An Odd Indo-Pak Naval Get-Together

Way back in the 1950s and 60s, our Navy used to participate in the annual joint exercises (JET) conducted for Commonwealth navies. The exercises were held off the east coast of Sri Lanka with Trincomalee as the base. Pakistan Navy (PN) also used to participate in JET.

In 1959, I was an officer-under-training with the rank of midshipman, known in the navy as the lowest form of animal life, on board the destroyer Ranjit. Our ship arrived at Trincomalee and secured to a buoy. A big natural harbour, Trinco had a long row of buoys and each destroyer-size ship fastened its head to a buoy with the stern free to swing with the tide and wind. The distance between two buoys was just a little more than the length of the ships.

All was well in normal circumstances when the ships swung in the same direction and the same speed. There were times, however, when due to unpredictable tidal currents, the ships swung in different directions.

One afternoon, our officers were invited for pre-lunch drinks on board a PN ship which was next in line. All our officers including the Captain and the Executive Officer took the ship's boat to go across leaving only the duty personnel, including me, behind. Soon after, our ship started swinging fast in one direction and the Pakistani ship slowly in another, heading for a collision. All the duty personnel were summoned and both ships tried to reduce the force of the impact by throwing out fenders and physically bearing off the other ship by means of oars and wooden spars. Our Captain and officers along with their hosts came on the upper deck of the PN ship watching the unexpected proceedings anxiously but helplessly.

We did succeed in minimising the damage but not in preventing the ships coming together with our heads and sterns in opposite directions! With the ships united head to toe and vice versa, drinks on board the PN ship resumed and extended to lunch. Later, a gangway was put across the ships for our officers who were happy to just walk back instead of having to take a boat. Finally, a tug arrived to separate the ships and put them back in line to restore order.

Back on board, the well-fed officers slept through from around 5 p.m. till the next morning. Vague mutterings were heard suggesting that the drinks had been spiked. Or was it just great Pak hospitality!