INS Panvel

INS Panvel

File:Ins panvel.jpg INS Panvel at Sea
Class overview
Operators	Indien
General characteristics
Typ	Patrol Boat
Displacement	91 long tons (92 t)
Length	29.9 m (98 ft 1 in)
Beam	4.6 m (15 ft 1 in)
Draft	1.5 m (4 ft 11 in)
Propulsion	2 × Diesel engines (2,400 hp total)
Speed	18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph)
Range	460 nmi (850 km; 530 mi) at 17 knots (31 km/h; 20 mph)
Complement	16 initially, 30 later
Armament	2 × Bofors 40 mm gun

This Pulicat class patrol boat was from a series of five water craft of Russian origin (Ex Poluchat class), which were in service of Indian Navy Ordered in 1965 and delivered in 1967 INS Panvel boat of the class took part in Indo-Pak war of 1971 in 'Task Force Alpha' in a daring attack on Mongla and Khulna harbours. Like other boats in the series named after coastal cities of India, this too was named after Panvel.

Task Force Alpha

The task assigned to Force Alpha was to undertake a maritime attack on the port complex of Chalna and Mongla, ‘Task Force Alpha was a maritime task force comprising two gunboats of ‘flower class’, Padma and Palash, loaned from the West Bengal government, Chitrangada, a watercraft of the Border Security Force (BSF) and INS Panvel, a seaward defence boat, as its command ship. Panvel, owing to her two 40 mm Bofors guns, seemed comparatively more ‘powerful’. However, Panvel was a very small ship of the Poluchat class, one of our smallest acquisitions from the erstwhile USSR. Interestingly, the task force was operating directly under the orders of the Eastern Army Command at Kolkata and not the Eastern Naval Command. The Force departed on the morning of 07 Dec 71, from Hasnabad, a river port on the Indian side and travelled through Sunderbans delta. On midnight of 8/9 December ‘71, Task Force Alpha was at Akram Point at mouth of Pussur River, Panvel detected two medium-sized ships fleeing the warzone. The ships of this task force now turned northwards into the Pussur. The task force reached Mongla and was greeted with joyous cheers by the local populace. as the Pakistan forces had fled and Mukti Bahini was in control of the area. The boarding parties of Task Force accomplished their task. Chitrangada stayed back at Mongla for overseeing salvage operations, rendering assistance to local population and as rearguard.

As there was no sign of the enemy at Mongla, the ships Panvel, Palash and Padma sped towards Khulna which was 30 km upstream and arrived there around 1100 hours on 10 Dece 1971. The Indian Army’s 41 Brigade, which was advancing in this area from the west, was locked in fierce combat with Pakistan Army’s 107 Brigade. Task Force Alpha was ordered to launch a waterborne offensive on these Pakistani forces from their rear on Rupsha river (a tributary of Pussur), which lay east of Khulna, in order to dislocate their adversary’s spine. Just when the ships had begun silencing Razakar, Gnat fighter jets of Indian Air Force appeared on the scene. The Gnats failed to identify the Indian ships and fired at them. The rockets narrowly missed Panvel but Padma was hit. Palash also took rocket hit and was in flames. Panvel started rescue efforts and, by the end of the day’s action, picked up 14 crew members of Palash and Padma. After the IAF fighters disappeared, Panvel unleashed her firepower. She destroyed every single fortification of enemy on either side of Rupsha. Her 40/60 Bofors gun rattled the town of Khulna for over an hour, annihilating the shipyard, many government offices and other significant infrastructure which stood on the western bank. INS Panvel not only evaded Gnats, beached and un-beached, raised smoke to appear as a stricken ship, abandoning ship and kept the force together, rescuing many, protecting itself from enemy fire and launching a mighty counter offensive For all the efforts the Army recommended Cdr MNR Samant for Maha Vir Chakra, Panvel's captain.

See also

Jija Bai Class Patrol Vessel