HMS Cadiz (D79) was a Battle-class

Battle class destroyer

The Battle class were a class of destroyers of the British Royal Navy and Royal Australian Navy . Built in three groups, the first group were ordered under the 1942 naval estimates. A modified second and third group, together with two ships of an extended design were planned for the 1943 and 1944...

 destroyer

Destroyer

In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...

 of the Royal Navy

Royal Navy

The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...

. She was transferred to the Pakistan Navy

Pakistan Navy

The Pakistan Navy is the naval warfare/service branch of the Pakistan Armed Forces. Pakistan's Navy is responsible for Pakistan's coastline along the Arabian Sea and the defense of important civilian harbors and military bases...

 in 1956, and commissioned as PNS Khaibar.

PNS Khaibar was sunk off her home port of Karachi

Karachi

Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...

 by 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...

 missile boat

Missile boat

A Missile Boat is a small craft armed with anti-ship missiles. Being a small craft, missile boats are popular with nations interested in forming an inexpensive navy...

, 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

Battle of Salamanca

The Battle of Salamanca saw Anglo-Portuguese and Spanish armies under the Duke of Wellington defeat Marshal Auguste Marmont's French forces among the hills around Arapiles south of Salamanca, Spain on July 22, 1812 during the Peninsular War....

. Cadiz was built by Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company

Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company

The Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company, Limited was a British shipbuilding company in the Govan area on the Clyde in Glasgow. Fairfields, as it is often known, was a major warship builder, turning out many vessels for the Royal Navy and other navies through the First World War and the...

. She was launched on the on 16 September 1944 and commissioned on the 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

HMS Sluys (D60)

HMS Sluys was a Battle-class destroyer of the Royal Navy . She was named in honour of the Battle of Sluys which occurred in 1340 during the Hundred Year's War, and which resulted in a decisive English victory over a French fleet. Sluys was built by Cammell Laird of Birkenhead...

, escorted the carrier HMS Vengeance

HMS Vengeance (R71)

HMS Vengeance was a Colossus class light aircraft carrier built for the Royal Navy during World War II. The carrier served in three navies during her career: the Royal Navy, the Royal Australian Navy , and the Brazilian Navy .Constructed during World War II, Vengeance was...

 to Norway

Norway

Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...

, 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

HMS Vanguard (23)

HMS Vanguard was a British fast battleship built during World War II and commissioned after the end of the war. She was the only ship of her class and was the biggest, fastest and last of the Royal Navy's dreadnoughts, and the final battleship to be launched in the world...

, 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

Fleet Review, Royal Navy

A fleet review is a traditional gathering of ships from a particular navy to be observed by the reigning monarch or his or her viceroy, a practice allegedly dating back to the 15th century. Such an event is not held at regular intervals and originally only occurred when the fleet was mobilised for...

 to celebrate the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth

Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom

Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...

. Cadiz was positioned in the middle of her sister-ships St. James

HMS St. James (D65)

HMS St. James was a Battle-class destroyer of the Royal Navy. She was named in honour of the Battle of St. James Day which took place in 1666....

 and Solebay

HMS Solebay (D70)

HMS Solebay was a Battle-class destroyer of the Royal Navy . She was named after the Battle of Solebay which took place in 1672 between an Anglo-French force and the Dutch Navy during the Third Anglo-Dutch War. Solebay was built by R. & W. Hawthorn, Leslie & Company Limited on the Tyne...

. That 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

Pakistan Navy

The Pakistan Navy is the naval warfare/service branch of the Pakistan Armed Forces. Pakistan's Navy is responsible for Pakistan's coastline along the Arabian Sea and the defense of important civilian harbors and military bases...

, and commissioned as PNS Khaibar.

The sinking of PNS Khaibar

During the Indo-Pakistan War of 1971, 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...

 launched a fast naval strike on the Pakistani Naval Headquarters of Karachi

Karachi

Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...

. On the night of 4 December 1971 as a part of Operation Trident, a task group consisting of 3 Vidyut class missile boat

Vidyut class missile boat

The Vidyut class missile boats of the Indian Navy were an Indian variant of the Soviet Osa I class.These vessels formed the illustrious 25th "Killer" Missile Boat Squadron, which sunk 2 destroyers, a minesweeper and various other vessels of the Pakistan Navy during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971.-...

s from the 25th "Killer" Missile Boat Squadron , escorted by two Petya class frigates

Petya class frigate

The Petya Class was the NATO reporting name for a class of light frigates built for the Soviet Navy in the 1960s. The Soviet Designation was Storozhevoi Korabl Project 159.-Design:...

, INS Tir

INS Tir

The following ships of the Indian Navy have been named Tir: was a River class frigate of the Royal Indian Navy, transferred from the Royal Navy where she served in World War II as HMS Bann is a training ship of the Indian Navy...

 and INS Kiltan (P79), and two anti-submarine patrol vessels. approached Karachi. At 2150 hrs, when the task group was 70 nautical miles (129.6 km) south of Karachi

Karachi

Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...

, 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

PNS Muhafiz

PNS Muhafiz was an of the Pakistan Navy. It was built by USA for transfer to Pakistan. PNS Muhafiz was sunk by a missile from INS Veer of the Indian Navy during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971.-Operation Trident:...

, 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.