SS Al-Abbas was the first major

ship A ship is a large watercraft that travels the world's oceans and other sufficiently deep waterways, carrying cargo or passengers, or in support of specialized missions, such as defense, research, and fishing. Ships are generally distinguished ...

to be built at the Karachi Shipyard in

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

in 1967.Malik, Iftikhar Ahmed, ''History of Pakistan Merchant Navy 1947- 2009'' Karachi 2010 (privately published) pg 6

History

SS Al-Abbas was built for

Muhammadi Steamship Company Limited Muhammadi Steamship Company Limited was one of the oldest locally owned shipping companies in Pakistan until it was nationalised in the early 1970s. History The company was incorporated on 12 May 1947 . In 1949, it became the first Pakistani shi ...

in 1967. She was a cargo vessel plying between

Karachi Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former cap ...

and

Chittagong Chittagong ( /ˈtʃɪt əˌɡɒŋ/ ''chit-uh-gong''; ctg, চিটাং; bn, চিটাগং), officially Chattogram ( bn, চট্টগ্রাম), is the second-largest city in Bangladesh after Dhaka and third largest city in B ...

. She was blown up and sunk on August 16, 1971, during

Operation Jackpot The Operation Jackpot was a codename for three operations undertaken by Bengali ''Mukti Bahini'' in former East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) against the Federation of Pakistan during the climax of the Bangladesh Liberation War.''Surrender at Da ...

in the

Bangladesh Liberation War The Bangladesh Liberation War ( bn, মুক্তিযুদ্ধ, , also known as the Bangladesh War of Independence, or simply the Liberation War in Bangladesh) was a revolution and War, armed conflict sparked by the rise of the Benga ...

. She was berthed at Jetty No. 6 of the Port of Chittagong when Indian-trained commandoes of the

Bangladesh Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...

i guerrilla force,

Mukti Bahini The Mukti Bahini ( bn, মুক্তিবাহিনী, translates as 'freedom fighters', or liberation army), also known as the Bangladesh Forces, was the guerrilla resistance movement consisting of the Bangladeshi military, paramilitary ...

, used

limpet mine A limpet mine is a type of naval mine attached to a target by magnets. It is so named because of its superficial similarity to the shape of the limpet, a type of sea snail that clings tightly to rocks or other hard surfaces. A swimmer or diver m ...

s to blow her up.Report of the High Level Consultants Mission to Bangladesh March/April 1972 pg 172
United Nations Retrieved 3 March 2011

Specifications

* Registry: 18 January 1968Malik, Iftikhar Ahmed, ''History of Pakistan Merchant Navy 1947- 2009'' Karachi 2010 (privately published) pg 8 * Gross tonnage: 6,087 * DWT tonnage: 12,860 * LOA: 486 feet

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Al-Abbas Ships built in Pakistan 1967 ships Economy of Karachi