Courtesy: PN History Cell

The first Agosta Submarine for Pakistan Navy was constructed at Names, France by Dubigeon Normandie. The submarine was originally contracted for South African Navy, however due to UN embargo on arms sale to South Africa, the submarine was sold to Pakistan Navy. The keel was laid on 15 September 1976 and the submarine was launched on 14 December 1977. After completing harbour and diving safety trials, the sub-marine was commissioned as PNS/M HASHMAT by Admiral M Shariff , the then Chief of the Naval Staff, on 19 February 1979 at Lorient, France and allotted Pennant No S-135. Commander (later Vice Admiral) Abaid Ullah Khan PN was appointed its first Commanding Officer. Later, sea trials were conducted at Toulon. After successful completion of sea trials, PNS/M HASMAT sailed for Pakistan on 1 October and arrived Karachi on 30 October 1979.

PNS/M HASHMAT has remained the offensive punch of Pakistan Navy and participated in various major / mul-tinational exercises includ- ing SEASPARK, NASEEM-AL-BAHR, TAMMAR-AL-THAYYAB and deployments in the Mediterranean Sea, the Red Sea, the Persian Gulf and Sri Lanka over a period of time. In addition to her special tasking, PNS/M HASHMAT conducted a number of independent deployments / patrols and

exercises with other PN Units to enhance the training of its crew and provided training op portunities to the PN Fleet Units as well.

JANUARY 2014

Public RelationsDirectorate (Navy)

N a v a l H e a d q u a r t e r s I s l a m a b a d

T e l : 0 5 1 - 2 0 0 6 2 7 8 2F a x : 0 5 1 - 2 0 0 6 2 3 6 4d p r - n a v y @ p a k n a v y . g o v . p k

Editor-in-Chief: Cdre Ir fan-ul-Haque SI (M)

Editors:

Cdr Zakir Hussain Khan PN Lt Cdr Nazia Iqbal PNLt Zaheema Iqbal PN

Graphic Designers:Sehrish KamranFayaz Ahmed Abbasi

Editorial Assistant: Ghulam Ali SaqiAyaz Ahmed

Composing: Majid Nawaz

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Printed at Instant Print System (Pvt) Ltd.

Maritime Missteps An article by Rear Admiral (Rtd) Pervaiz Asghar

Naval Chief visits coastal installations

PN FLEET annual Efficiency Competition Parade

NAVY NEWS

Contents

-P3

Security- Facts & Fallacies An article by Capt Gulzar PN -P14/15

-P6/7

PNS KHAIBAR on goodwill cruise

-P12Retirements /Promotions

PN year of Training - Closing Ceremony

Captain Nemo & me An article by Captain Javed Iqbal PN

Vol. 27 Issue 1

CNS message on PN Submarine Force Golden

Jubilee year 2014 -P2

-P4/5

-P8/9Exercise ITTEHAD/

SEAHAWK-2 -P10

Steel Cutting Ceremony of 12 Ton Bollard Pull Pusher Tug

-P11

-P13

Navigation through changing environmentAn article by Lt Cdr Asghar Ali -P16/17

-P18

2 January 2014nav y n e w s

On the occasion of the Golden Jubilee of Pakistan Navy Submarine force, I congratulate the Submarine squad-ron and all the submariners for rendering meritorious services in maritime defence of the country. Right from its inception in 1964, the submarine service made the na-tion proud by confining Indian Navy fleet inside harbour in 1965 war. PN submarine Hangor kept up the tradition by sinking INS Khukri and crippling INS Kirpan during 1971 war, this being first major action by any submarine after the World War-II.

PN Submarine force provides the Navy the much need-ed deterrent capability as well as the offensive punch so needed to thwart the nefarious designs of our enemy. We remain committed to the development of the sub-marine force and take it to new heights of glory in times to come.

As we celebrate the Golden Jubilee, I acknowledge the services and sacrifices made by Pakistan’s Subma-rine force towards impregnable defence of the motherland. I am confident that the legacy of honour, courage and pro-fessionalism of veterans will continue to inspire the younger generation of submariners in days to come.

I wish the submarine service best of luck in their professional pursuits. May Allah be our protector and benefitor.

C O M M a n D s u P DaT e s 3nav y n e w sJanuary 2014

Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Muhammad Asif Sandila vis-ited installations in coastal areas of Pasni, Gwadar and Ormara. Commander Coast Rear Admiral Arifullah Hussaini accompa-nied the Naval Chief.

During his visit, the Admiral was given a briefing on the opera-tional preparedness and earthquake relief efforts undertaken by Pakistan Navy at Awaran.

Later, the Naval Chief interacted with the officers and men and lauded the operational preparedness of units ashore and deployed at sea for coastal defence of the country. He also emphasized on the synergy between the departments em-ployed along the coast for coastal security. He said that due to challenges faced on maritime front, operational prepared-ness is our priority. The Admiral highlighted the importance of Gwadar Port and marked as vital for the growth of national economy. He added that all possible support will be provided by Pakistan Navy for making Gwadar an operational port.

4 nav y n e w sJanuary 2014 a D M I r a L’ s L O G

The maritime domain is a fascinating one. Just as there are maritime marvels enveloped in its folds, it also fea-tures equal doses of maritime missteps. The recent case studies which follow will hopefully enable the readers to get a better feel of recurring tragedies in its hostile envi-ronment.

A 60-meter long Japanese fishing vessel, the R y - on-Un Maru, moored in the Aomori Prefecture

awaiting to be sold, was washed away by the March 2011 tsunami. This vessel was among

the 1.5 million tonnes of debris thrown out into the sea by the force of the tsunami. It thereafter kept on drifting in the Pacific Ocean as a ghost ship till it was spotted nearly an year later by a routine Royal Ca-

nadian Air Force air patrol about 150 miles off the coast of Brit-ish Columbia. Attempts

by a Canadian fishing vessel, the Berenice C, to salvage the

derelict vessel and tow it away failed, leaving the field open to the US

Coast Guard to deal with it as the vessel had entered US waters

by this time. Be-ing without

lights, the v e s s e l

was al-

ready an hazard to navigation, and hence a deci-sion was made to sink it before it runs aground, which action was immediately carried out while the stricken vessel was still 150 miles away from land.

A five year old Bahamian-flagged post-Panamax container ship, the MOL Comfort, bound for Jed-dah with a cargo of 4382 large containers, sudden-ly broke into two on 17 June ’13 about 200 miles off the coast of Yemen, when confronted with heavy seas. Its 26 man crew were forced to abandon ship, being subsequently rescued by another ship di-verted to the scene by the area’s safety coordina-tor. Remarkably though, both sections remained afloat with the majority of the cargo intact. Four ocean-going tugs arrived at the scene a week later to tow the two sections to safety. The stern section proved difficult to tackle as water started ingress-ing two days later resulting in its sinking. The tow of the bow section was however in progress when on 6 July a fire broke out in its rear part resulting in its sinking also five blazing days later. The sink-ing of both the sections was a double tragedy as it hampers the efforts of the investigators to get to the bottom of the causes underlying the accident as well as the fire.

A luxury liner MV Costa Concordia carrying 4229 people on board struck a reef off the Island of Gi-glio, Italy in January 2012, resulting in the loss of 32 lives. The disaster reportedly occurred because of the Captain’s decision to alter course nearer to land in order to carry out a sail past close to the coast in deference to the wishes of his Maitre d’ who happened to be a resident of the Island and presumably to impress his Moldavian dancer friend (reportedly travelling without a ticket), both of whom were present on the bridge at the fateful time. While deviating from the ship’s computer-programmed route for this manoeuvre, the Cap-tain appeared smug in his knowledge of the sea-bed but panicked when he saw waves breaking on the Le Scole reef. The ship’s abrupt turn thereafter resulted in swinging the side of the hull into the reef, leaving a large irreparable gash. The vessel started listing by 20 degrees to starboard with the

a D M I r a L’ s L O G 5nav y n e w sJanuary 2014

An article by Rear Admiral (Rtd) Pervaiz Asghar

angle of heel increasing to 70 degrees by the time the ship came to rest. The water flooded the Engine Room causing a loss of propulsive power as well as a power blackout. As the Captain calmly ordered dinner, worried passengers reportedly contacted the Coast Guard which rushed to evacuate the pas-sengers via helicopters. Cognizant of the gravity of the situation, many crew members began readying lifeboats and moving passengers long before the Abandon Ship order was given, which while help-ing to save countless lives also ironically laid them open to charges of mutiny. The collision occurred around 21:42, the vessel came to rest by 22:44 and less than an hour later while the evacuation of pas-sengers was still underway, the Captain bolted, claiming later that he had fallen down into the life-boat and couldn’t climb back again owing to the ship’s list. A Coast Guard official could be clearly heard repeatedly abusing the Captain and order-ing him back to the vessel for taking charge of the evacuation. The ship subsequently sank and it took almost 10 months of painstaking salvage work to just pull it upright. Permission was then taken to open the hundreds of cabin safes, which were pre-viously inaccessible, to enable the possessions to be handed over to their rightful owners. The next step is to salvage the wreck to be sold as scrap.

A cargo ship Delta Mariner, with a contract pilot on board was making its way up the Tennessee river when it suddenly struck a bridge and tore down a 322 ft section of the span. The pilot had surprising-ly manoeuvered the ship towards the one lighted span, without anyone on the ship wondering why none of the other spans in a multi-span bridge were visible. While the white warning lights on the bridge had been out for several years and the other lights too had gone out a few days prior to the inci-dent, the tragedy could still have been averted had the electronic charts available been consulted.

A fire broke out in the engine room of a cruise lin-er, the Carnival Triumph, leaving the ship dead in the water and the 3000 odd passengers on board stranded at sea in the Gulf of Mexico. Living con-ditions became absolutely deplorable, as apart from the lack of propulsion, essential services like air-conditioning, lighting, toilets, food preparation

and for a time running water, became disrupted. Five days were passed in absolute misery till the ship was eventually towed to a US port( Mobile, Ala).

A freighter was sailing under the Jefferson Avenue bridge on the river Rouge in Detroit when the draw-bridge, which was being lifted, dropped down sud-denly without warning on top of the passing ship. The drawbridge operator was administered a breathalyzer test and subsequently arrested after she flunked the test.

A 21 yr old Filipino crew member aboard a Japanese car carrier went into premature labour when the ship was some 100 miles off the coast of California. An ur-gent request for medical assistance resulted in the winching on board of a surgeon and a midwife by a US Coast Guard helicopter, which ensured a safe birth.A derelict and abandoned cruise ship. the MV Lyubov Orlava, lies adrift in the North Atlantic since the past year or so. The story began with the seizure of the ship by the Canadian Authorities as part of a lawsuit by a cruise operator against its Russian owners. After two years, during which time the ship kept rusting in its berth in St John’s, a private entrepreneur purchased it for $275,000 in a Federal Court process. A family friend thereafter took over the payments hoping to make a 3 to 4 hundred thousand dollars windfall by selling it as scrap in the Dominican Republic. When the ship finally left the Canadian shore, problems began soon enough: the towing cable snapped, leaving the ship stranded in international waters. A supply vessel engaged in the offshore oil industry managed to briefly take the ship under tow before it drifted off yet again. As the vessel kept drifting towards the European coastline, Canada’s transport authority disavowed any responsibility as the vessel was now under private ownership and had moved beyond the country’s waters.

Pakistan Navy Annual Fleet Efficiency Competition Parade (ECP) for the year 2013 was held at PN Dockyard. Admiral Mohammad Asif Sandila, Chief of the Naval Staff graced the occasion as Chief Guest.

ECP is conducted annually by Pakistan Navy Fleet Command to mark the cul-mination of its operational year in which efficiency shields are awarded to selected Fleet units based on their overall performance throughout the year.

While addressing the officers and men, Admiral Asif commended PN Fleet for successfully achieving the set objectives and accomplishing all the assigned tasks in a befitting manner. He particularly appreciated the Fleet for success-fully conducting Joint exercises with PAF and Pakistan Navy’s Coastal Com-mand which have enhanced inter and intra services coordination for Mari-time Operations. Admiral Asif Sandila emphasized that a professional and a combat ready Navy is a major component of national security and is vital to safeguard the country’s maritime interests as well as economic prosperity.

The Chief Guest further stated that indigenous construction of second Fast Attack Missile Craft and initiation of construction of a Fleet Tanker at KS&EW is a significant step towards self reliance and will aid in enhancing capabili-

ties of local industry. He also mentioned that the in-duction of ATR-72 aircraft, up gradation of SEAKING helicopters and induction of UAVs will significantly enhance the Pakistan Na-vy’s capabilities. The Admi-ral highlighted that despite financial constraints the government is doing its ut-most to provide essential resources to fill in the capa-bility gaps of Pakistan Navy wherever required.

Earlier in his welcome ad-dress, the Commander Pakistan Fleet, Vice Admi-ral Khan Hasham Bin Sad-dique highlighted the Op-erational achievements of the PN Fleet. He stated that during the year 2013, fleet operations were planned and executed with a vi-sion of being “Ever Ready – Com-bat Ready”: a c o m p u l s i o n imposed by prevalent o p e r a -

6 nav y n e w sJanuary 2014 C O M M a n D s u P DaT e

tional environment. He also stated that during the last year, Pakistan Navy has actively participated in several major Maritime exercises including multinational exercises AMAN-13 in Pakistan. Thamar al Ta-yab at Oman, Triton-13 at Australia and Inspired Union in Pakistan be-sides other overseas deployments to Far East, Mediterranean and Black Seas to pursue our foreign policy ob-jectives. He said that participation in such exercises with foreign navies not only enhanced Pakistan Navy’s professional competence but has also contributed towards the diplo-matic objectives of the Government. He said that today Pakistan Navy is well geared up to defend the mari-time interests of country and is bet-ter prepared to thwart all sorts of threats in the maritime domain.

Later the Chief of the Naval Staff gave away the prizes to winning units. A large number of senior serving and retired Naval Officers and men of Pakistan Navy attended the ceremony.

7nav y n e w sJanuary 2014C O M M a n D s u P DaT e

PN year of Training - Closing Ceremony

C O M M a n D s u P DaT e8 nav y n e w sJanuary 2014

Training is the most important peace time activ-ity. We all are familiar with the quotation “The more you sweat in peace, the less you bleed in war”. It is therefore of utmost important that all PN personnel should undergo requisite theoretical and practical training in their respective fields.

In sync with the vision of the Chief of the Naval Staff; year 2013 was designated as, “The Year of Training” with the aim “To enhance the professional standards of PN through better trained individuals and teams in 2013”. The objectives laid down were.

- Professional improvement of the individuals espe-cially the instructors.-Improving professional standards of PN schools and institutes through a systematic process evaluation.- Improving the curriculum of all trades in line with the modern contemporary trends/developments.- Development of documentation related to training.- Technical/workmanship skills.- Improving individual standards in handling emer-gencies like fire fighting, CPR and security.- Ethical training and motivation of all PN personnel.- Physical fitness.

In order to achieve the aim and objectives set out, the Year of Training (YOT) was divided into three phases.

The focus during the first Phase was to reinvigorate the fundamental skills of individuals. During the 2nd Phase, professional and trade wise competitions for officers and men were conducted, thus enhancing the professional acumen of the individual in a com-petitive environment. Having honed the basics and professional skills, the 3rd and culminating Phase, which encompassed sea competitions, provided op-portunity for teams to participate enthusiastically to-wards achieving professional excellence.

Concurrently, the inspection and evaluation of all training schools was also conducted which provided an excellent opportunity to assess the instructors’ quality, review the training methodology and pro-pose a roadmap for achieving further professional excellence.

Series of individual trade wise competitions and indi-vidual/collective professional and sports competitions were held during 2nd and 3rd Phase of YOT. The con-cept in trade wise and professional competitions was to recognize the best individuals (officers, CPOs/Pos &

79nav y n e w sJanuary 2014C O M M a n D s u P DaT e

Ldg/b l e w and civilians) in respective trades/professions. Similarly, the concept for practical sea competitions was based on unit performing best on the day of competition. Sports events were also con-ducted to emphasize the importance of physi-cal fitness. These events provided opportunity to inculcate physical fitness culture amongst PN personnel so as to improve the overall physical fitness standards in PN.

A total of 125 competitions were held through-out the year in which more than 2000 person-nel including officers, CPOs, POs, Ldgs/below and civilians from various branches and trades participated. Amongst these, 373 individuals were awarded with ‘certificate of merit’ and 19 shields/trophies were awarded to units win-ning professional/practical sea competitions. The conduct of these competitions not only generated professional/trade level healthy competitive spirit, motivation and sense of ownership amongst the participants but also provided opportunity to refresh, re-build and re-invigorate their professional knowledge.

In nutshell, the conduct of Year of Train-ing provided an excellent opportunity to critically analyze the training process and functions. It has helped towards identify-ing weak links and also towards further de-velopment of strengths.All commands and training units put in their best for successful conduct of a large number of activ-ities besides their normal yearly commitments.

This h o w e v e r would not have been possible without whole heart-ed and enthusiastic participation of personnel including civilian staff under the respective Admin Authorities.

C O M M a n D s u P DaT e

10nav y n e w sJanuary 2014 C O M M a n D s u P DaT e

Exercise ITTEHAD/SEAHAWK-2 conducted from 16 to 21 Dec 13 was a major field level exercise involving Fleet Command, Coastal Command, Logistic Command, and PAF as-sets. The aim of the exercise was to validate various operational concepts, crystallize Ops/tactical plans and refine Intra PN Com-mands and bi-services (PN-PAF) compo-nents of the PN war plans under prevailing environment.

The exercises provided a valuable opportu-nity to rehearse various offensive and de-fensive concepts for seaward defence and protection of vital SLOCs. PN units were or-ganized into two opposing forces to con-duct different harbour and sea evolutions during stages of the exercise. The profes-sional conduct and display by various seg-ments during the exercise is expected to go a long way in improving PN operational preparedness.

11nav y n e w sJanuary 2014

To strengthen and further augment the time tested and decades-old friend-ship, PNS KHAIBAR made goodwill visit to China, Thailand and Srilanka.

During China’s visit, the Ship’s Com-manding Officer said that the level of cooperation between PLA (N) and Pakistan Navy has enhanced manifold during recent years. Additionally the cooperation and assistance being pro-vided in the field of research and de-velopment by the Chinese industry in order to facilitate defense related joint ventures has also increased in the re-cent past. He further said that the visit will further open new vistas for future cooperation and coordination in the re-gion.During visit COMCOAST a l o n g with Commanding Of- ficer PNS KHAIBAR, Defense Attaché, Naval Attaché and other officers a t t e n d e d interac t ive s e m i n a r

hosted by Shanghai Institute of International Studies.

During the Khaibar ‘s visit Com-manding officer welcomed all guests onboard and while ex-pressing his views said that ex-change of such high level visits between the two countries is a hallmark of this close relationship. The visit of PN ship is a manifesta-tion of ongoing collaboration the further reiterated that brotherly relations between Pakistan and Thailand will grow further and strengthen manifolds in times to come.

During visit to Srilanka, the CO highlighted the importance of PN Ship visit to Srilanka and said that the aim is to further cement the already close bilateral relations between the two countries and

to give further flip to already close ties between the two Na-

vies.

C O M M a n D s u P DaT e C O M M a n D s u P DaT e

12 nav y n e w sJanuary 2014

Steel cutting ceremony of 12 T BT Pusher Tug being constructed for Pakistan Navy, was held at Karachi Shipyard & Engineering Works. Commander Karachi graced the occasion as Chief Guest. The ceremony was attended by high ranking officials / dignitaries from Pakistan Navy, Government Authorities, Corpo-rate Sector and KS & EW.

O n the occasion, the Chief Guest said that se-c u r - ing order for construction of

3 r d tug of same type in span of 2 years

r e - f l e c t s f u l l confi-

dence o f

Pakistan Navy in the ca-

pabilities of Karachi Shipyard for indigenous con-struction of ships meeting stringent quality require-ments. He appreciated the efforts of KS&EW management and workforce for timely completion of all shipbuild-ing, ship repair and general engineering projects.

He assured that Pakistan Navy will con-tinue to provide all support to Kara-chi Shipyard in its en-deavours to become a ma-jor regional shipbuilding hub.

Earlier MD KS&EW, in his welcome address said that steel cutting of this tug has been performed in ad-vance of the contractual timeline and this project has the complete self-sufficiency in construction ac-tivities viz a viz no technical assistance from foreign yard is being sought. He further said that presently KS&EW is undertaking construction of 5 shipbuilding projects which includes 17000 Tons Fleet Tanker, two Fast Attack Missile Craft, one 32 tons bollard pull Tug (which is ready for delivery) and twenty two bridge erection boats for Pak Army.

The pusher tug has 16.89 meter overall length with a gross tonnage of 63 tons. It is fitted with a robust fen-dering arrangement for all round tugging operations for submarines ships and crafts.

I n D I G e n I Z aT I O n

13nav y n e w sJanuary 2014

Recently, Commodore Moazzam Ilyas and Commodore Muhammad Amjad have been promoted to the rank of Rear Admi-rals.

Rear Admiral Moazzam Ilyas was commis-sioned in the Operations Branch of Pakistan Navy in Dec 1984. His notable appointments include Command of Guid-ed Missile Destroyers PNS BABUR & BADR and Fast Attack Missile Boats JALALAT, HIMMAT and HAIBAT. His staff appointments included Assistant Chief of Naval Staff (Operations), Assistant Chief of Naval Staff (Plans) and Chief Staff Officer to Com-mander Pakistan Fleet. He has also served as Naval & Air Attaché at Iran.In recogni-tion of his meritorious services, he has been awarded Sitara-e-Imtiaz (Military). He has been re -appointed as Commander North Navy (COMNOR).

Rear Admiral Muhammad Amjad was commissioned in the Operations Branch of Pakistan Navy in June 1985 and won the coveted Sword of Honour. His Com-mand appointment includes Commanding two Frigates PNS BADR & PNS TARIQ and 18th Destroyer Squadron. His staff appointments include Director Naval Operations at Naval Headquarters and Principal Secretary to Chief of the Naval Staff. The Ad-miral has also performed the duties of Chief Naval Overseer at Shanghai (China).In recognition of his meritorious services, he has been awarded Sitara-e-Imtiaz (Military) & Sitara-e-Basalat. He has also been conferred with the French Medal “Chevalier (Knight)” by Government of France. Presently,he has been appointed as Deputy chief of Naval staff ( Trg & Evaluation)

r e T I r e M e n T s / P r O M O T I O n s

Farewell to Whites Vice Admiral SAYYID KHAWAR ALI HI (M)

retires from serviceIn Honour of your Service, You will be long Remembered!

May you have smooth sailing and following seas.

14 nav y n e w sJanuary 2014

L I T e r a ry

e live in a world that is unbelievably differ-ent from what it was merely 10-15 years ago. The phenomenal growth of technol-ogy has led to proliferation of information and interconnectivity down to the low-est rung of every society. Technology has added variety and comfort to all aspects of our lives. But the grim reality is that all this has a dark side to it as well.

Today, the world is gripped by seemingly endless chaos and crises, more profound-ly than ever before. The very information highway that exposes and connects us to outside world has become the basis of our social, political and communal upheav-als. Boundaries have become blurred and nationalities are becoming increasingly redundant. International bloggers, chat groups, social websites etc wield more in-fluence on individuals than the traditional ethos and values.

All this has impacted on the crime world as well and today criminal gangs oper-ate with remarkable ease transcending all borders and barriers. Non-state Actors and outfits have developed the capacity to defy a state’s authority and wage an up-front and sustained war. Miscreants have become highly inventive and innovative employing unique means and measures to further their designs. The examples of cartridge, underwear and shoe bombs are

very recent incidents which dawn upon us of how cleverly miscreants managed to outsmart the security checks and al-most achieved their objectives.

Security has thus become buzz word to-day and virtually everything is surround-ed by a mist of insecurity. Never before we had heard the terms like; human se-curity, food security, environmental se-curity etc. We need to take stock of this changed reality and adapt our lifestyles at both individual and organizational levels accordingly.

Security cannot be termed as a past time activity. It is a job to be accomplished under all conditions at all times. And be-cause it is a 24/7 activity, security is hard to come by. Working in similar surround-ings with same faces appearing over and over again, monotony sets in the security personnel rather early. Plus the fact that security fundamentally remains a reac-tive activity, you can’t react unless some-thing suspicious happens. The two con-tribute to add to the vulnerability and volatility of a security regime. Thus, we expect more incidents of inadvertent fir-ings, false alarms and even blue on blue cases, when it comes to security.

An effective security regime is a mix of alert & skilled humans, robust technol-ogy and well-worked out procedures.

wAn effective security re-gime is a mix of alert & skilled humans,robust technology and w e l l - w o r ke d out procedures.Over reliance on any one of the component is dangerous as it lopsides the entire regime.

An article by Capt Gulzar PN

15nav y n e w sJanuary 2014

L I T e r a ryL I T e r a ry

Over reliance on any one of the component is dangerous as it lopsides the entire regime. Peri-metric security barrier while on one hand pro-vides near-assured security, also strengthens the resolve and adds to the cleverness of miscreants. The Perimetric Security System although erected at the outermost perimeter of any installation is often taken as the first line of defence whereas infact, it is the last. We must endeavour to quell the threat well before it reaches our perimeter which is achieved through proactively dominat-ing the area beyond while keeping the security system fully functional. Putting it more simple , role of perimeter security is quite like that of a goalkeeper in soccer. The objective is to keep one’s own goalkeeper redundant and keep the game in other half. But we all know, no team ever compromises on the quality of its goalkeeper. Likewise, we cannot afford to compromise on our security perimeter through we would like to keep it redundant.

There is a general tendency to stereotype the se-curity breach based on last catastrophe. Whereas the fact is that miscreants always think ahead of the security managers and devise new ways to surprise them. More so for us in arms, who are quite used to respond as per a pre-defined SOP, the tendency to get fixated on past incident is even harder to go away. Thus a single solution template is not the answer and our security re-sponse must be strong yet flexible enough to ca-ter various eventualities instead of trying to pre-vent the repeat of last breach.

Security is enhanced a million times if an effective intelligence and surveillance mechanism is func-tioning. Intelligence provides us concrete indica-tors much like nature warns us of any impending storm. Alert and smart persons can pick up these and piece together to form a picture. Anyone with a slightest of vigilance and responsibility

is able to do this and does not need any formal training. And it is this attribute which makes se-curity an all-inclusive task instead of confining it to just a few in the unit.

Every one of us has a part to play when it comes to security. Security is indivisible. Its significance is only realized when security is breached but that is rather late and rather little one can do to redress it.

The very information highway that exposes and connects us to outside world has become the basis of our social, political and communal upheavals. Security cannot be termed as a past time activity. It is a job to be accomplished under all con-ditions at all times.

Entering or leaving a ports of call; approaching an an-chorage or a waiting berth; transiting the unknown waters or heavy traffic areas; these are the times when Captain of a ship, irrespective of its size over-all or gadgetry onboard, has to show tough nerves and quick grasp of situation to keep the ship moving and safe, And these are the occasions, when Captain should professionally be assisted by a well quali-fied and experienced person known as the Navigator.

Maritime Navigation is the mother of all forms and mani-festations of navigation in-cluding the black box guid-ing us in our cars from road to road and turn to turn. Imagine the times when sailors want-ed to navigate far away from the coastal features and done away with practices of land-farers for moving from one place to other. Sea-farers started looking for stars, meridians, sea-con-tours and streams.

This led to the practices of Navigators Hand Book, morning and evening star-shoots and fixing, dead reckoning (DR) and updating positioning (FIX), and

all the most important, record keeping and updating books and publications.

Bridge of all the ships, being the control center, will surely have a chart table located conveniently in the center, lit appropriately for day and night, lined beau-tifully with various manuals for easy reference and having convenient access to wings and bridge top for observations and reporting.

Here is the Navigator on bridge and now Captain is relaxed knowing that he need not worry about position of the ship, tide and current, wind and swell, DR and FIX, books and publications, steering and engines, gyros and sound-ers, wings and tops, anchors and ropes, XO or WK, and this and that.

Then here blows the changing winds bringing in screens and gadgets, processors and displays, controllers and autopilots, digits and decimals,defects and breakdowns, accuracy stan-dards and inbuilt errors, accidents and flukes, casual-ties and horrors.

Just remind yourself the incidents happening in suc-cession and with continuity like ship mast breaking

Maritime Navigation is the mother of all forms and manifestations of navigation including the black box guiding us in our cars from road to road and turn to turn.

16 nav y n e w sJanuary 2014 L I T e r a ry

along overhead bridge, passen-ger ferry rising high on shallow ground, oil tanker going off-track and far-off, corvette kissing fish-ing boat, survey vessel surveying shallow areas, and a fast ferry fer-rying along road transport.

What has happened to maritime navigation? Fact remains mari-time navigation has become eas-ier than ever, but not easy enough for all onboard to become naviga-tors. There has to be only one Navi-gator onboard who needs to do it after learning and who learns by doing it.

Present day Navigator should have motivation and acceptance to learn the changing environ-ment; should not be pre-occupied with decimals while forgetting about changing digits on GPS, AIS, displays and consoles; he should zoom out to appropriate scale af-ter zooming in for some details; he should pick and choose the in-puts for computers and setting for displays as appropriate and com-mensurate to the task in land: he

never forgets to use his own judg-ment for co-relation and usage of all the information available; he follows the navigational practices of check and re-check; and above all, he has backing and support of his Captain as was the practice for all known times.

Let’s navigate the ship from port to port and point to point with

same style and safety as has been the hallmark of navigators at sea.

Fact remains that maritime navigation has become eas�ier than ever, but not easy enough for all onboard to become Navigators.

Present day Navi-gator should have motivation and ac-ceptance to learn the changing en-vironment; should not be pre-occu-pied with decimals while forgetting about changing digits on GPS, AIS, displays and consoles.

17nav y n e w sJanuary 2014L I T e r a ry

*The writer has specialized in maritime navi-gation and directions and has been an in-structor for pre- and post-sea courses ashore.

An article by Lt Cdr Asghar Ali

18 L I T e r a ry

nav y n e w sJanuary 2014

o the uninitiated, Captain Nemo has nothing to do with the ‘Find-ing Nimo’ of Disney fame. He is the legendry Captain Nemo, the Commanding Officer of fictional Submarine Nautilus. The charac-ter and the novel “Twenty Thou-sand Leagues Under The Sea” were conceived by Jules Verne way back in 1870. Even though the experimental submarine had been invented much before, it was this novel that romanticized the ‘lean-mean-fighting-ma-chine-the-submarine’ in the gen-eral public’s eyes.

Years before joining the Navy, I came across face to face with Captain Nemo and immediately decided that I would be a sub-mariner like him; independent, fierce yet merciful! It was a long train journey by night and I was so mesmerized by Jules Verne’s novel that I read it in one go.

To cut a long story short there I was in 1993 in COMSUBS office, together with my course mate, having tucked recently earned BWKC under our armpits and pleading that we may be allowed

to sail in the wake of Captain Nemo. Alas! It was not to be!

To my horror and dismay, the interviewer flimsily said that since we had already become Lieu-tenants (having earned plenty months seniority ahead of peers) so tech-

nically they could not take us as trainee! I

learnt later that probably it was one of those times when ‘criteria’ trumps the ‘merit’ and fate takes charge of destiny! Dejected I walked back to my ship, but since then the ancient spirit of Captain Nemo lives on in me.

On the Golden Jubilee of Pakistan Navy Submarine Service I have culled this memory from the ‘sea chest’ to honour my comrades who daily face up to even bigger challenges than Captain Nemo. They are the cutting edge of the sword arm of our Fleet. They are the reason that the Navy exists. In fact, they are the Navy.

They did nation proud in 1965 and 1971. And they remain eager to again take the war to enemy shores. Like the legendary Nau-tilus, they remain ever ready to ‘drill through’ the enemy when the hour strikes. I so wish I could be one of them!

CAPTAIN NEMO & ME!By Captain Javaid Iqbal PN

A Submarine service volunteer recalls the saga of his selection interview that he had ditched!

“On the surface, they can still exercise their iniquitous laws, fight, devour each other, and indulge in all their earthly horrors. But thirty feet below the sea surface, their power ceases, their influence fades, and their do-minion vanishes. Ah, Monsieur, to live in the bosom of the sea! ….There I recognize no master! There I am free!”

– Captain Nemo to Professor Aronnax in “Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea”

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