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Hangor Class (Fr Daphné)

Hangor was one of three Daphné-class French submarines that Pakistan had acquired after a rather tedious process in 1966 by the Ayub administration. Renamed after its induction in Pakistan Navy, Hangor was the lead submarine of her class, which included Shushuk and Mangro – all commissioned in 1970. Its Bengali name would be a homage to the ultimate predator of the sea, the Shark. Same was the case of the Mangro, which is a Sindhi word for Shark as well. They were joined by another Daphné-class, Ghazi, in 1975.

French Daphne Class Submarines HANGOR, MANGRO, SHUSHUK and GHAZI served actively in Pakistan Navy from 1967 till 02 January 2006, when the Daphne submarines were decommissioned from Pakistan Navy, after the relentless contribution in the defence of the motherland for four decades. These were the machines of great resilience and they served the Navy untiringly with full vigour yet silently. These boats had seen wars and crisis alike and performed extremely arduous sea duties with their moments of excitement and prolonged operational deployments.

Daphne submarines were relatively simple war machines but they placed great demands on their officers and crew as they operated with stealth and attacked with swiftness and surprise. During war deployment in 1971, HANGOR sailed to sink INS KHUKRI and damaged INS KIRPAN. HANGOR and MANGRO returned from a successful mission during this war. The valiant crew of HANGOR was rewarded 04 Sitara-e-Jurrat, 06 Tamgha-e-Jurrat and 24 Imtiazi sanads in total.

The Pakistan Navy’s submarine, Hangor, which has the military distinction of destroying the Blackwood class Indian Navy ship, Kukri, near the Indian coast during the 1971 Indo-Pakistan war, was put on display at the Pakistan Maritime Museum in December 2007.

PNS/M HANGOR Pakistan Navy Submarine was the first of the Daphne type submarines acquired by Pakistan Navy from France. It was commissioned on 1st December 1969 and arrived in Pakistan on 20th December 1970. Since its induction in the Pakistan Navy, PNS/M HANGOR had always been an efficient unit of the squadron and the Navy. She has actively participated in all the major exercises at home and abroad. The submarine has shown the Pakistan Flag at various foreign ports which includes Toulon, Puero de Laluz, Las Palmas, Dakar, Launda, Lounanco Marques, Diego Suarez, Bandar Abbas (Iran), Dubai, Abu Dahbi and Muscat (1993).

PNS/M MANGRO was commissioned in Pakistan Navy on 5th Aug 70 at France. In Pakistan, she has accomplished a variety of operational tasks & patrols and participated in many exercises with different countries. PNS/M MANGRO was a promising unit of Pakistan Fleet for more than 30 years and also participated in 1971 war. The submarine was equipped with variety of torpedoes and sub surface launch missiles.

PNS/M SHUSHUK was commissioned in Pakistan Navy on 12 Jan 70 at France. In Pakistan, she has accomplished a variety of operational tasks & patrols and participated in many exercises with different countries. PNS/M SHUSHUK was a promising unit of Pakistan fleet for more than 30 years and also participated in 1971 war. The unit has the distinction in the war and to be the first ever S/Ms to enter Kamafuli River (B.D) and Yanfoonriver (Myanmar). The submarine was equipped with variety of torpedoes and sub surface launch missiles.

PNS/M GHAZI (S-134) was the second submarine of this name. She was a Daphne type submarine built by France for Portuguese Navy in 1969. She flew Portuguese flag for 8 years as CACHALOTE (S-166), meaning Sperm Whale. The submarine was sold to Pakistan through France and commissioned as PNS/M GHAZI on 17 January 1977. The submarine was given a major refit and equipment updation at Toulon, France before being handed over to Pakistan. She joined the Pakistan Navy Submarine Force in April 1977. GHAZI was a Diesel-Electric propelled submarine and was fitted with the most modern electronic devices for detection and reliable weapons for attacking. She has been equipped to carry Sub Harpoon Anti-ship Missiles in subsurface to surface configuration. Her lethality has thus overtaken her old age and she now commands a new respect from the enemy. GHAZI was a high performance submarine which can operate deep, silent and for extended period at sea. GAHZI has taken part in various national and international maritime exercises in Arabian Sea and the Gulf.

PNS/M HANGOR sank Indian Navy Frigate KHUKRI and damaged KIRPAN in the outskirts of the Indian Ocean in vicinity of enemy waters. These submarines played a pivotal role during the Indo-Pak war of 1971. The war of 1971 has long been overshadowed by the sundering of Pakistan and the creation of Bangladesh through a mix of sponsored terrorism and military aggression. However, even during this dark period, Pakistan’s military forces managed to inflict devastating defeats to a numerically superior and diligently prepared enemy. The 1971 War was also the war which saw major naval engagements in the seas. In 1965, a successful Pakistani naval action caused the Indian Navy to restrict themselves to the ports, but in 1971 both naval forces undertook many maneuvers in the seas. The Indian Navy tried to mount an unsuccessful blockade of Pakistan which made it go head-to-head with the formidable Pakistani submarine squadron. During 1971 Indo-Pak war, the burden of Pakistan Navy's was offensive effort hinged on the small but effective submarine force.

In August 1971, Hangor would go on its first war-time deployment for gathering intelligence on the Indian Navy as well as clearing Manora Island and Ormara Bay in the coastal areas of Pakistan. It would report back by September 1971 but would again be deployed in November of the same year to gather intelligence outside Bombay. During this time, it observed the movement of a large Indian flotilla heading towards Karachi. Hangor, not having clearance to engage the Indian Navy as of yet could only relay this information to the homeland but this communication was intercepted by the enemy.

PN Submarine HANGOR sailed in the early hours of 22 November 1971 to patrol off the Indian Kathiawar coast under the command of Commander Ahmed Tasnim S.J. The Indian Navy would dispatch two frigates, Kirpan and Khukri, to find and destroy Hangor. Both were British Blackwood frigates, which were considered among the best surface naval vessels in the South Asian waters at that time. A day later, on December 4, Hangor would receive clearance from the headquarters to engage and destroy the Indian naval vessels. It would be on the night between December 9 and 10, that a battle would be set between the hunting frigates and their quarry.

Hangor was making for Kathiawar Coast when it detected the two Indian frigates and moved to intercept them. On 9 December 1971, in an effort to locate the evasive enemy, HANGOR extended her patrol northward to investigate some radio transmissions intercepted on her sensors. Two contacts were picked up on passive sonar and were identified as warships. The initial range was 6 to 8 miles. A pursuit of the enemy began but the first attempt to attack these ships failed due to speed disadvantage. The submarine however managed to forecast target ships movement and succeeded in taking up a tactically advantageous position on the path of the patrolling frigates by 1900.

At 1957 the submarine fired a down the throat shot with a homing torpedo at the northerly ship from a depth of 40 meters. The torpedo was tracked but no explosion was heard. The single torpedo fired against the Kirpan for some reason did not strike the target despite being on the same path. This not only alerted Kirpan but Khukri as well, which adopted an intercept course for Hangor.

Hangor’s targeting team quickly reacted and fired off a second torpedo on the approaching Khukri. The second torpedo was therefore fired immediately on the incomming southerly ship and this was followed by a tremendous explosion. The torpedo had found its mark. This torpedo struck Khukri, resulting in an explosion as the ammunition storage area, also called a magazine of the ship, was struck. In this spectacular action, INS KHUKRI, the ship of the Squadron Commander of Indian 14th Frigate Sqn was sunk within two minutes after receiving a hit in the magazine where explosives were held. 18 Officers and 176 sailors including the Commanding Officer lost their lives. This came as a shattering blow to the Indian Navy. With this, Hangor’s name would be etched in history as the first submarine after World War II to sink an enemy ship. It also gave India its largest naval loss in history.

The other enemy frigate came straight for the submarine when a third torpedo was fired. Hangor's third torpedo fired on Kirpan which struck but could not detonate its magazine allowing the struck Indian ship to flee from the battlefield, leaving behind the sailors of Khukri to drown. After the distant explosion was heard, the submarine turned west towards deeper waters for evasion. The Indian Navy would pursue Hangor with vengeance, mounting a massive search utilizing ships and aircraft but to no avail. Hangor would return to its base on December 13, safe and sound. HANGOR's action demonstrated Pakistan Navy's tactical superiority in sub-surface warfare and after the war even the BBC commentators praised Pakistan Naval effort. Considering the shape and size and age of the ships at its command, they said that the Pakistan Navy had acquitted itself well against the Indian Navy.

Prior to acquiring the Agosta class submarines, Pakistan's Navy had four Daphne class submarines which have been retired. All four boats were simultaneously decommissioned in January 2006. The Navy was in negotiations to transfer three to the Bangladesh Navy, while the fourth submarine was kept for the Navy museum. The Navy transferred its recently retired Submarine Hangor to Pakistan Maritime Museum in Karachi.