While the title of the editorial suggests that PNS Ghazi was sunk by Vikrant, the contents within contradict the title, with the Economic Times stating that the submarine was sunk by INS Rajput rather than INS Vikrant.
It is worth noting that both INS Vikrant and INS Rajput lacked anti-submarine warfare capabilities because neither vessel was equipped with sonar during the Indo-Pak war of 1971. According to reports, the INS Rajput carried depth charges.
INS Rajput was an aged World War II destroyer, formerly HMS Rotherham, that was transferred to India in 1948. Given its antiquity and lack of contemporary anti-submarine warfare technologies, it appears unlikely that INS Rajput would have been capable of successfully engaging and sinking a submarine like PNS Ghazi.
Though it still remains a mystery, but it is highly likely that the unfortunate submarine’s sinking was the result of an accident caused by the untimely explosion of a mine during offensive mine-laying operation off Vishakhapatnam. This theory aligns with the known operational history of Ghazi, which had previously demonstrated formidable capabilities that made it Pakistan’s preferred military asset against India.
