pakistani warships. The "Killers" proceeded in an arrowhead formation, stealthily at a speed of about 24 knots with the Nipat leading and the Nirghat five miles on the port quarter and the Veer lagging behind on starboard. A number of contacts were detected en-route but were eventually analyzed as undeserving of a missile attack. Kiltan continued to pick up contacts at longer ranges due to anomalous propagation. At about 1945 hrs, Kiltan's radar picked up a Pakistani reconnaissance aircraft and immediately altered the course of the Task group westwards and succeeded in misleading the aircraft. Once the radar was clear of aircraft echo, course was altered to northward again. At 2000 hrs, Kiltan picked up a surface contact on a northeasterly bearing, steering an intercept course. When it closed in to about 15 miles, the Task group's course was again altered westward in order to prevent the contact from closing in further. After a while, the contact reduced its speed and its radar echo became smaller and disappeared. Course was again altered northward at 2014 hrs and formation speed was increased to 28 knots.
    When about 70 miles south of Karachi, a firm contact was detected to the northwest at a distance of about 45 miles and a second contact to the northeast at a range of 42 miles, heading for Karachi.K-25 evaluated the first contact to be a warship closing in at about 20 knots. This was the Pakistani destroyer Khaibar which was reportedly on patrol and somehow failed to receive orders to investigate possible contacts south of Karachi. Khaibar was also said to have intercepted a HF transmission at 1905 hrs emanating from a south-easterly direction but could not decipher the language.K-25 ordered Nirghat to alter course and engage the northwesterly contact. When Nirghat saw the destroyer coming straight at the force, she had to reverse course and complete pre-launch checks before taking the shot. Nirghat altered to port and launched an SS-N-2B Styx AsHM followed by another one a little later. Khaibar observed a 'bright light' approaching her from her starboard beam and sounded action stations and engaged the target with her Bofors guns, mistaking it to be an aircraft. The missile struck Khaibar on the starboard side and exploded below the aft galley in the Electrician's mess deck at about 2245 hrs, Pakistan time. The ship immediately lost propulsion, plunged into darkness and the No.1 Boiler room exploded, engulfing the ship in thick black smoke. Khaibar sent out an emergency transmission which read "Enemy aircraft attacked in position 020 FF 20.No 1 Boiler hit. Ship stopped." which meant that the Pakistan Navy did not even know what hit them. At about 2249 hrs, the second missile was seen approaching and again engaged in vain as it exploded into the No.2 Boiler room on the starboard side and sealed the fate of the Khaibar forever. On the bridge of the Nipat,K-25 watched eagerly as the radar contact on his screen slowly diminished and suddenly disappeared. The Pakistani ocean going minesweeper PNS Muhafiz arrived in her patrol area at 2245 hrs and witnessed the missile attack. Nipat then engaged the second contact and a third contact and fired a missile on each of these contacts at about 2300 hrs(IST), which were the Merchant vessel Venus challenger and the destroyer PNS Shahjahan respectively. The Venus challenger was completely darkened and proceeding at 16 knots. The Styx AShM struck the ship and a huge flash was seen and evaluated to be ammunition exploding. The ship broke into two and sank in less than 8 minutes, about 26 miles south of Karachi. After the war, it was reliably learnt from merchant shipping circles and Bangladeshis who deserted the Pakistan navy as well as Military attaches of foreign embassies in Pakistan that this ship was carrying a near full load of US ammunition from Saigon for the Pakistani Army and Air force which made it a target even more valuable than a warship. It was due to arrive at Karachi at 0130 hrs on 5 Dec.1971.In addition to the ship's crew, the ship was also reported to have a number of Pakistani naval officers and sailors onboard for communication and ordnance duties. The second Styx is reported to have struck the Pakistani destroyer Shahjahan crippling it beyond service though there is some controversy surrounding this. As per some Pakistani admissions, the Shahjahan was damaged beyond recognition and put out of service but their official history makes no mention of the attack and official Pakistani naval sources have given varying accounts. At one point, it is claimed that damage to Shahjahan and sinking of the merchant(Venus Challenger) are Indian exaggerations but at another point, they are baffled by the mysterious disappearance of the Venus challenger and finally conclude that it must have been sunk in the Indian attacks. But there have also been several Indian sources such as FOCINCWEST Vice Admiral Kohl who recall that both missiles fired by the Nipat homed onto the Venus challenger. Nevertheless, the squadron commander(K-25) B.B Yadav confirmed the engagement of two separate contacts and the supporting Petyas were able to intercept a message ordering the Shahjahan to assist Khaibar but the Shahjahan replied that she could not do so due to some problems!

    Attachment 19644

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    Last edited by Doc Vernon; 30th September 2022 at 09:56 AM.
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    Default Re: Bangladeshi War of IndependenceIndo-Pakistani War of 1971

    [QUOTE=David Seddon;295480]Hello Terry,
    Not a survivor myself but my brother Ken was one of the 7 fatalities, as it happens after years of me trying to track him down, one of his crewmates who was on the ship that night moved into the street where we live a couple of years ago but he is not in the best of health, he remembered my brother but seemed reluctant or unable to recall much of the incident. I know it,s very personal to you but if you could forward the captains account it would be very gratefully received and treated with the utmost respect, hopefully it would answer just some of the many questions that my family and myself have had for the many years since it happened.

    David[/QUOTE Hi Dave, I will try and email the P.D.F. File to you that contains Capt, Houstons report he would have submitted to J@C Harrisons, I am not that good on the p.c. as most, I have only just read your post, So plz bare with me Regards Terry.

    - - - Updated - - -

    Quote Originally Posted by Gulliver View Post
    For those not knowing about the ss Venus Challenger circumstances here is a Lloyds List extract:





    There was no sign of any bodies but it was assumed that all 33 men on board had lost their lives.]
    Dave there is no doubt in my mind that the Indian Navy targeted all merchant shipping in the Bay of Bengal. Terry.
    Last edited by Doc Vernon; 11th February 2018 at 07:25 PM.
    {terry scouse}

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    Default Re: Bangladeshi War of IndependenceIndo-Pakistani War of 1971

    During the Indo-Pakistan confrontation the m.v.
    "Harmattan" was at anchor at an outer anchorage
    awaiting a berth from which to discharge her cargo,
    when an attack from the sea was launched by naval
    forces and "Harmattan" was struck by a guided
    missile which wrecked the crew accommodation, killed
    six members of the crew and injured seven others. The
    accommodation and the cargo below was set on fire
    and within minutes the whole mid-ship superstructure
    became a raging inferno of intense heat and thick
    smoke. When the missile struck, Mr. McPhee and Mr.
    Robinson were in their cabins which caught fire. The
    hot water pipes passing through Mr. McPhee's cabin
    fractured and severely scalded him, but through the
    jagged and torn steelwork caused by the entry of the
    missile he saw the ship's Electrical Officer clinging to
    an obstruction in a shattered opening in the engineroom
    casing. Without regard for his own safety and
    the aggravation to his injuries by the almost unbearable
    heat of the fire, he went to the Electrical Officer's
    aid, assisted him past the obstruction, over the
    wreckage, back through his cabin and out on to the
    comparative safety of the main deck ; his action undoubtedly
    saved the man's life. Mr. Robinson escaped
    from his burning cabin into the working alleyway,
    only to find that this too was on fire. As with great
    difficulty he was making his way aft he found the
    Second Engineer Officer and one of the ratings lying
    seriously injured in the alleyway. Despite many difficulties
    he assisted one of them a distance of 25 feet out
    on to the deck at the aft end of the alleyway. Although
    by now the fire had intensified and the smoke was
    almost suffocating, he re-entered the alleyway and
    returned to where the other man was lying and got
    him out on to the deck aft. Unfortunately the Second
    Engineer Officer died from his injuries while being
    taken ashore in one of the ship's lifeboats. When
    Captain Houston found that members of his crew
    were missing, he made several gallant attempts to reach
    them in the wrecked accommodation, but each time
    was driven back by intense heat and suffocating smoke.
    When forced to abandon these efforts he coolly and
    efficiently mustered the remaining crew members, including
    the injured and shepherded them into the two
    ship's lifeboats which he had had swung on their davits
    in readiness for any emergency. On shore conditions
    were chaotic because of continual air raids, but he led
    his men to a place of comparative safety and, despite
    disorganisation of the local -services, he got the injured
    men transported to hospital. This final action undoubtedly
    saved the life of the seriously injured engineroom
    rating. Captain Houston, Mr. McPhee and Mr.
    Robinson behaved with outstanding courage and
    showed a complete disregard for the safety of their
    own lives; but for their actions the loss of life in
    this incident could easily have been much greater.
    George Medal
    To be an additional Member of the Civil Division of
    the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire for
    Gallantry :
    Hubert Patrick HOUSTON, Master, m.v. " Harmattan ",
    J. & C. Harrison Ltd., London.
    George Medal
    Donald McPHEE, Junior Engineer, m.v. " Harmattan ",
    J. & C. Harrison Ltd., London.
    David ROBINSON, Catering Boy, m.v. "Harmattan"
    J. & C. Harrison Ltd., London. Its worth mentioning D. Robinson Catering Boy who was awarded the George medal for repeatedly re boarding the burning Harmattan to assist in searching for survivors was just 14 years old. I am awaiting an email or feedback from Dave Seddon who lost his brother aboard the ship and i intend to scan and post extracts of Capt Houstons events. As there is a lot of interest in the incident i can at least prove to you that this attack was no freak accident. It was a deliberate attack on a British Merchant ship, Unfortunately in the wrong place at the wrong time. Hang on in there lads i am going through the 48 page report typed on an old typewriter and submitted to J@C Harrisons. Regards Terry.
    {terry scouse}

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    Default Re: Bangladeshi War of IndependenceIndo-Pakistani War of 1971

    Ivan, I cant help but think to myself and i am sure you can answer this. I would have thought that with our ship the Eucadia sailing in and out of both Bombay and Karachi in the time leading up to the conflict, Both the Indian and Pakistan governments would have been aware of our presence so to speak. The Harmattan sailed from Gdansk in Poland arrived at the safe anchorage and never got the chance to discharge cargo or go alongside, Therefore i assume no customs clearance and no visit from a shipping agent, Could there have been a failing on the part of J@C Harrisons to make the Indian Navy aware of her presence at the anchorage point. And could the attack on her then give an excuse for the incident and justify in any way the Indian Navy,s actions. Any warships captain could distinguish a Merchant ship from a man o war so to speak. Regards Terrry.
    {terry scouse}

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    Default Re: Bangladeshi War of IndependenceIndo-Pakistani War of 1971

    Selected pages from Capt Houston,s report. R.I.P. Them all Terry.
    Attached Files Attached Files
    {terry scouse}

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    Default Re: Bangladeshi War of IndependenceIndo-Pakistani War of 1971

    Two more,
    Attached Files Attached Files
    {terry scouse}

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    Default Re: Bangladeshi War of IndependenceIndo-Pakistani War of 1971

    Terry, Thank you so much for these pages, they paint a very vivid picture of the events of that night and to be honest is very much how I had imagined them for all these years. Through my internet searches I had previously been in touch with Robin Marsh, the electrician that had been pulled out of the wreckage. Apparently he carried the burn scars for the rest of his life, I was informed that he had unfortunately passed away a few years ago, I would have liked to have met him to talk about the happier memories he must have had about his time with my brother.
    By a strange coincidence Ian Watkinson who was a survivor and good friend of my brother and had sailed with him earlier on another ship, moved into the street where we lived. Unfortunately he has serious health problems and is unable to recall much of those days.
    If there are any other survivors reading this I would really like to hear your memories of my brother, I was just 13 at the time so didnt really get to know him as an adult but the memories I do have are all good.
    Thanks again Terry and if you have any other info or documents I would be very interested.

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    Default Re: Bangladeshi War of IndependenceIndo-Pakistani War of 1971

    Hi Terry,
    If I recall correctly from my research, the Harmattan had been at anchor for about 10 days prior to the attack unable to go in and unload because of the troubles, apparently supplies on board were running low and the beer had been rationed, would not have gone down well with my brother by all accounts. Was you ship the same? I have never believed that the missile struck her by accident as surely any attacking force would have intelligence to identify vessels that would be the most risk. I have been in touch with Peter Harrison who is the son of the then owner of the shipping line, apparently it was on the orders of Harrisons that the Harmattan was anchored at Manora which was supposedly a safe anchorage until a safe window presented itself to go in and unload. With hindsight it may well have been better to leave for a safe port while they had chance but hindsight is a great thing after the event. Apparently also our own government were aware that the region was on the brink of war before the Harmattan arrived so why did they not advise merchant vessels to stay clear. So many questions that I suppose will never be answered.

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    Default Re: Bangladeshi War of IndependenceIndo-Pakistani War of 1971

    Read your private message from me Dave, I have given you my email address if you email me i can forward a lot more than i have posted here, This was all 47 years ago and believe me there hasn't a day gone bye in all that time when i haven't paused for just a moment and thought about the men killed aboard that ship, It was very harrowing indeed and i gave a lot of thought of packing it all in however i carried on until 1980 before swallowing the anchor, It was certainly a xmas i will never forget in my life and i know a lot of the seaman who where aboard the Harmattan never returned to sea again, It also had a profound effect on the men of our ship the M.V. Eucadia. The thing i couldn't get my head around was the lack of information our trip aboard the Eucadia was a 12 month voyage and yet after returning home and reporting back to the pool not even the seaman's union seemed to know anything about the event my own parents recalled hearing a 2 minute report on the event on the national news, Know one from our ships company had bothered to assure the family's of the men aboard the Eucadia { Anchor Donaldson Line of Glasgow } Of our position amongst it all There where only two British merchant ships in the Bay of Bengal at the time of the conflict your late brothers and ours. May he and all the men lost R.I.P. Email me on the mail i have given you in the private message and i will get the full report from capt Houston to you. Best regards Terry.
    {terry scouse}

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    Default Re: Bangladeshi War of IndependenceIndo-Pakistani War of 1971

    [QUOTE=David Seddon;295813]Hi Terry,
    If I recall correctly from my research, the Harmattan had been at anchor for about 10 days prior to the attack unable to go in and unload because of the troubles, apparently supplies on board were running low and the beer had been rationed, would not have gone down well with my brother by all accounts. Was you ship the same? I have never believed that the missile struck her by accident as surely any attacking force would have intelligence to identify vessels that would be the most risk. I have been in touch with Peter Harrison who is the son of the then owner of the shipping line, apparently it was on the orders of Harrisons that the Harmattan was anchored at Manora which was supposedly a safe anchorage until a safe window presented itself to go in and unload. With hindsight it may well have been better to leave for a safe port while they had chance but hindsight is a great thing after the event. Apparently also our own government were aware that the region was on the brink of war before the Harmattan arrived so why did they not advise merchant vessels to stay clear. So many questions that I suppose will never be answered.[/

    Dave, Karachi was suppose to be a dry state no alcohol allowed or consumed. Here are Capt Houston,s last 2 pages of his report which i will provide you with all, Make your own mind up ???........ We where offered along side in Karachi 2 cans of beer a man we where there all xmas and new year the ships bond which contains the alcohol along with all the other goodies to buy aboard ship if available are bonded by the Karachi customs, Which in a nut shell means none available for sale against there religion to consume alcohol the ships bond is sealed. Yet capt Houston in his final 2 pages of his report wrote this............. Make up your own mind Dave Terry.
    Attached Files Attached Files
    {terry scouse}

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    Default Re: Bangladeshi War of IndependenceIndo-Pakistani War of 1971

    Dave, I wont shatter your thoughts on Peter Harrison, Or as i know him Harcelo............. Did he tell you how distraught he was after taking the telephone call informing J@C Harrison's of the tragic news, Did he also tell you how T@J Harrison's split the hulls insurance between the survivors to help them out the rest of there life........................................... Porky's mate sorry the survivors where landed and taken to a hotel or hospital they where given £100 each and flown home. Now that,s gratitude that,s what a seaman's life was worth to shipowners J@C Harrison's and a lot if not all of them, I got that news from a survivor who was a friend of a friend i kid you not Regards Terry.
    {terry scouse}

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