After nine months of struggle, 16 December 1971 marked the beginning of an independent Bangladesh, free from enemy rule. After being set free, came the daunting task of nation building. The war left many important infrastructures of the country devastated. The country needed all the help it could get as it was suffering from abject poverty and hunger. The world was willing to help with supplies, but Bangladesh was not prepared to receive the help. The principal port of Bangladesh, its lifeline of trade, Chattogram port was not ready to function as a port. It was the same case for Mongla, the other sea port of newly independent Bangladesh. The navigation channels of Bangladeshi sea ports were filled with sea mines and sunken ships. The country needed aid for her ailing population, but it also needed to clear mines and ship-wrecks from the sea as well as the port channels for bringing in the ships of aid.
The History
The sea lines of Bangladesh bore the brunt of the war of 1971. After the conflict broke out on 26 March 1971, the only supply route for Pakistani military machine in her erstwhile Eastern wing was dependent in the sea as the land and aerial routes had to be traversed through India. Although India officially entered the war against Pakistan in December of 1971, it had already sided with the Bangladeshi cause when the conflicts in East Pakistan broke out. A government-in-exile of newly founded Bangladesh was formed and training camps for the freedom fighters were set up inside India. The guerilla attacks of the freedom fighters over the Pakistani regular forces wreaked havoc on the Pakistani military machine, but the Indian strategists, who regularly coordinated with Bangladeshi officers of freedom fighters in the struggle for independence, saw the relentless supply of arms and logistics through the sea kept the Pakistani armed forces up and running in the conflict. In order to crush the fighting capability of Pakistan armed forces in East Pakistan, this supply line had to be disrupted. Thus, the Operation Jackpot was conceived.
Operation Jackpot was one of the most daring naval commando assaults in the history of modern warfare. It achieved the goal of disabling the functionality of Chattogram port. 10 ships docked at the port were destroyed in the attack, including MV Harmuz containing 9,910 tons of weapons, MV Al Abbas containing 10,418 tons of military equipment, and Orient Barge No. 6, which was stationed in the jetty from 9 August containing 6,276 tons of weaponry. The attack shattered the morale of Pakistani military machine and propaganda network, which previously misled world community by saying that there was a state of complete normalcy in the eastern wing. International media covered the bold military operation with special attention.
India lends a helping hand
India officially entered the war on 3 December, 1971 by enforcing a naval blockade at the Bay of Bengal through the deployment of its standard bearer aircraft carrier INS Vikrant. The naval blockade forced the war to its ultimate stage. Incessant aerial bombings by Indian aircrafts sunk much of the Pakistani vessels in the sea and left Chattogram and Mongla ports completely devastated. Prior to the end of the war, Pakistan laid naval mines near the entry points of both Mongla and Chattogram ports to deter the entry of Indian Navy and also food and emergency medical supplies. Prior to the Pakistan Army’s surrender, Pakistan Navy sunk all the remaining ships at the anchorage to completely disable the functionality of both ports. As a result of intense fighting, about 150 ships sank . The ports and channels were partially blocked by submerged ships and the sea route were filled with mines. Describing the status of Chattogram port as a risky one, insurance company Lloyds raised its insurance premium on vessels headed towards Chattogram. This further discouraged shipping lines from coming to Bangladeshi waters.
After the war was over, the newly born country needed rebuilding. The population was on the verge of a famine. However, without repairing the ports, the country would neither be able to receive emergency aid, nor participate in trade. The sea water surrounding the ports was infested by naval mines and sunken ships, which made the navigability around the port risky for any seafaring vessels. Salvaging the port from explosive sea mines and sunken ship debris was an enormous task for Bangladesh at that time as it had very limited naval capabilities. The newly founded Bangladesh even lacked the capacity to make the surrounding waters around the port navigable by removing ship debris and salvaging sunken ships. Moreover, the mines posed fatal threats to the settlements nearby, and on one occasion in 1972, 15 villagers lost their lives in a sea mine explosion and 10 huts burned down. The beloved leader of the nation, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman foresaw the dire scenario that his fellow countrymen would face if the ports were not demined soon. At his urgent request, the Indian Navy got involved in minesweeping operation and salvaging sunken ships.
During late December 1971, India began its operation to clear the waters near the ports with its navy. After surveying the waters, Indian authorities set a timeframe of 3 years to completely eradicate mines and sunken ships from the waters. Through interrogation of captive Pakistani naval officials, Indian authorities learnt about the positions of several mines. By 23 December, 1971, the Indian Navy was able to set the perimeters of the minefields, along the edge of which ships having drafts of up to 4 metres could reach Chattogram port during high tides. Aircrafts from the Indian carrier at the Bay of Bengal bombed those minefields in order to detonate the sea mines. During mid-January of 1972, Indian minesweepers Cannanore and Bulsar were deployed along the Pashur river to clear mines near Mongla port. Minesweeping along Pashur river was apparently easier as most of the mines were triggered when the ships were blown up, and the rest, presumably, self-destructed by a special device installed in the mines. After completing operation near Mongla port, the Indian minesweeping ships were then deployed near Chattogram port.
While clearing the waters near Chattogram port, the Indian navy started to face difficulties. Drifting mines posed constant threats towards ships. On 5 February, 1972, Indian ship Vishwa Kushum was blown apart by one such drifting mine. Several other ships were also struck by these mines in the following days. The minesweeper ship Bulsar getting hit by mines and being towed back to Kolkata took a severe toll on the Indian minesweeping operation. The Indian navy had to face the uphill battle of clearing Chattogram port waters as they had inadequate experience in carrying out such a large minesweeping operation. As a result they began to face similar setbacks more frequently.
Soviet Union agrees to help
Announcement was made from New Delhi that all Indian troops had to leave Bangladesh by 25 March, 1972. As it was now impossible for Indian Navy to complete the minesweeping operation within such a short notice, Bangladesh now had to explore options elsewhere to clear her seas. Indian Navy had to withdraw completely by handing over Chattogram port to Bangladeshi authorities but kept a token presence of few ships for continuing the minesweeping operation. As the token help was not enough, Bangladesh reached out to international community for help through the United Nations. Dhaka also asked for assistance from Soviet leadership; Soviet Union responded to the call by sending in help.
Union of Soviet Socialist Republic or simply Soviet Union was the only veto wielding power of UN that stood tall for the Bangladeshi struggle for independence, supplying financial aid, arms and military equipment through India, which undoubtedly shifted the balance in favour of the freedom fighters. It was also one of the first to come forward with humanitarian aid for the new republic. On 10 February, 1972, Soviet ship Salsk came to Chattogram port with rice followed by Partisan Spark, another ship laden with food aid. Father of the Nation Bangabandhu landed in Moscow on 3 March, 1972. In his mind, among many matters, was the freeing up of the sea waters laden with dangers and obstacles. He met with the then Soviet leader Leonid Breznev, Soviet Premier Kosygin and other important ministers and principle defense officials. During that meeting the Bangladeshi leader requested assistance from Soviet Union regarding demining of Bangladeshi waters and salvaging sunken ships.
The Kremlin duly adhered to the call and on 6 March of the same year and directed the Soviet Pacific Fleet with instructions to urgently prepare an expedition to sweep mines and recover sunken ships from the sea area of Bangladesh. At the same time, a group of Soviet experts went to Chattogram from Moscow on a direct flight, which included navy mine laying personnel and deep sea divers. For almost two weeks, experts surveyed the status of the water around the port using vessels and helicopters in order to draw up a plan for the clearing operation. After the survey, the team submitted a report to Soviet Navy, where they expressed confidence about fully clearing the minefields, but also addressed the difficulty surrounding the submerged vessels. They argued that, since floating cranes made in Soviet Union lifted loads less than one hundred tons, it would almost be impossible to salvage ships weighing more than thousand tons and deeply stuck in the ground. Excessive sediment caused poor visibility underneath water and it would have been futile to engage divers in this situation, where the speed of current averaged around 8 nautical miles.
They concluded that the use of pontoon under such conditions was also impossible. After a 34 hours of long discussion, Bangladesh and Soviet Union reached an agreement on 22 March, where Soviet Union agreed to complete the total clearing and salvaging operation and Soviet Union alone would bear all the costs associated with the tasks. Moscow Naval Headquarters gave the task of the entire operation to the prudent veteran officer Rear Admiral Zuenko.
Zuenko reached Chattogram on 28 March, 1972 with a team of expert engineers. He read the experts’ report and despite the reservations opined by them, Admiral Zuenko, known as a talented Soviet Naval Officer, expressed full confidence in being able to rescue all the submerged vessels. In his quest, he was to be helped by leading specialists of the CHO Research Institute of the USSR Ministry of Defence.
The situation of the Chattogram port was nevertheless a nightmare. Only a daring soul could lead a ship amidst a plethora of piers, funnels, and masts, sunken and damaged ships protruding from the water. And amongst those numerous distractions lurked mines.
Despite the lurking challenges, the Soviet team jumped into action. Chattogram Port Authority fully cooperated with them. On On 2 April 1972, a floating workshop reached the Chattogram port. Upon reaching, the personnel started arranging their tools and machineries. A day later, 22 ships and 700 sailors under the Soviet Pacific fleet reached the port. The vessels included minesweepers, rescue vessels and other assisting vessels. Rear Admiral Zuenko now led an 800 member contingent to conduct a risky and dangerous operation.
Initially, the Soviet team aimed for joint Indo-Soviet minesweeping and rescue operation. However, the move did not succeed as the Indian ships, mostly of British origin, failed to co-ordinate with the Soviet ships. As a result the Indian ships had to be withdrawn completely by November 1972.
The Soviet crews started their work in the midst of unprecedented and indefinite challenges. Minesweeping even under normal conditions is a dangerous task. Here the port was surrounded by trails of destruction. Even the approach roads of the ports were mined. 12 of the 18 anchorage points of the port were destroyed during the war. New land, new weather conditions, and warm water were totally new experiences for the Soviet navy minesweepers and rescue teams. They began to act by touch — to find ships with their hands, to find holes, to navigate in the rubble of ship structures. They worked mainly during the period of the change of the current, when the waters were calm, that is, when there was neither high tide nor low tide. This period lasted 35-45 minutes and changed every 6 hours, four times a day. As a result, only 2-4 hours of a day could actually be used for work daily. Moreover, the sailors could not stay more than 40-45 minutes in the water. They were simply unaccustomed with the hot and humid climate of Bangladesh, which is the polar opposite of the cold climate of Vladivostok. Even the standard of food and living conditions of the war ravaged country was difficult for them to adapt to.
In spite of these harsh conditions and climate, the Soviet personnel carried on with their assigned tasks. Soon, their perseverance started to bear fruits of success. By 27 April, they removed 3 ships weighing around 50,000 tons and freed up three terminals. In order to rescue the debris of sunken ships, Soviet sailors depended on explosions under the sea, which was a very clever technique on their part. But the Karnaphuli river had numerous turnings. Applying such a technique would have damaged the ships. It would have also disturbed the habitats of various sea creatures living under the water. Hence they had to switch to the alternative option of sunken pontoons, which was more labourious, difficult and time consuming. By connecting the debris of ships with the pontoons, the ships were pulled up above with the application of compressed air.
Bangabandhu was deeply involved with the proceedings of Chattogram port operations of Soviet Navy. At the beginning of May, Soviet ambassador Popov informed Admiral Zuenko that Bangabandhu himself wanted to learn about the proceedings from the Admiral. In the personal chamber of Bangabandhu, the Admiral described the professionalism showed by Soviet sailors and the initial success of his crews. The leader of Bangladesh became ecstatic and expressed his earnest gratitude by embracing the Admiral and joyfully mentioned the importance of opening the port soon. At the end of 1972, he again called Zuenko at his official residence and personally gave him some directives on the progress of the work. At the beginning of May, 15,000 tonner tanker Shudarshana Hong Kong made entry to the port, which preserved the initial success of the Soviet operation. Gradually overcoming many hurdles, the Soviet team recovered many ships, like Al Abbas (16,000 tons), Ali Boks (15,000 tons), and so forth. In the process, the Soviet rescuers also pulled out an 8,000 tonner sea going vessel that sunk during the calamitous cyclone of 1960.
The number one priority of the Soviet team was to salvage Shonar Tori, the largest ship that sunk in the Bay. During a UN session, the US representative accused the Soviet Union of intentionally delaying the salvaging of the ship, for which many ships destined towards Bangladesh were not able to reach their destination. Also, the international media were constantly raising suspicions about Soviet activities by publishing fabricated reports on delays, lack of transparency in demining operations, Soviet incapability of fulfilling promises, failure of rescue operations, etc. In order to answer these allegations and critiques, Soviet Union sailors pushed their limits and completed the impossible task on 10 August through sheer determination and commitment. After Shonar Tori was rescued, the Karnaphuli channel became free from submerged vessels.
Soviet divers salvaged battleship Jashore, which sank in 1971. The ship was completely covered by sediment and the rescuers brought the ship back to the surface after 50 tireless days. A Bangladeshi navy official who was present during its rescue operation proudly declared that this ship will be the first battleship of Bangladesh Navy. After serving for 36 years, the ship, which was later renamed BNS Bishkhali, was decommissioned in 2014.
According to the plan, on 2 May, demining operation started along with salvaging of sunken ships. With the ringing of bells, all the ships left anchorage of Chattogram port. There were 4 BT minesweeping ships who took part in the demining operation, each capable of holding 20 anti-mine explosives. They used trailers as tools for neutralising the mines. By July 1972, Soviet sailors were able to completely clean up the channels of Chattogram port. Although there were some mines and sunken ships, the port was able to reopen by 10 July. Western and the UN led experts had assumed that it would take at least 2-3 years to bring back the functionality of the Chattogram port. Soviet professionalism brought back life to the port in just 3 months, and even went on to raising the capacity of the port. Statistics available showed that in June 1972, the port was able to handle 5 lac metric tons more cargo than the amount handled in June 1971.
In October, Soviet divers able to recover 2.2 million metal coins, 70.05 kg of silver and 52.75 tolas of gold from sea, thought to be sunk by Pakistanis.
The end of a long journey
Most of the Soviet ships returned to their home base and main fleet once the navigational channels were cleared, only some ships remained for trawling and carrying out minesweeping and rescue operations. Chattogram port became free from mines by December of 1973. Soviets ships were supposed to leave Bangladeshi waters by that time. But another deal was signed between Soviet Union and Bangladesh, where Soviet Union agreed to take part in rebuilding Chattogram port and rescue more ships till June 1974. The Soviet navy also trained 44 Bangladeshi divers, gifted diving equipment and as a token of friendship, handed over 3 rescue vessels to Bangladesh. Most remarkably, for all these endeavors, Soviet Union did not demand any monetary compensation, a remarkable gesture made by a superpower towards a newborn nation. By first week of March 1974, the last of the Soviet ships departed Bangladesh, thus ending their mission three months in advance. On 12 June, 1974, rest of the remaining Soviet sailors and officials left Bangladesh, boarding MS Khabarovsk towards Vladivostok.
During their two year long stay in Bangladesh, Soviet sailors rescued 26 ships of over hundred thousand deadweight tonnages and sent them to the Bangladeshi ship breaking yards. The ships included 15,000 tonner freighters, coastal and inland vessels, sand vessels, fishing vessels and so forth. Alongside, they were also able to extract 1,900 tons of metal and other sunken objects.
The Soviet campaign of minesweeping will remember a 22 year old young Soviet sailor named Yuri Redkin, who laid down his life while clearing Bangladeshi waters. He lost his life during a rescue operation on 13 July, 1973, where he was taken away by a giant sea wave. He was buried at the compound of Bangladesh Naval Academy. His mausoleum is a solemn reminder of Soviet contribution in securing the economic lifeline of Bangladesh.
Remembering Soviet Union’s contributions
The Soviet Union’s unique contribution of securing the waters of a newly emerged country’s sea ports is a notable chapter in the history of the bilateral relations of Bangladesh and Russia, the successor of Soviet Union. The Soviet sailors defied all odds and biased propaganda and took on a dreaded campaign. In 2013, Bangladesh gave formal reception to the Soviet Navy sailors who took part in the campaign of clearing waters of Bangladeshi sea ports. In the same light, Bangladesh also remembers its supreme leader Bangabandhu, whose visionary leadership was impeccable in asking Soviet Union for assistance with removing the obstacles laid beneath the sea ports of a country once dubbed bottomless basket. After the heinous assassination of Bangabandhu along with his family and the subsequent political turmoil borne out of volatile military regimes, Bangladesh went off track and lost many friendly ties. He had only had three years after independence to restore two of the country’s seaports, which were left devastated, non-functional and buried in a sea of mines. Today, Chattogram port is at the 58th position of the acclaimed Lloyd’s list, an exclusive member of 3 million TEUs container handler port club. All this started when Bangabandhu took a pragmatic diplomatic decision, thus heralding the march of Bangladesh towards its destiny of growth.
