HMIS Kistna (U46)
Encyclopedia
HMIS Kistna (U46) was a Black Swan class
sloop
which served in the Royal Indian Navy
(RIN) during World War II.
After independence, she was commissioned into the Indian Navy
as INS Krisna.
and commissioned in 1943.
With World War II underway, she was soon deployed for convoy escort duties between the UK
and West Africa
. In November 1943, while escorting a convoy to Liverpool
, the convoy was sighted by German aircraft. Wolfpack Schill
was formed to attack the convoy, which was repelled by the escorts, including HMIS Kistna. HMS Chanticleer (U05) was hit by a torpedo
and took major damage in the attack. A mercantile vessel being escorted was sunk and another damaged by German aircraft with HS 233
glider bombs.
HMIS Kistna was transferred to the Eastern Fleet and continued to escort convoys en route to Bombay. In the Eastern Fleet it continued escort duties in the Persian Gulf
, the Bay of Bengal
and the Indian Ocean
. It supported military operations by the British Indian Army
and the British Army
in Burma.
In December 1944, she joined a task force with HMIS Jumna, HMIS Narbada (U40)
and HMS Flamingo (L18) to support the advance by the Indian Division down the Mayu peninsula in Burma as a part of Operation Romulus.
In January 1945, HMIS Kistna with HMS Phoebe (43)
, HMS Rapid (H32)
and HMS Flamingo, supported the amphibious landings of the Indian 71st Division and the British 4th Division on Ramree Island
in Burma, as a part of Operation Matador
. It continued to provide naval gunfire support as a part of the operation.
After a refit in Bombay, in April 1945, she was part of the amphibious assault group for the Indian 26th Division on Rangoon during Operation Dracula
. Other members of this assault group included HMIS Cauvery (U10)
, HMIS Godavari (U52), HMIS Narbada, HMIS Sutlej (U95)
and HMIS Hindustan.
In July, Kistna was deployed for minesweeping operations to the Malacca Straits during Operation Collie. In August, she conducted preparatory exercises to participate in Operation Zipper
to recapture Malaya
.
At the end of World War II, Kistna was in Penang
during the Japanese surrender there.
After India's independence, she was commissioned into the Indian Navy as INS Krisna. She was a part of the 12th Frigate Squadron, before being used for training purposes. She was decommissioned in 1981 and scrapped.
Black Swan class sloop
The Black Swan class and Modified Black Swan class were two classes of sloop of the Royal Navy and Royal Indian Navy. Thirteen Black Swans were launched between 1939 and 1943, including four for the Royal Indian Navy; twenty-four Modified Black Swans were launched between 1942 and 1945, including...
sloop
Sloop
A sloop is a sail boat with a fore-and-aft rig and a single mast farther forward than the mast of a cutter....
which served in the Royal Indian Navy
Royal Indian Navy
The Royal Indian Navy was the naval force of British India. Along with the Presidency armies and the later British Indian Army it comprised the Armed Forces of British India....
(RIN) during World War II.
After independence, she was commissioned into the Indian Navy
Indian Navy
The Indian Navy is the naval branch of the armed forces of India. The President of India serves as the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy. The Chief of Naval Staff , usually a four-star officer in the rank of Admiral, commands the Navy...
as INS Krisna.
History
HMIS Kistna was ordered under the 1940 Build Programme on 10 September 1941. She was built by Yarrow (Shipbuilders), LimitedYarrow Shipbuilders
Yarrow Limited , often styled as simply Yarrows, was a major shipbuilding firm based in the Scotstoun district of Glasgow on the River Clyde...
and commissioned in 1943.
With World War II underway, she was soon deployed for convoy escort duties between the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and West Africa
West Africa
West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of the African continent. Geopolitically, the UN definition of Western Africa includes the following 16 countries and an area of approximately 5 million square km:-Flags of West Africa:...
. In November 1943, while escorting a convoy to Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, the convoy was sighted by German aircraft. Wolfpack Schill
Wolfpack Schill
Schill was a wolfpack of German U-boats that operated during the battle of the Atlantic in World War II.-Service history:Following the resumption of the assault on the Atlantic convoy routes in the Autumn of 1943, U-boat Control switched the focus of the campaign in October to the Mid-Atlantic...
was formed to attack the convoy, which was repelled by the escorts, including HMIS Kistna. HMS Chanticleer (U05) was hit by a torpedo
Torpedo
The modern torpedo is a self-propelled missile weapon with an explosive warhead, launched above or below the water surface, propelled underwater towards a target, and designed to detonate either on contact with it or in proximity to it.The term torpedo was originally employed for...
and took major damage in the attack. A mercantile vessel being escorted was sunk and another damaged by German aircraft with HS 233
Henschel & Son
Henschel & Son was a German company, situated in Kassel, best known during the 20th century as a maker of transportation equipment, including locomotives, trucks, buses and trolleybuses, and armoured fighting vehicles and weapons....
glider bombs.
HMIS Kistna was transferred to the Eastern Fleet and continued to escort convoys en route to Bombay. In the Eastern Fleet it continued escort duties in the Persian Gulf
Persian Gulf
The Persian Gulf, in Southwest Asia, is an extension of the Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.The Persian Gulf was the focus of the 1980–1988 Iran-Iraq War, in which each side attacked the other's oil tankers...
, the Bay of Bengal
Bay of Bengal
The Bay of Bengal , the largest bay in the world, forms the northeastern part of the Indian Ocean. It resembles a triangle in shape, and is bordered mostly by the Eastern Coast of India, southern coast of Bangladesh and Sri Lanka to the west and Burma and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands to the...
and the Indian Ocean
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
. It supported military operations by the British Indian Army
British Indian Army
The British Indian Army, officially simply the Indian Army, was the principal army of the British Raj in India before the partition of India in 1947...
and the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
in Burma.
In December 1944, she joined a task force with HMIS Jumna, HMIS Narbada (U40)
HMIS Narbada (U40)
HMIS Narbada was a Modified Bittern class sloop, later known as the Black Swan class, which served in the Royal Indian Navy during World War II....
and HMS Flamingo (L18) to support the advance by the Indian Division down the Mayu peninsula in Burma as a part of Operation Romulus.
In January 1945, HMIS Kistna with HMS Phoebe (43)
HMS Phoebe (43)
HMS Phoebe was a Dido class light cruiser of the Royal Navy. She was built by Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company , with the keel being laid down on 2 September 1937...
, HMS Rapid (H32)
HMS Rapid (H32)
HMS Rapid was an R-class destroyer of the Royal Navy that saw service during the Second World War. She was part of Force 68, serving in the Indian Ocean, and later the Pacific. In one operation she was damaged by fire from a shore battery, with 11 killed and 23 wounded. She was towed to Akyab for...
and HMS Flamingo, supported the amphibious landings of the Indian 71st Division and the British 4th Division on Ramree Island
Ramree Island
Ramree Island is an island off the coast of Rakhine State, Burma. The area of the island is about 1350 km². The Battle of Ramree Island took place here for six weeks during January and February 1945, as part of the British Fourteenth Army 1944/45 offensive on the Southern Front of the Burma...
in Burma, as a part of Operation Matador
Operation Matador (1945)
Operation Matador was an amphibious thrust, during the Burma Campaign in January 1945, to capture the strategic port of Kyaukpyu, located at the northern tip of Ramree Island, south of Akyab across Hunter's Bay, as well as the key airfield near the port...
. It continued to provide naval gunfire support as a part of the operation.
After a refit in Bombay, in April 1945, she was part of the amphibious assault group for the Indian 26th Division on Rangoon during Operation Dracula
Operation Dracula
During World War II, Operation Dracula was the name given to an airborne and amphibious attack on Rangoon by British and Indian forces, part of the Burma Campaign. When it was launched, the Imperial Japanese Army had already abandoned the city.-Background:...
. Other members of this assault group included HMIS Cauvery (U10)
HMIS Cauvery (U10)
HMIS Cauvery was a Black Swan class sloop which served in the Royal Indian Navy during World War II.-History:HMIS Cauvery was ordered in 1941 as a part of the 1940 Build Program for the Royal Indian Navy...
, HMIS Godavari (U52), HMIS Narbada, HMIS Sutlej (U95)
HMIS Sutlej (U95)
HMIS Sutlej was a modified Bittern class sloop, later known as the Black Swan class, which served in the Royal Indian Navy during World War II....
and HMIS Hindustan.
In July, Kistna was deployed for minesweeping operations to the Malacca Straits during Operation Collie. In August, she conducted preparatory exercises to participate in Operation Zipper
Operation Zipper
During the Second World War, Operation Zipper was a British plan to capture either Port Swettenham or Port Dickson, Malaya as staging areas for the recapture of Singapore. However, due to the end of the war in the Pacific, it was never fully executed. Some of the proposed landings on Penang went...
to recapture Malaya
British Malaya
British Malaya loosely described a set of states on the Malay Peninsula and the Island of Singapore that were brought under British control between the 18th and the 20th centuries...
.
At the end of World War II, Kistna was in Penang
Penang
Penang is a state in Malaysia and the name of its constituent island, located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia by the Strait of Malacca. It is bordered by Kedah in the north and east, and Perak in the south. Penang is the second smallest Malaysian state in area after Perlis, and the...
during the Japanese surrender there.
After India's independence, she was commissioned into the Indian Navy as INS Krisna. She was a part of the 12th Frigate Squadron, before being used for training purposes. She was decommissioned in 1981 and scrapped.