Kasargod Patnashetti Gopal Rao, a Maha Vir Chakra awardee in the 1971 war with Pakistan, died in Chennai on Sunday at the age of 95.
K.P. Gopal Rao, who retired as a commodore, was most famous for leading a small Indian Navy task force comprising anti-submarine patrol ships (called corvettes) and missile boats that attacked Karachi on December 4, 1971. The attack on Karachi, which destroyed ships and also land targets, marked the first occasion in warfare in which guided anti-ship missiles were used against targets on land. Soviet-made SS-N-2 Styx missiles were used in the attack.
The attack on Karachi was made in the face of great odds as both the corvettes and missile boats lacked adequate range and had limited air defence capabilities, which left them vulnerable to Pakistani air attack. December 4 is marked as Navy Day ever since.
"Notwithstanding the threat of enemy air, surface and submarine attack, Commander Kasargod Patnashetti Gopal Rao led his Task Group deep into enemy waters and succeeded in locating two groups of large enemy warships. Despite heavy gun fire from enemy destroyers, and at great risk to our ships and personnel, Commander Rao resolutely pressed home a determined attack which resulted in the sinking of two enemy destroyers and one minesweeper. After the surface engagement with enemy war ships, Commander Rao ordered his Task Group to penetrate deeper into enemy waters and successfully bombarded the port of Karachi setting fire to oil and other installations in the harbour," the Mahavir Chakra citation for him read.
Interestingly, a former Indian Navy vice admiral had revealed that Gopal Rao had differences with commander B.B. Yadav, who was on board the missile boat Nipat during the attack on Karachi. Gopal Rao was on board the corvette Kiltan. In his book Transition to Triumph: History of the Indian Navy, 1965-1975, vice admiral G.M. Hiranandani noted Rao wanted to attack more targets on land, but Yadav had withdrawn without authorisation. Rao was quoted by Hiranandani as saying, "we could have easily fired at least three missiles on shore targets. This excellent opportunity was wasted."
Rao, who was born in November 1926 in Mangaluru, was commissioned into the Indian Navy in 1950. His daughter Tara Rao told The New Indian Express the Indian Navy chief at the time of the 1971 war, S.M. Nanda, had personally tapped Gopal Rao to lead the task force for the attack on Karachi.
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"Admiral Nanda believed that Commodore Rao was the best man to command this offensive operation against Pakistan. The Indian government gave the go-ahead to attack Karachi harbour after Pakistan carried out an attack on India without declaring war. This was the first offensive naval action from the Indian side," Tara told The New Indian Express.
