PNS/M Hangor (S-131) (nicknamed: "Shark") is a diesel-electric submarine that served in the Pakistan Navy from 1969 until its decommissioning in 2006. It is the first submarine to sink a ship after World War II.

Hangor (S131) was the lead ship of her class, designed and constructed by France after a long and complicated negotiation which started in 1966. In 1969, Hangor was commissioned in the Submarine Command (SUBCOM) when she reported back to her home base in Karachi from Paris. Hangor, under the command of Commander Ahmed Tasnim, sank the Indian Navy's , an anti-submarine frigate, with one homing torpedo on 9 December 1971 during the western front of the third war with India in 1971.

This was the only recorded submarine kill after World War II until the Falklands War, when the Royal Navy's nuclear submarine sank the Argentine Navy cruiser . The strategic impact was even more significant as the Indian navy cancelled "Operation Triumph", the third missile attack, which was to be launched on 10 December.

Acquisition and initial deployment

After the second war with Pakistan in 1965, the Indian Navy underwent a rapid modernization and expansion, causing the Pakistan Navy's focus to shift towards strengthening their existing Submarine Command (COMSUBS) due to being unable to acquire fighter jets from the Air Force. Notably, Hangors officers that served in 1971 included:

  • Commander Ahmed Tasnim, the commanding officer.
  • Lieutenant-Commander A. U. Khan, second-in-command and the navigation officer
  • Lieutenant-Commander R. A. Kadri, the electrical officer.
  • Lieutenant Fasih Bokhari, the navigation officer.

The ship's first war-time deployment was in August 1971, gathering intelligence on the Indian Navy and clearing the Manora Island and Ormara Bay in the coastal areas of Pakistan. It was then speculated that the torpedo had missed its target, and the moment Kirpan sensed the torpedo, the captain of Kirpan realized that the ship was under attack turned away at maximum speed from the scene. Kirpan was not sunk but there was a substantial amount of physical damage that led Kirpan to flee the battle scene by turning west towards deep waters.

Hangor moved into searching for survivors in a hope to rescue but Khukri sank in matter of two minutes before Hangor could reach it.

In its memory, Pakistan remembers and celebrates 9 December as Hangor Day.

Honors and awards

In recognition of her service, Hangor was decorated with multiple gallantry and wartime awards and honors. She is regarded in the Navy as having the highest number of operational gallantry awards given to a single warship of Pakistan Navy.

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Hangor has been featured in a number of Pakistani dramas and films. An example of this is the film Hangor S-131. It is featured in the 2026 Indian film Border 2 which is based on different theatres of the Indo-Pakistani war of 1971; Shahid Latif portrays Hangor captain Ahmad Tasnim while Mahendra Nath Mulla, captain of INS Khukri, is portrayed by Ahan Shetty.

See also

  • Timeline of the Bangladesh Liberation War
  • Mitro Bahini order of battle
  • Pakistan Army order of battle, December 1971
  • Evolution of Pakistan Eastern Command plan
  • Operation Searchlight
  • Indo-Pakistani wars and conflicts
  • Operation Dwarka

References