The Indian Navy’s 22nd Missile Vessel Squadron, which bombed the Karachi Port and sunk Pakistan Navy’s vessels in the 1971 war, will received the President’s Standard, a rare honour for its distinguished service, in December 2021.
This also marks 50 years of inception of the Missile Vessel Squadron, also known as the ‘Killers’, which over the past five decades has maintained the capability of delivering a credible offensive punch from the sea.
Based in Mumbai, the Missile Vessel Squadron has participated in the Operation Vijay, Operation Parakram and most recently, during the heightened security state following the Pulwama attack, it was deployed within striking distance off the Pakistan coast.
The 22nd Missile Vessel Squadron was formally established in Mumbai in October 1991 with 10 Veer Class and three Prabal Class missile boats.
But, the genesis of the ‘Killers’ dates back to 1969, with the induction of OSA I Class missile boats from the erstwhile USSR to bolster the Indian Navy’s strength, the official said.
These missile boats were transported to India on heavy lift merchant ships and commissioned in early 1971 in Kolkata. They were deployed on a crucial mission in the very first year, during the Indo-Pak war in 1971 and they played a decisive role in its outcome, he said.
On the intervening night of December 4-5, 1971, the youngest warriors of a young Indian Navy drew first blood when they launched a devastating offensive on the Pakistan Navy.
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