Okha Port raid

The Okha Port raid was a retaliatory airstrike by the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) on the Indian naval base at Okha during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. The raid aimed to neutralize the operational threat posed by Indian missile boats, which had launched attacks on Pakistani naval assets near Karachi the previous night.

Okha Port raid
Part of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971
Date 5 December 1971 Location Okha, Gujarat, India Result Pakistani Victory Disruption of Indian naval operations at Okha
Belligerents
India Indian Navy	Pakistan Pakistan Air Force
Commanders and leaders
Unknown	Shabbir A Khan
Units involved
Indian Navy	Pakistan Air Force
Strength
Okha Naval Base facilities	1 B-57 Canberra bomber
Casualties and losses
Fuel tank, ammunition dump, and jetty damaged	None

Background

On the night of 4 December 1971, Indian Osa-class missile boats attacked the Pakistan Navy, hitting a destroyer and a minesweeper southeast of Karachi. The presence of Indian missile boats posed a serious threat to Pakistani naval assets in the Arabian Sea and in Karachi Harbour. In response, the Pakistani military decided to conduct an airstrike on Okha, the Indian naval base that served as a home port for these missile boats, in hopes of reducing their operational capacity.

Planning and Execution

In the evening hours of 5 December 1971, Flight Lieutenant Shabbir A Khan was informed of his assignment to carry out the Okha strike. Accompanied by his navigator, Squadron Leader Ansar Ahmad, Khan prepared to attack the Okha Naval Base, targeting fuel dumps, ammunition storage, and the jetty. Departing Karachi at 2210 hours in a B-57 Canberra bomber, the crew navigated along the Kutch Coast to avoid detection. Reaching Okha, Khan and Ahmad executed a low-altitude bombing run, releasing nine 500-lb bombs, which resulted in a direct hit on fuel and ammunition storage. The successful attack disrupted Indian missile boat operations, as a special fuel tank was destroyed, hampering further Indian naval incursions from Okha.

Aftermath

The Okha Port Raid inflicted substantial damage on Indian naval infrastructure, with fires visible from distances up to 60 nautical miles. The Indian missile boat operations from Okha were subsequently curtailed. Four days later, reconnaissance by PAF F-104 Starfighters confirmed that the base was still smouldering.

The Indian Official History of the 1971 Indo-Pak War notes, “two air attacks were also carried out on Okha and some fuel tanks were set ablaze, thereby denying the missile boats any further use of this port as a forward base.”