Pakistani submarine, which sank during Indo-Pak war, found off Vizag coast

The wreckage of PNS Ghazi, a Pakistani submarine that sank off the coast of Visakhapatnam on December 4, 1971 during the India-Pakistan war, has been recently discovered by the Indian Navy's newly acquired deep submergence rescue vehicle (DSRV).

The Indian Navy found the wreckage of the submarine at a depth of around 100 metres, nearly 2 to 2.5 km off the coast. The Times of India reported that the Tench-class submarine was earlier part of the United States Navy, where it was known as USS Diablo.

The Indian Navy said it would not touch the submarine out of respect for those who lost their lives.

The drowning of PNS Ghazi was considered one of the major turning points in the Indo-Pakistan war which ended with the creation of Bangladesh in 1972. There were 93 men (82 sailors and 11 officers) onboard the submarine which drowned off the Vishakhapatnam coast.

The Pakistani submarine was dispatched to spy on India's eastern seaboard as well as to attack and sink INS Vikrant. India dispatched its destroyer, INS Rajput, which tracked down PNS Ghazi and dropped depth charges to sink it.

However, the Pakistani military has maintained that the submarine drowned due to accidental explosions.

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