HMS Cadiz (D79)

HMS Cadiz (D79) was a Battle-class destroyer of the Royal Navy. She was transferred to the Pakistan Navy in 1956, and commissioned as PNS Khaibar.

PNS Khaibar was sunk off her home port of Karachi by the Indian Navy missile boat, INS Nirghat (K89) during the Indo-Pakistan War of 1971.

History in the Royal Navy
She was named after the Battle of Cádiz, in which the French besieged the British- and Allied-controlled town in 1810, which was eventually lifted in 1812 after the French defeat at the Battle of Salamanca. Cadiz was built by Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company. She was launched on 16 September 1944 and commissioned on 12 April 1946.

Upon her commissioning, Cadiz joined the 5th Destroyer Flotilla, part of the Home Fleet. In 1947, Cadiz, along with her sister-ship Sluys, escorted the carrier HMS Vengeance (R71) to Norway, where the small group visited a variety of ports in the Scandinavian country. In 1950, Cadiz along with many other vessels of the Home Fleet, including three aircraft carriers and the battleship Vanguard, undertook a Spring Cruise, visiting the Mediterranean where they performed a number of naval exercises as well as visiting a variety of ports in the region. In 1953, Cadiz took part in the Coronation Review to celebrate the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth. Cadiz was positioned in the middle of her sister-ships St. James and Solebay. In the same year, Cadiz was placed in Reserve.

History in the Pakistan Navy
In 1956, her Royal Naval career came to an end when she was transferred to the Pakistan Navy, and commissioned as PNS Khaibar.

The sinking of PNS Khaibar
During the Indo-Pakistan War of 1971, the Indian Navy launched a fast naval strike on the Pakistani Naval Headquarters of Karachi. On the night of 4 December 1971 as a part of Operation Trident, a task group consisting of 3 Vidyut class missile boats from the 25th "Killer" Missile Boat Squadron (INS Nipat (K86), INS Nirghat (K89), and INS Veer (K82)), escorted by two Petya class frigates, INS Tir and INS Kiltan (P79), and two anti-submarine patrol vessels. approached Karachi. At 2150 hrs, when the task group was 70 nmi south of Karachi, they detected Pakistani naval vessels. INS Nirghat launched 2 SS-N-2 Styx missiles on the largest target, which was PNS Khaibar, 45 miles to its northwest. Both missiles struck the destroyer, sinking it. Khaibar went down with most hands on board. A Pakistani minesweeper, PNS Muhafiz, was also sunk and another destroyer, PNS Shahjahan was severely damaged. The missile boats then hit the fuel storage tanks at Karachi harbour, setting them ablaze.