PNS Zulfiqar (K265)

History
United Kingdom
Name	HMS Deveron
Builder	Smith's Dock Co Ltd
Laid down	16 April 1942
Launched	12 October 1942
Commissioned	2 March 1943
Fate	Transferred to India as HMIS Dhanush in 1945
India
Name	HMIS Dhanush
Commissioned	1945
Decommissioned	1947
Fate	Transferred to Pakistan as PNS Dhanush
Pakistan
Name	PNS Zulfiqar
Namesake	Sword
Builder	Smiths Dock Co. in South Bank in England
Laid down	16 April 1942
Launched	12 October 1942
Identification	Pennant number: F265 changed to F262 in 1963
Fate	Damaged beyond repair December 1971. Scrapped in 1983[1]
General characteristics
Class and type	River-class frigate
Displacement	1375 tons (standard) 2100 tons (full load)
Length	91.9 m (301 ft 6 in)
Beam	11.2 metres (37 ft)
Draught	3.8 metres (12 ft)
Propulsion	2 × Admiralty 3-drum boilers, 2 shafts, reciprocating vertical triple expansion, 5,500 ihp (4,100 kW)
Speed	20 kn (37 km/h) maximum
Range	6,000 nmi (11,000 km)
Complement	150, 20 officers, 130 enlists
Armament	Guns: 1 × 4in Mk. 2 × Bofors 40 mm

PNS Zulfiqar was a River-class frigate of the Pakistan Navy, originally built for the Royal Navy during the Second World War as HMS Deveron. Zulfiqar was damaged beyond repair by friendly fire from aircraft of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) which mistook her for a missile boat of the Indian Navy during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971.^[2]

Following service in the Second World War, Deveron was transferred to the Royal Indian Navy in 1945 and was renamed HMIS Dhanush.^[3] On Partition she was transferred to the Royal Pakistan Navy and converted into a survey vessel, as well as being renamed Zulfiqar.^[4] The conversion meant the rear 4-inch gun was removed. Her pennant number was changed from F265 to 262 in 1963.^[5]

In June 1953 she attended the Coronation Review of Queen Elizabeth II at Spithead.^[6]

She was decommissioned in 1983.

Osa missile boat

Zulfiqar (K265)

The Osa-I class missile boat (left) and Zulfiqar (K265) (right). Pakistani naval observers failed to identify their own larger ship despite difference in sizes that led to a serious incident of friendly fire by the Pakistan Air Force.

The Pakistan Navy, on high alert as a result of the first missile attack (Ops: Trident), raised a number of false alarms in the ensuing days about the presence of Indian Navy vessels off Karachi. One such false alarm was raised by a PIA Fokker Friendship reconnaissance aircraft carrying naval observers, in the early hours of 6 December 1971 which reported a Pakistan Navy frigate as a missile boat of the Indian Navy, in the area west of Cape Monze on the Pakistani coast.^[2]

The Pakistan Air Force, giving air support to the Pakistan Navy at Karachi, had received the report. Clearance was given to attack by Cdre. A. W. Bhombal from the Pakistan Navy.^[2]

At 0645 hrs, the F-86 jets were scrambled which strafed the vessel before it was identified as the Pakistan Navy's own frigate Zulfiqar.^[7] During the aerial attack Zulfiqar was hit by more than 900 rounds of .50 caliber ammunition, killing several officers and men, with many more injured.^[8] The air attack on Zulfiqar was halted after frantic efforts by her crew to identify their ship as a Pakistan Navy vessel finally succeeded.^[2]

The incident was monitored by the Indian Navy on radio and revealed the following points:

• First, the incorrect identification and attack happened in spite of Zulfiqar's being anchored. This showed that PAF pilots could not clearly distinguish a frigate from a missile boat.
• Second, it showed the fear that the Pakistan Navy had of India's missile boats.

This incident vindicated the decision to proceed with second missile attacks (Ops: Python), which was being debated after a PAF attack on Okha on the night of 5/6 December 1971. It also prompted the Pakistan Navy to withdraw the Pakistan combat fleet closer to the Pakistan's shore.^[2]

The shelling of Zulfiqar was a matter of interservice conflict between the Navy and the Air Force, in which the Air Force alleged the Navy was disregarding the "sense of camaraderie".^[7] Responding to this incident, the PAF contested the claims made by the Indian Navy by holding Cdre. Bhombal responsible for giving the clearance when the Air Force's Board of Inquiry reportedly quoted: "[the] Navy unfortunately seems to have forgotten the sense of camaraderie and air support which was provided from the scarce resources with readiness."^[7]

• Colledge, J. J.; Warlow, Ben (2006) [1969]. Ships of the Royal Navy: The Complete Record of all Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy (Rev. ed.). London: Chatham Publishing. ISBN 978-1-86176-281-8.