SRI LANKA NAVY BLOG

THE FUTURE - ITS ALL ABOUT BLUE WATER

2009-08-28T09:32:00.000-07:00

THE days of skirmishing in green or brown water is over for the SLN. The world's most operational naval force is looking to its future role.

Having struggled with its baby teeth for a while, the SLN finally grew its fangs and claws. And then went after the Sea-Tigers in a series of spectacular actions whose scale, intensity and tactical brilliance left other much hyped big budget navies stunned, breathless and wanting to know how our lads did it. The world now has to deal with the realization that the Sri Lankans have finally grown up and are big enough to get a real job.

Sri Lanka now has to reclaim our territorial position in the sea lanes of the fastest growing part of the world. While Sri Lanka was combating her internal threats, our maritime borders have begun to shrink as others inched into some of those areas. Now it becomes the responsibility of the Navy primarily to redefine and defend our territory far out to the seas.

Our most successful naval action so far has been accomplished primarily with the use of Offshore Patrol Craft [OPVs] of Indian and US origin. Close in shore combat patrolling is done mainly by a combination of foreign and locally built fast attack craft.

The Sri Lankan Navy today formally commisions the latest additions to her fleet, SLNS Sayurala, a 1160 Ton OPV of Indian origin. Formally named the ICGS Vigraha, she was a Vikram class ship commisioned in 1990 and has been in active duty with the SLN since August 2008. Here are some specifics of this ship.

Length: 74 meters Beam : 11.4 meters Draught: 3.2 Meters
Engines: 2 Diesels of 6200 horse power Range : 8500 nautical miles at 16 knots.

The ship is designed to carry either one Sea King Mk 42B or one HAL Chetak helicopter in addition to a solid hulled fast craft and two inflatables.

While in service with the Indian Navy it was armed with a 30mm automatic cannon and a number of 7.62 machine guns. The Sri Lankan Navy can be expected to come up with their own armaments mix based on changing threat perceptions.

EPILOGUE

2009-06-07T13:57:00.000-07:00

THE END finally arrived for the sea-tigers as the last of them were deployed in one desperate suicidal attempt to rescue the cornered LTTE leadership including the leader of the much feared tamil tiger navy.

The sea-tiger attacking force was allowed to land and then were completely wiped out by well entrenched Sri Lankan Defence forces, who used the distraction to assist the remaining tamil civillians escape from the human shield held in the areas surrounding the bunkers occupied by the LTTE leadership. At least 70 sea-tigers were killed in the final round of fighting on the last day.

The end came for the LTTE leadership swiftly after that. After the last shot of the war was fired sometime either on May 18th or 19th, the sea-tiger leader Soosai's dead body was located along with those of other LTTE leaders in the proximity of a lake.

Sri Lanka will never again allow for any armed group to dominate any part of the country, including our territorial waters.

ENDGAME has come.

ENDGAME FOR THE SEA TIGERS

2009-04-30T19:14:00.000-07:00

ENDGAME is on for the LTTE's land, air and sea borne terrorist hordes. As the combined Sri Lankan Defence Forces sweep through the previously tamil tiger dominated terrain the sea-tigers have succumbed to their devastatingly effective counter terror strategies implemented in a relentless campaign.

The sea-tigers have been virtually wiped out from the Sri Lankan waters as a credible force and even their attempts to launch any naval craft dealt with forcefully not only from the seas, but from land and air as well.

In the most recent such engagement SL Navy destroyed four sea tiger craft including a suicide boat, killing at least 25 sea tigers. These craft never even made it to the waters from where they were hidden in the jungle and were destroyed close to the beach. At least two large sized (40 feet long) attack craft were later found smouldering on their carriages.

In another development, a well designed large sized and high speed suicide craft capable of carrying a large warhead was captured on land. This craft could achieve speeds faster than some of the SLN's Dvora attack craft and could be manuevered from a distance via remote control. With its capability to deliver at least 2000lbs of high explosive in a high speed ram against any vessel, it could have been designed to strike a major naval target of the SLN.

WHERE CAN A TERRORIST GO THESE DAYS

2009-04-01T16:46:00.000-07:00

THE sea tigers apparently don't want to go without a fuss. A few days ago, a 4-5 boat sea tiger flotilla tried to approach the government dominated areas in Mullaitivu by mingling among a group of other boats carrying civillians.

These were spotted and engaged by a few navy Rapid Action boat squadron craft which the tigers managed to repulse. Soon other Navy gunboats arrived on the scene and after protracted fighting destroyed all the sea tiger boats, killing at least 26 tigers along with a top ranker.

The navy is currently engaged in a multi-pronged offensive, maintaining a four tier surveillance zone around the Mullaitivu sea coast, ferrying men and material for the SLDF and also providing cover for the civillians escaping from the human shield of the tigers. Special boat squadron troops of the navy also conduct commando operations together with army special ops groups on many fronts.

LET OTHER NATIONS LEARN FROM THE SLN

2009-02-28T09:20:00.000-08:00

Other nations Could Learn from Sri Lanka Navy’s Fight Against the Tamil Tigers
(London, 27th February 2009) –by Tim Fish

Tim Fish, IHS Jane’s maritime reporter, visited Sri Lanka in January to examine the Sri Lanka Navy’s contribution to the defeat by government forces of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) – a contribution that has been almost completely ignored by western media outlets.

In a feature for Jane’s Navy International, Tim Fish reports: “ Bringing the conflict to a conclusion after 30 years of war would not have been possible without the Sri Lanka Navy (SLN)”.

In order to counter the LTTE and its Sea Tiger cadres, the SLN developed three categories of small craft and associated warfighting tactics as part of a Small Boats Concept, which was a major turning point in the progress of the war against the separatist organisation. The Small Boats Concept effectively copied the Sea Tigers’ asymmetric tactics, but on a much larger scale.
With rudimentary shipbuilding facilities, Sri Lanka manufactured 150 or more of these small Inshore Patrol Craft (IPCs) and employed them in infantry-style tactics to gain the ascendancy over swarms of Sea Tiger attack craft and suicide boats.

However, as well as operating in littoral waters, the SLN proved that it could also take the fight to the LTTE far over the horizon, sinking eight warehouse ships up to 2,000 n miles from Sri Lanka.

Tim Fish says that other navies would do well to study the SLN’s modus operandi, in particular its development of strategies for defeating a modern four-dimensional insurgent group employing asymmetric tactics on land, in the air, on the seas and underwater.

“Internationally, maritime terrorism is a new threat that is developing in the Indian Ocean,” Fish writes. “While the conflict with the LTTE is approaching its conclusion, the application to extend Sri Lanka ’s Exclusive Economic Zone and the discovery of oil resources means that the SLN will play a vital role in the reunified country’s future maritime strategy.”

IHS Jane’s is an IHS Inc (NYSE: IHS) company.

SEA TIGER SOOSAI SURVIVES. BARELY...

2009-02-11T15:08:00.000-08:00

CONTRARY to previous information, sri Lankan Military Intelligence now believes that Soosai survived the attack and is critically injured nevertheless.

MI also reports that the LTTE leader and 11 of his top deputies are holed up in the area cordoned off by the SL forces. The LTTE is also engaged in a desperate effort to hold the remaining civillians as a human shield and have repeatedly used lethal force to stop those who attempt to make a break into government controlled areas. Yesterday 19 civillians were massacred by LTTE goons and a large number injured for attempting to move out.

LAST SEA-TIGER BASE OVER-RUN, LEADER KILLED

2009-02-07T15:31:00.000-08:00

SLA's 55 Division led by Brig. Prasanna de Silva over-ran the last base of the sea-tigers, effectively debilitating the chapter on sea-borne terrorism on Sri Lankan soil.

In a rather well timed air strike, the sea tiger leader Soosai and approx 12 other terrorist leaders have been reportedly killed by the SLAF. Earth moving equipment which rushed to the scene of the attack were later engaged by the SLAF as well.

This could very well mean the end of the Sea-tigers as a credible force in Sri Lankan waters.

NAVY HUNTS LTTE LOGISTICS VESSELS

2008-12-28T16:53:00.000-08:00

Even though the SLN located and destroyed this vessel and four other escort boats of the LTTE, it is believed that the Tigers managed to unload at least half of the weapons carried on board before the encounter.

The LTTE's enhanced fire power in display since then is attributed to this shipment.

In the meantime, MI reports that the Sea-Tiger leader Soosai has refused to engage naval units in combat and the logistical functions are currently handled by a group still loyal to the LTTE leader Velupillai.

In further proof of splits in the terror outfit, the LTTE's intelligence head and former heir apparent Pottu Amman has been side lined. Other reports say that Balraj, another accomplished terrorist who supposedly died a natural death a few months ago was also assasinated before he could defect with a large number of cadres. Sri Lankan Military Intelligence had apparently been instrumental in turning him, as they did with Karuna.

THE NAVY TAKES ANOTHER GUN RUNNER OUT

2008-12-28T16:37:00.000-08:00

This fast moving LTTE weapons transport made a run for it, but didn't quite make it past the SLN's accurate gunnery.

URGENT APPEAL

2008-11-09T19:30:00.000-08:00

The following urgent request has been released by the MOD seeking help from overseas based Sri Lankans on behalf of our Armed Services.

The Ministry of Defence of Sri Lanka has made a request through the Foreign Ministry, to all Missions abroad, to supply a medicine required to control foot infections caused by fungi and bacteria to overcome foot infections. The product should ideally contain a potent anti-fungal/anti-bacterial compound, the main ingredient of which contains 1% Triclosan. The Defence Ministry has indicated that the current product used by them is under the trade name Irgasan DP - 300. The trade name is indicated here for purpose of information only and these products by any other trade name is also in order. If you are unable to find the above product in USA, please try Clotrimazole 1% under the brand name LOTRINAN. We are kindly requesting you to contact all concerned Sri Lankans to assist our forces in their time of need.

All donations could either be delivered to the Consulate Office or to the nearest temple in your locality. If you wish to contribute money all cheques should be drawn in favour of the ' Consulate General of Sri Lanka ' for which a receipt will be issued by the Consulate. Your generous contributions towards this noble task is greatly appreciated.

With kind regards Ananda Wickramasinghe Consul General Consulate General for Sri Lanka - Los Angeles Suite 1405, #3250 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA. USA 90010 Phone: 213 387 0213 Fax: 213 387 0216

Your friendly pharmacist may be able to suggest generic supplies that will adequately serve the purpose at a fraction of the cost.

CONFRONTATION ON EASTERN SEA BOARD

2008-11-01T11:31:00.000-07:00

A confrontation on the eastern sea-board appears to have caused significant losses to both the SLN and the sea-Tigers yesterday.

The Navy claims to have intercepted a convoy of LTTE vessels and having sunk at least 4 of them, all reportedly suicide craft which attempted to get close to the naval craft. according to the Navy, only one SLN craft sustained damages, while the pro-LTTE media claims to have sunk one Dvora FAC and a hovercraft. SLN denies the hovercraft being deployed in combat operations.

The hovercraft has had no known value in SLN's operations so far, and was listed for sale a few years ago. Navy sources reported that the sale was abandoned since the bidding was severely under-priced and thus a decision being made to retain the vessel. The hovercraft is a fast vessel, capable of carrying arms and troops over shallow waters and is ideal for littoral combat support. However, it lacks fire power or armour and would be unsuitable for interception duties. It is essentially a logistics vessel. Hence the pro-LTTE claims seem unlikely to be true.

How a hovercraft operates;

http://www.infovisual.info/05/060_en.html

LTTE ATTACK AGAINST MERCHANT SHIPS A FAILURE

2008-10-22T19:51:00.000-07:00

THE truth, like they say, always surfaces.

The two merchant ships the LTTE cowards attempted to destroy, in an effort to starve the Jaffna civillians and thereby claim a humanitarian disaster, failed completely as both ships managed to reach safety, even though one sustained superficial damages due to a suicide craft being blown up in close proximity.

The SLN displayed mastery of its element yet again by destroying two and capturing one suicide craft in this confrontation.

Providing cover for a slow speed merchant ship from low lying ultra high speed suicide craft needs special skills and a level of determination probably not found anywhere else in the world.

[Source: Asian Tribune]

SEA TIGER ATTACK ON MERCHANT VESSELS

2008-10-21T20:11:00.000-07:00

IN sheer desperation the LTTE has targetted two merchant vessels carrying food stuff to the civillian population in the Northern area.

The attack was carried out using three explosives packed suicide craft, two of which had been destroyed by the naval personnel providing security for the two vessels. One of the suicide boats had blown itself in close proximity to one of the merchant vessels causing significant damage, while the third boat has been captured by the Navy. Government media claims damage to onely one vessel.

Meanwhile pro-LTTE media reports that both vessels are sinking.

SPECIAL FORCES ELIMINATE SEA-TIGER LEADER

2008-10-11T05:40:00.000-07:00

SF Long range recon patrol members eliminated the newest, brightest, shiniest penny of the sea-tigers in a well planned and executed operation yesterday.

Since the Navy said NO and took away their toys, the sea-tigers have not been seen too much at sea anyway and are becoming a distant memory for most.

SLN DESTROYS 10 LTTE BOATS

2008-09-20T09:03:00.001-07:00

A recent clash between the LTTE and the SLN resulted in the destruction of at least 10 Tamil Tigers boats with the loss of at least 25 enemy lives.

The confrontation is significant since it was only recently that the SLN launched its 100th indegenously developed "Arrow" high speed interceptor craft, which appears to be powered by two 250hp outboard motors and armed with a variety of small caliber arms. The boat demonstrates very high speeds and manueverability. The navy claims it to be superior to anything the Tigers currently possess. These boats, backed by heavily armed FACs have taken part in the offensive against the Sea-Tiger flotilla. The type of 'swarm' attack the SLN now is capable of, is without a doubt beyond the LTTE's capacity to defend against.

The SLN's operations in the seas have already resulted in the decimation of LTTE's arms smuggling activities and their much boasted about 'navy'. The vastly declined numbers of confrontations with the SLN (only 7 so far this year) bears testimony to the fast degradation of the Sea-Tigers as a fighting force, irrespective of comments to the contrary made by populist media opposed to the present government's anti-terrorist initiatives.

In the meanwhile there is also a rumor that SLN is to take delivery of two serbian built war-ships, to enhance her blue water capabilities. Similar rumors have surfaced from time to time, yet have been without any outcome.

FIRE ON BOARD OPV

2008-09-01T14:38:00.000-07:00

SLNS "SAGARA" experienced a fire in her engine room, while in Colombo port yesterday. Initial reports seem to indicate an electrical malfuction.

Extent of damages are unknown as yet.

TRINCO AIR ATTACK AND ITS AFTERMATH

2008-08-28T18:46:00.000-07:00

THE Navy and the defence establishment dropped the ball yet again, when there was yet another opportunity to take down a couple of crop-dusters dropping bombs, two days ago on the Trincomalee naval base. The Navy is said to be in possesion of sophisticated anti-aircraft missile systems installed in this base, yet for some mysterious reason these were never used. That negligence and unpreparedness cost 10 young lives and is now causing a furore among all and sundry.

The Tigers really showed what they are capable of; daring to do what the SL Defence Forces think they will not be able to do. They've proven this capability repeatedly and the SLDF seems to forget the lesson quite quickly.

The physical damage caused by the intrusion and attack is miniscule and will have no impact on the way the SL forces fight. On the propaganda front, it achieves massively for the Tigers' cause, by showing a deeply demoralized support base that the fight isn't over and the Tiger isn't de-clawed yet. It also has started the majority Sinhalese baying for the blood of the negligent base commanders. The people have a right to be angry; they are bearing the unbearable economic burden of this war.

When all aspects are considered, the one fact that emerges unchallenged is the fact that Sri Lanka continues to under-estimate its enemies with near fatal results each time. And we repeatedly fail to remember the lessons learnt the hard way, at the cost of dozens of young lives.

Somebody should be held accountable for the failure to shoot down the Tiger aircraft that flew right over their heads.

SRI LANKA NEEDS YOU !!!

2008-07-22T19:56:00.000-07:00

Sri Lanka's Armed Forces, Police and Civil Defence Force are engaged in a historic battle, as they fight against one of the most barbaric terrorist movements known to mankind; that has caused immense suffering to a nation that lived in peace and harmony for thousands of years.

Their success, while ridding our motherland from terrorism will also set a milestone in the global war on terror, the greatest challenge facing modern civilization.

The Ministry of Defence invites Sri Lankan academics, professionals, technical experts and strategists in all related disciplines and technologies, living in Sri Lanka or any other country, to contribute their knowledge and expertise for the success of this necessary battle.

Our aim is to create a new knowledge base vital for the defeat of terrorism, through a network of committed experts who share our vision: Saving the motherland from terrorism and making sure future generations will live in a single, undivided country, in peace and harmony; moving in unity towards the progress that is the right of all our people.

If you believe that our cause is worth achieving and that you can help in achieving it, do send us an email via the link given below with your contact details, areas of expertise and how you will be able to help us. The Ministry of Defence will contact you soon.

Please fill out the form by visiting Ministry of Defence website: http://www.defence.lk/rsa/reportknowledge.asp

THE NAVY'S JETLINER MEGA-TROOP CARRIER OPERATIONS

2008-07-01T15:57:00.000-07:00

This heart-warming article about the logistics ship 'JetLiner' which is currently deployed to ferry troops between KKS and Trincomalee, told from on-board by Ranil Wijeypala and published on the SL Navy's website is worth reading.

"...Pitch darkness was engulfing the entire Trincomalee harbour as the clock ticked midnight switching us to another date. Except for the rising moon and a few essential guiding lights, there was no other source of lighting to see what was going on there.

A sound akin to the humming of bees indicated that the place was fully crowded despite the darkness, but it was difficult to get an idea about the numbers. Thick darkness had covered them, except those who were exposed to the lights switched on to guide them to this specific location.

A mixture of Security Forces personnel and policemen in their uniforms were resting on their huge baggages till they got a signal to board the ship to start the voyage to Kankesanthurai.

After a weeks long vacation with their beloved ones and after waiting for days at a transit camp they were eagerly awaiting to start their voyage to Jaffna peninsula to report back to their duty..."
[More.. http://www.navy.lk/index.php?id=873]

WATCH YOUR BACK IN THE EAST, SLN..!

2008-06-27T14:09:00.000-07:00

It is no secret that the LTTE is a thug-business enterprise cum terror outfit. Its single priority has always been the welfare of the psychotic top gorilla, who hides in a hole in the ground and sends innocents to die for a lost 'cause'. While there's really no need to go off on a limb to prove any of this, there are some new developments in the regional political arena that may work to his advantage even though the Sri Lankan military forces have decisively proven their superiority and capability of finishing off the LTTE soon.

The on-set of Indian elections provides an easy platform to manipulate for the 'Tamil cause in Sri Lanka' which is solely responsible for decimating the SL tamil population and reducing it to the status of the 4th minority. The Indians are becoming jittery over a combination of the 'Tamilnadu factor' and the Chinese and Pakistani influence in Sri Lanka. While niether are serious issues in reality, politics is about appearances, and there's pressure growing on the Indian political leadership to do something that can be sold to the masses. Hence the quick excurtion by the top Three Indian Muskateers to Colombo, ostensibly for the purpose of demanding a political solution to the 'ethnic problem' from the Sri Lankan government.

This raises a number of interesting issues; Sri Lanka doesn't have an 'ethnic' problem. How do you find a political solution to a terrorism problem, and how far is a democratic nation required to bend backwards to reward outright terrorism against its people? The Second issue is the most interesting; ' or else, what?...

Given the fact that even as an extreme solution India cannot carve out a seperate state for the Tamils simply due to the impracticality of the proposition, the best bet would be for them to work behind the scenes to promote pressure thru' third parties such as the EU to instigate war-crimes investigations etc. All these prospects make for interesting, if not intense international political drama focussed on Sri Lanka in the coming months.

In the meanwhile, the rapidly changing military dynamics are pushing the LTTE to the brink of the abyss. SL Defence Forces are closing in fast and will soon be within spitting distance of Velupillai's hole in the ground. Given the fact that the Norwegians would be willing to extract the mass-murderer if that becomes necessary, the LTTE would need to keep a route to the seas open for such an emergency.

Therefore, on the military front, the SL Forces and Intelligence would do well to watch the East and be prepared for an attack designed to change the status-quo in that theatre. The greatest likelihood is of a sea-tiger swarm attack on naval vessels, facilitated by the Jeyanthan guys providing the rear guard. Intensified combat in Mannar can lead the Army to concentrate its forces in the western arena, opening itself to a sneak attack on the Eastern front. Clear access to the seas on the Eastern sea-board will also facilitate Tiger leadership's plans for an escape route, far from the watching Indian Navy.

What others say about us...

2008-04-18T15:35:00.000-07:00

http://cerno.wordpress.com/2008/02/13/ltte-sea-tigersri-lanka-navy-boat-visible-on-google-earth/

SLN'S SAAR 4 SHIPS

2008-04-04T15:59:00.000-07:00

SRI LANKA currently uses two Israeli built fast missile gun boats of the SAAR 4 class.

This is their story; http://www.israeli-weapons.com/weapons/naval/saar4/Saar4.html

LOCALLY BUILT FAST ATTACK CRAFT LOST WITH 10 SAILORS

2008-03-23T16:51:00.000-07:00

Sun, Mar 23 02:39 PM

Colombo, March 23 (IANS) The Tamil Tigers' deep sea underwater capability demonstrated off the eastern Sri Lankan coast Saturday might have added a new dimension to the military conflict, The Sunday Times said.
The navy could be facing a new challenge in the coming months if the Tamil guerrillas continue to attack Sri Lankan vessels with sea mines or human torpedoes, the weekly paper said.
A sea mine sunk a Sri Lankan naval Fast Attack Craft (FAC) off Nayaru on the Mullaitivu coast at about 2.25 a.m. Saturday. And although six men were rescued in the vicinity, the fate of 10 others was not known, it added.
Survivors said that they saw no Tiger vessel in the vicinity either with the naked eye or electronically and that there was no confrontation or firing. Hence the suspicion about a sea mine being the cause of the deadly explosion.
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), however, gave a different version of the incident. The LTTE said there was a confrontation between the Sri Lankan Navy and a suicide squad of the Sea Tigers in which 14 navy men were killed and one FAC was sunk.
The LTTE further said that three Tigers, including a 'Lt. Colonel' and two women cadres, all members of the Black Tiger suicide squad, were killed. The names of the dead were announced.
The Sunday Times, quoting unnamed defence officials, said the Sri Lankan gun boat might have been destroyed by a human torpedo.
The other speculation is that LTTE suicide divers might have fixed a mine on the hull of the ill-fated vessel.
It was possible that an LTTE boat had dropped off the suicide squad and the latter, armed with the right underwater equipment, could have been lying low for hours waiting for an opportunity to strike, a military expert told IANS.
Assuming a sea mine sunk the FAC, The Sunday Times said: 'The extensive use of such mines can impede naval movement in the high seas. This is not only confined to patrolling the seas. More importantly, the navy provides the bulk of the security cover for movement of food and military supplies to some 40,000 troops and policemen deployed in the government-controlled Jaffna peninsula. They are transported from Trincomalee to Kankesanthurai.
'In addition, the vast majority of troops and police personnel are also escorted at sea by the navy.'
The exact location of the incident had not been given by any of the parties but the paper said that it was clearly in the deep sea, which is worrying. The LTTE might have learnt to carry on such covert operations in the deep sea, generally considered safe for shipping.
The Sri Lankan navy too had recently laid mines to deter LTTE ships. The chief of the Chennai-based Indian Coast Guard had warned Indian fishermen that if they strayed into Sri Lankan waters, they could be hit by sea mines
[Source: Yahoo news]

SPECIAL BOAT SQUADRON

2008-03-19T14:43:00.001-07:00

Established in the 1980s the SBS was modeled after the Special Boat Service of the Royal Navy. In its role as a naval special forces unit it takes up wide variety of operations such as amphibious raids, Maritime Counter-Terrorism, Reconnaissance and target indication, combat swimmer missions and small boat operations. As a Special Forces unit, its role is not limited to water-borne operations. SBS conducts operations on land, either with Commando Regiment (CR),Special Forces Regiment(SF), regular ground combat units of the Navy and the Army and in many occasions separately.

[www.wikipedia.com]

GAURDIANS OF OUR SEAS

2008-03-19T14:40:00.000-07:00

SLNS Sagara escorted by two fast attack craft

SLN MINES, TAMILNUT WHINES, INS YAWNS

2008-01-23T19:25:00.000-08:00

SLN has mined sensitive sea approaches between India and Sri Lanka in an attempt to stem the flood of terrorists fleeing to India. Sri Lankan Naval authorities have duly informed their Indian counter-parts of the mining of these sectors within Sri Lankan waters, so that Indian fishermen who sometimes cross into our territorial waters can be warned officially.

In an amusing attempt to twist this situation to the advantage of the terrorists, the tamil terror voice, the Tamilnut whines...."Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) has planted underwater mines between Kachchatheevu and Neduntheevu (Delft Island) endangering the lives of Tamil Nadu fishermen according to reports in the Indian media Wednesday. Consequently, 12 fishermen from Rameswaram (Raameasvaram) in Tamil Nadu were taken into custody by the SLN Monday when they attempted to exercise their traditional fishing rights in Kachchatheevu. "In a shameless show of solidarity with the SLN which has violated the international convention, the Indian Navy has also arrested 60 fishermen from Rameswaram in the last two days," said a fishermen society representative in Rameswaram..."

And the Indians are just simply bored with the whiny tamils of T'nadu. Here's what they had to say;

Talking to The Hindu on Tuesday, Commodore Phillip Van Haltren, Naval Officer In-Charge, Tamil Nadu, said he had received the communication from the Sri Lankan Navy on the installation of the seawater defence system. The message was passed on to Chief Secretary L.K Tripathy and other departments concerned. All Naval Detachments from Rameswaram to Nagapattinam on the east coast were alerted.

“The message implied there will be serious consequences if fishing boats from Tamil Nadu or elsewhere come in contact with the explosives planted in the water. Hence, the seriousness of the warning message has been immediately sent to the authorities concerned. The fishermen will have to keep away from the danger zone,” Mr. Haltren said.

Although he said he had no idea what the Sri Lankan Navy had in mind, he believed the new strategy was not aimed at Tamil Nadu fishermen but at the LTTE. “An all-out war has begun between the Sri Lankan Government forces and the LTTE. Hence, our fishermen and fishing boats should not run into it [underwater explosives],” he said.

THE NAVY GOES A HUNTIN' FOR TROUBLE

2008-01-09T19:07:00.000-08:00

It is not only in the high seas that the SL Navy searches and destroys its enemy. With a commitment lesser to none, our naval warriors have taken the war even into the jungles of Sri Lanka, pursuing an enemy whose survival remains a guaranteed threat to all civilized forms of humanity. The SL Navy website www,navy.lk reports...

" Naval troops intercepted and attacked an LTTE movement inside the Kuchchaveli Jungle in Trincomalee yesterday (07th January 2007) around 7.30 p.m.

Approximately 20 LTTE cadres were moving when the naval troops launched the surprise attack. During the subsequent search and clear operation, three LTTE dead bodies were found along with four T 56 weapons, magazines and ammunitions. A stock of dry rations and medical items were also recovered by the naval troops.

It is suspected that approximately 10 LTTE cadres may have suffered injuries and the rest may have fled carrying the injured, unable to face the naval attack.

A search operation is still continuing to locate the fleeing LTTE cadres and their weapons. Arrangements are being made to hand over the dead bodies to the ICRC.."

SLN LOSES P-413 IN BATTLE, DESTROYS ENEMY FLOTILLA

2007-12-27T14:57:00.000-08:00

Six LTTE attack boats were destroyed including two suicide craft during a heavy sea battle erupted this morning (December 26), in seas south off Delft, Naval sources say.
According to latest information, Navy fast attack craft triumphed destroying six LTTE boats, while unconfirmed sources reveal at least 40 terrorists were killed during the hours long sea confrontation.
Naval task units including fast attack craft engaged decisive strikes at an LTTE boat cluster consisting 16 boats, Naval sources said.
Elite Naval sea units detected a suspicious boat cluster in seas south west off Delft, today at around 7.30a.m. Clashes erupted and turned into a fierce sea battle when Naval task units took initiative to cut off the suspicious boat movement, at 11.30a.m, defence sources say. According to Naval sources, LTTE elements were engaged in a clandestine sea movement smuggling warlike material towards the non-liberated Nachchikudha coast when detected by the Naval patrol units.
Naval fast attack craft responded effectively towards the LTTE cluster with heavy gunfire and evasive battle manoeuvres, forcing terrorist boats to flee further southwards. According to information received, SLAF MI-24 gunships also engaged aerial strikes at the fleeing LTTE boats.
Meanwhile, defence sources said LTTE communication has gone silent since the break-off of fighting in the waters off Delft. Further information said, a dockyard built naval craft was damaged when two suicide LTTE boats exploded in the Naval retaliatory attacks. The damaged boat is now been towed towards the Kankesanthurai harbour, by Naval sea units security sources said.
Naval units are engaged in extensive search operations in the area, sources further said.

http://www.defence.lk/

Sri Lankan Defence reports say that the FAC P-413 was lost while being towed...
http://www.defence.lk/new.asp?fname=20071227_08

SLN RE-ARMS

2007-12-13T20:40:00.001-08:00

[

The Sri Lanka Navy has received a large quantity of sophisticated weapons from two powerful western countries. The new weapons include Naval Radars from the United States and Fire-control Radar systems from the United Kingdom. The Fire-control Radars already received are being mounted on Super Dvora Mark.II FACs/FPCs. The British had previously refused to provide such sophisticated weapons systems to Sri Lanka. Instead of providing its own 30mm canon, they have provided a Belgian canon from a reputed manufacturer. The Naval Radars provided by the United States have been installed at important Naval bases like Trincomalee and Point Pedro and can scan a vast area of the shoreline. The Navy has also acquired a large number of 14.5mm guns from China's North Industries Corporation (NORINCO). These canons are now being fitted to Dvora FACs/FPCs. The upgrades are being made whilst a cautioning issues by Naval Intelligence of a possible Sea Tigers attack.

[http://defencewire.blogspot.com/]

NAVY TURNS 57

2007-12-09T10:03:00.000-08:00
By Rohan Gajadeera
Courtesy - Asian Tribune
[ http://www.asiantribune.com/index.php?q=node/8633 ]

“So there are five ways of knowing who will win. Those who know when to fight and when not to fight are victorious. Those who discern when to use many or few troops are victorious. Those whose upper and lower ranks have the same desire are victorious.”
-Sun Tzu-

Brief History

The importance of having a full fledged Navy as the first line of defence in the present context has been discussed at various levels. The effectiveness of the naval role since the emergence of sea tigers have been improving and it is agreed that due to exceptional victories marked out at sea by the Navy, the tigers have find it extremely difficult to bring in their most wanted war material to this country. With the influence of the British Royal Navy, Sri Lanka Navy was born following all the rich traditions and customs that the navies all around famous for.
In 1937 the Ceylon Naval Volunteer Force (CNVF) was established and After World War II ,CNVF was absorbed into the Royal Navy as Ceylon Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve (CRNVR). After independence from the British rule, a nucleus of 100 Officers and Men prepared to form the Regular Navy gradually. On 9th December 1950 the Navy Act was enacted and the Royal Ceylon Navy was formed. In 1972, with the introduction of new constitution, the Royal Ceylon Navy was renamed as the Sri Lanka Navy. The Sri Lanka Navy proudly celebrates her 57th anniversary on the 09th of this month.

Defenders of the Territorial Seas

Sri Lanka Navy is committed to guard a coast line of 603 Nautical miles and controls 21,700 sq km of Territorial Waters and another 465,800 sq km of Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) which is approximately seven times the size of land area. The 12 Nautical mile territorial sea stretch around the island (except in the North where it meets the border with India-International Maritime Boundary Line IMBL) is known as the Sri Lankan Territorial waters and the protection of these waters in terms of sovereignty and territorial integrity lies in the hands of the Navy.
The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) has given three areas of the sea for the exclusive use of littoral states. They are the Territorial Seas, the Contiguous Zone and the EEZ. The continental boundary margin and the role that the Navy as well as the country can play will decide how best we are going to achieve the enormous resources that are waiting to be discovered. The claim for the Extended EEZ or the continental margins needs to be done before January 2009.

The Role and Task of the Navy

The primary task of the Navy is to defend the country, safeguard her national security and the integrity of territorial waters. Protecting mother Lanka from any internal or external enemy action is also a paramount part under the tasks of the Navy. The role of the navy expands to various areas as follows:
a. Surveillance in the territorial waters.
b. Avoid gun running, illicit immigration, emigration and smuggling.
c. Protection of harbours around the country including small fisheries harbours.
d. Protect ships from piracy.
e. Conducting Search And Rescue (SAR) operations in side the country as well as in deep seas.
f. Providing assistance and protection to fishermen.
g. Assist other military arms in their operations such as Amphibious Operations.
h. Conducting Diving and Salvage Operations within the Navy as well as for others when requested.
i. Maintaining the sea line of communication between the North and East in order to support the Security Forces personnel as well the civilians in the Jaffna peninsula.
Sea Tigers and the Naval Fleet
The emergence of sea tigers in the 80s, took a gradual turn of the operations of the Navy too. Sea tigers used Fiber Glass Dinghies at the early stages to smuggle both contra bands and war material across the Palk Strait. The naval fleets operating in the Northern seas apprehended many such boats during various operations. The naval Fast Attack Craft soon realized that the tigers are no more using the typical fishing boats, but are also developing various types of speed boats and armed craft to both transport heavy consignments and to confront the naval units. With the developments that were taking place both in India and in Sri Lanka, Tiger leader was impressed of the sea connection that he had. This led to the effective transportation of Tiger cadres, human smuggling, drug trafficking and gun running especially in the Palk Strait.
The naval patrols did intercept suspected boats ferrying in the Palk Strait many times and at that time they never thought these small Fiber Glass Dinghies are going to form-up into a challenging force out at sea. With the increase pressure mounted on the Tigers both from India as well as Sri Lanka, strict actions were taken to prevent all illegal acts of Tiger sea arm. Naval patrol craft were kept informed of the developing situation and a higher naval presence was placed in the Northern seas. In 1981, a suspicious craft was detected and followed by land and sea, till a lone figure was landed ashore. A naval patrol apprehended him as he tried to shoot himself, and handed him over to the Police, where he was identified as Kuttumani. Not long later another leader "Jegan" was also apprehended”. With these developments emerging on the sea front, the Tigers preferred not to confront the Navy especially out at sea. Tigers gained speed by using multiple engines on their craft. In some occasions the Tiger boats out maneuvered naval craft. Speed was a requirement for the Navy along with better platforms. The concept of Mother Ships came in to force along with sister craft to operate together out at sea. Fast Attack Craft(FACs) were introduced to the naval fleet and these craft delivered the lethal doze when ever a sea tiger fleet was detected out at sea.
They (FACs) were fitted with high caliber weapons and had better surveillance systems to detect deep sea Tiger movements. In fact they were fitted with the latest Radars, Guns and other fighting gears. Sea Tigers preferred to be away from the Fast Attack Craft. The men onboard these FACs are from the navy's 4th Fast Attack Craft Squadron. Together the officers and men of this squadron, they form the Navy's killer squadron.
The introduction of various classes of FACs to the naval fleet made it a lethal unit. Craft which were brought from Israel, USA and ones built in Sri Lanka joined the fleet by the late 80s. The sea tigers were defeated in all the encounters that they had with the Navy due to the superior fire power, professionalism and most importantly the dedication and the valor of these men.
Introduction of night fighting capabilities with stabilized gun systems took sea tigers with surprise. The tiger boats were fired by the Navy even before tiger cadres had time to fire their weapons. This was a major break through in the history of sea battles and tigers left out with nothing but to introduce suicide boats into sea battles. These FACs, the only naval units to be operated in suicidal environment took it as a challenge and overcame the suicide boat menace.

Tiger’s International Maritime Network

As per the available intelligence the sea tigers have had around 10-12 merchant vessels around the world in smuggling drugs and transporting arms and ammunitions. Before two years, when there was accurate intelligence, the Navy did intercept and destroyed some vessels of the tiger merchant fleet.
When ground battles were disadvantages to the military some argued it is because the Navy is not patrolling effectively in the seas. But the same people who uttered those words forgot that they are the people who advocate various governments to have a bigger Army instead of an expanded Navy. The important fact that one should understand about the real nature of the Tiger terrorism is that the LTTE cannot be fought and defeat in battles in this country along. The globalization effect has taken the Tigers into deep international networks in almost all the major areas that we find today to fight.
The Tiger international maritime network needs no special description of what they have done to keep the Tigers sustainable in the war field. The Navy’s role in deep sea monitoring and its successes took a drastic change especially during the last two years. In addition to keeping the Sea Line of Communication between the North and East, naval fleet units are dedicated to a much bigger and a vital task round the clock.
The success of recent deep sea operations is primarily due to the present Navy Commander's initiative in aspects of its operations and lifting the credibility of the naval intelligence.
Today, Sri Lanka Navy has hit the nerve centre of the tiger organization. The best way one can defeat a terrorist organization of this nature is only by military starvation by way of effective destruction of enemy Sea Line of Communication. Navy rightly understood that the tiger supplies do need to be stopped if one to mark victory on the ground.
Due to its extensive battle experiences, Sri Lanka Navy can be named as the one and only operational Navy in the world.Tigers need to be defeated internationally as all of their major pillars where they are standing today have been projected and established internationally. The maritime assistance that Sri Lanka is expecting from the international community will be a key fact in defeating the Tigers. The role that the Navy have been playing in the past and present in challenging the Tiger sea arm has been quite impressive with the resources and the tasks that are been embedded on to her.

Naval Fleet Unit and Sea Tigers

During this year alone Navy's deep sea surveillance units have destroyed Seven (07) tiger merchant vessels or floating weapon ware houses. Tigers lost millions worth of arms and ammunition and many other important military vehicles onboard these vessels.
Today, the sea tigers are finding it extremely difficult to launch their small armed craft or even a ship to the sea. The Naval fleet has expanded considerably in many fronts such as its weapon out fit, sensors, endurance of ships and importantly the professionalism of the men who commands these craft and ships.
The failed Sea Tiger attack on the Pearl Cruise ii is an incident where the level of discipline and gallantry was shown by the naval men and officers out at sea. The vessel carrying 710 unarmed combatants were saved merely due to the bravery of the Officer In Command of the ill fated P 418 FAC, Lieutenant Commander ELP Edirisinghe a qualified diving officer from Pakistan and a product of the 12th intake of the Kotelawala Defence Academy and the Naval and Maritime Academy in Trincomalee. He steered his craft towards enemy when one of his sister craft was in danger and more importantly to divert the attention of a heavily explosive laden suicide Tiger boat heading at the Pearl Cruise. He and his men lost their lives leaving way for 710 men to return home safe.
The dedication towards the task until it is accomplished has been a key character displayed by the Officers and men onboard all naval units. The place where the Navy stands today is merely due to the remarkable performances that were displayed by the men and Officers onboard the vessels and craft.
One reason for the effectiveness of recent ground battles has been due to the naval support. Starting from troop transportation, logistic supply, providing naval gun fire support when required, assisting ground troops to land at vital places and transportation of military hardware have been done effectively by the Navy.
It is said that naval offensives continues until the mission is accomplished and then continue to brave the waves as first line of defence protecting our island nation under all circumstances.

The Biggest Victory Ever

Sri Lanka Navy recorded its biggest ever victory on 10th and 11th September by destroying three (03) tiger arms carrying ships. Analysts indicate this event as the turning point of the undeclared Eelam war IV. President Mahinda Rajapaksa was present at Trincomalee to felicitate the naval war heroes of the six ships that took part in the deep sea operation. This operation is the most pain taking sea operation that the Navy under took in its 57 history. The arrangements were at the highest order while not leaving a single mishap to be happen by sending the Navy's precious vessels to a distance of that far.
Though our Navy is termed as a Brown Water Navy, this operation showed what the Navy could do by utilizing its available resources in order to gain Blue Water Naval capabilities when required. The destruction of three tiger vessels had ease the life of the infantryman and a possible northern move by the Security Forces into the tiger strong hold will have some comfort. The strategy of starving the LTTE militarily should be the aim of the Security Forces as in this backdrop, the Sri Lanka Navy has done its task.

The Future

It is true to say that more than 70% of the globe is covered with oceans and nearly 80% of the world trade, cargo and almost all the oil exports and imports use the maritime supply chain effectively to deliver goods from one end to the other. The global economy has been expanding at a tremendous pace and the world trade by sea too will increase in the same speed in the future. Economists believe the future intercontinental trade carried through the container carriers will reach 80% by the year 2020.
The term sea power `does not restricts only to exploiting oceans commercially but it includes the valuable aspect of protecting the above exploitation from interferences. The ability to of nation to influence other concerned in peace and impose its desired will in a war situation is also included in the definition of Sea Power.
The Sri Lanka Navy since its inception have maintained the above fact in a mode where it is most applicable to our country. It is because of the Navy’s role at sea that the Tigers have been struggling in achieving its objectives. To face the future, Navy is in the process of changing from a "Brown water Navy" to a "Blue water Navy". As at today she has functioned with the assets of a Brown water Navy but have delivered the tasks of a Blue water Navy.
Where the Navy stands today is mainly due to the leadership of the present Navy Commander, Vice Admiral Wasantha Karannagoda. If not for the accurate guidance and the continuous support he has given in doing the unthinkable, Sri Lanka Navy would have never achieved what she has acquired today. The Navy do expects a lot from him as the head of the organization and along with the qualified staff onboard he is very much capable of delivering effectively.
Strategical expansions in the right direction at the right time will broaden the Sri Lanka Navy’s capabilities and will be able to assist in making the Indian Ocean a safe place for all concerned. The expected expansion process of the Navy will undoubtedly add strength to the fleet and the role that the Navy have been playing for the last 57 years will continue for the many coming years. A three dimensional Navy (Surface, Air and Sub Surface) would be an ideal platform for the Sri Lanka Navy to go that extra mile in par with other Navies in the region. We salute all officers and sailors who made their supreme sacrifice in protecting the territorial integrity and sovereignty of mother Lanka.

SL NAVY ACTION ON THE HIGH SEAS

2007-12-06T16:41:00.000-08:00

Sri Lanka, though a sea faring nation for much of its history, had not experienced any naval engagements for many centuries even as a colony of the British empire through two World Wars.
A noteworthy military accomplishment of historic value is all but forgotten in modern times.
It happened many centuries ago during the Polonnaruwa kingdom era when the King of Burma refused to pay his annual ransom to the King of Sri Lanka who held sway over the region with significant military and economic power which dictated who stood on top in the pecking order at the time. The Sinhala king despatched a naval amphibious force, which even after losing half of its ships in the stormy waters of the Bay of Bengal yet managed to land the remaining force to march many hundreds of miles to burn the City of Rangoon as a lesson to other similar would be challengers.
Though the intervening years had been less than dramatic in the Naval front, thanks to the generous efforts of the overseas tamil diaspora who provided rust buckets filled to the gills with arms and ammunition intended to cause death and destruction in Sri Lanka, the SL Navy has become a true blue water Navy.
These videos are a few of the exploits of the modern day Sri Lanka Navy as it takes on the duty of keeping our seas and international waters free of terrorism. The opportunity for target practice on a live target is such a rarity, that the Navy and its wellwishers hope the tamil tiger toilet washers languishing in western nations to collect funds for terrorism in Sri Lanka would hurry up and buy more ships for the SL Navy to hunt down and turn into artificial reef.
And without a doubt, the fish must be appreciative of the fresh meat.

AN YEAR OF WAR FOR FREEDOM FROM FEAR

2007-12-01T20:46:00.000-08:00
It is a sad reality of our times that the price of freedom from fear takes more than words. In fact it takes a whole lot more; sometimes more than money and individual efforts. A whole nation needs to realize the need to fight as one to stave off dangers that are far too primitive to be anticipated in modern times and yet are thriving on the well planned lies of interested parties.

In such a time of turmoil and danger Sri Lanka has proven to the world that we possess the guts, brains and sheer commitment in our next generations to keep us strong and unflinching.
Here are a collection of videos of actions by brave men and women who have committed their lives to keep ours safe.

As always, this is a tribute to the brave men and women of the Sri Lankan Defence Forces and their valiant efforts...

REVISITING THE BOUNDARIES OF TERROR

2007-12-01T15:20:00.000-08:00

The colored parts of the Land Like No Other that were given away to cannibalistic tiger terrorists by the previous government under a dysfunctional and moronic 'ceasefire agreement' trotted out half baked by imperialistic western powers who quite well intended it to be a stepping stone towards dividing this defiant nation among racial lines.

In the subsequent and inevitable escalation towards that seperation by the tamil tiger racist terrorists, the successes of the Sri Lankan Defence Forces are defined herein by the areas liberated from the tamil tiger terrorist infestation. Currently the areas shown colored only remain under the control of the terrorists who hold over 300,000 tamil civillians as human shields. All other ethnic groups have been eradicated by the tamil tigers in mass scale massacres and other ethnic cleansing activities, which their sponsors and friends in nations such as Norway routinely whitewash.

SLN welcomes the ships that took part in destroying terrorist ams ships

2007-10-15T10:56:00.000-07:00

SLN DESTOYS 10TH TAMIL TERRORIST ARMS SHIP

2007-10-06T22:13:00.000-07:00

SL Navy today(07) destroyed another LTTE arms carrying ship, in the high seas south off Dondra Head, Defence sources said. the attack took place in the Indian Ocean in the high seas off Dondra Head off the southern coastal tip of Sri Lanka. According to available information SL Naval task group comprising Off Shore Patrol vessels "SLNS Sayura", "SLNS Sagara", Fast Attack Vessel "SLNS Suranimila" and Rendezvous vessel 521 were engaged in the Naval elite operation.

Defence observers say that with this is another major achievement, by the Navy incapacitating LTTE's international arms fleet. Under the present command the Navy has been able to destroy seven arms carrying LTTE ships so far. Defence observers attribute the unprecedented success of the Navy in destroying large LTTE ships to the steps taken by the present Navy command to enhance naval intelligence activities.
[Source: http://www.defence.lk/ ]

It was only last year that the EU identified the tamil tigers as a serious international threat due to their ability and involvement in weapons, drugs and human smuggling and support of other terrorist groups around the globe. At that time the EU expressed its willingness to work with the SL government to identify, interdict and destroy tiger sea going assets. This international cooperation may have played a major role in the SL Navy's successful actions this year. Nevertheless, it was the bravery and the commitment of our naval and intelligence personnel which alone accomplished the goal of destroying the tamil tiger arms supply capability on international waters. The Sri Lankan Navy stands as a capable blue water maritime force which has proven itself to the world in no small measure.

Images of the naval ships involved in this operation area available on earlier pages of this site. Simply follow the 'older postings' link at the bottom of each page.

SL NAVY MAKES ANOTHER ONE BITE THE DUST

2007-09-15T13:20:00.000-07:00

By Paul Tighe
Oct. 3 (Bloomberg) -- Sri Lanka's army said the leader of the naval unit operated by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam was killed in a sea battle last month, in the latest blow to the rebels who lost control of the eastern region in July.
Police identified the body of the commander known as Nishanthan when it was recovered after naval and army units attacked rebel boats near the eastern coastal town of Pulmodai on Sept. 27, the army said on its Web site late yesterday. The LTTE said its spokesman was unavailable to comment immediately.....
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601080&sid=avUwaNG0xCmc&refer=asia

Usual story, just another day. when the self-styled commanders, genarals and brigadiers of the tiger pussy bandit infestation get creamed by the Sri Lankan forces the self-styled spokesman is hard to find. As is usual with all cowards, it takes a while for this creature to crawl out from under his momma's skirt to talk big, once he's certain the Sri Lankan forces aren't anywhere in the vicinity. Then the big talk begins, and the left wing media and terror sympethizers lap it up.

So now we wait for the 'reclusive' (aka hiding under a big pile of rocks) leader of the tamil pussies of e-lam to name the next target. And the SLN puts his name on the next bullet...

By the way, the former leader of the sea-tiger pussies, who went by the single name Soosai or soosthi or whatever and made the declaration that the "final war" is going to be faught with overwhelming force against the Sri Lankan Defence Forces, is now history. He's been taken out by rival gangsters from within the same terror outfit, as is usual with such organizations. In that attempt to liquidate him the guy's young son was murdered. Today the big talker limps around with a target painted on his face...just like that other big mouth tamilchella.

SRI LANKA NAVY DESTROYS TERRORIST FLOTILLA

2007-09-14T20:51:00.000-07:00
By Paul Tighe
Sept. 14 (Bloomberg)

-- Sri Lankan naval forces destroyed about 30 boats of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam and attacked its money laundering financial center in the northeast after threatening last month to drive the rebels from the region.

Navy vessels and air force jets attacked the flotilla and the launching base at Mullaittivu late yesterday as the rebel Sea Tigers unit was ``preparing for a clandestine mission,'' the army said on its Web site.

More: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601091&sid=aPNV8pNwm4iI&refer=india

Take the fight to those who seek to destroy us.

2007-09-14T18:08:00.000-07:00
The only way to counter terrorism is to take the fight to those who support and finance it. Sri Lanka needs to act NOW.

For over two decades Sri Lanka has played defensive in the face of a relentless assault by a bunch of stinky-monkies calling themselves tamil tigers and a bunch of terror supporters who managed to escape abroad in the guise of refugees.

Even though this brave little country managed to stave off attack after attack by the bad monkies, each successive government has been either too lethargic, incompetent or even simply too complacent with its own course of events, to be bothered about taking the fight to those who finance and keep the violence against its people alive. This continued inaction and the resultant lack of consequences for the destruction they wreak has been emboldening the bad monkies even more. At least until some of the foreign nations started taking notice of their actions and did the nasty to a few of them, these monkies have been scot-free so far for the horrendous attrocities they should be held responsible in the form of support and financing.

Sri Lankan intelligence already knows most of these bad monkies by name, but has so far failed to take effective steps to take the fight to them.

Here are some simple steps the SL government could take, but haven't so far;

List the bad monkies by name in an official ' wanted ' listing as a ' person of interest in connection with terrorism '.
..and let's see how their present and potential employers look at that..

Ban them from flying on Sri Lankan Airways as a security risk.
..and let's see how other airlines respond to that..

SRI LANKA, TAKE THE FIGHT TO THESE BASTARDS NOW ..

SL NAVY GOES ON A TURKEY SHOOT !!!

2007-09-11T18:59:00.000-07:00

The child conscripting, suicide bombing, ethnic cleansing bad monkeys took a beating from the Sri Lankan Navy when their drugs and weapons smuggling rust buckets were located deep south east of our maritime boundaries on Monday, September 10th. The Navy fed all three to the fish.
.
WHO DARES WINS.. [Source : http://defencewire.blogspot.com/ ]
.
Nearly one year ago, on 17th October 2006, the Sri Lanka Navy intercepted and completely destroyed an LTTE arms ship in the deep seas off Kalmunai. On 28th February 2007, The Navy repeated this herculean task by destroying another LTTE arms ship south of Dondra Head. On 18th March 2007, the Navy again destroyed two LTTE arms ships Southeast of Arugam Bay.
Little did anyone know that these victories were paving the way for an unprecedented 'kill' for the Navy.
September 2007 was again a busy month for Navy Intelligence. Many officers spent sleepless hours putting together a huge jig-saw-puzzle. They had scraped together an idea of the location, a date, exact number of and accurate description of four LTTE ships packed with Artillery shells and other lethal cargo bound for the LTTE. Navy Commander Vice Admiral Wasantha Karannagoda took a very bold decision. The decision was to send three of the Navy's most deep-sea-worthy and heavily-armed vessels on a very long journey. This offensive operation was to be launched far-away from the shores of Sri Lanka. The vessels included Two Off-shore Patrol Vessels and one Missile Frigate. The Navy didn't forget one crucial thing. That was to send its 'source' along with the flotilla of ships out to sea.Thanks to the 'source' on board, on 11th September 2007, the Navy armada was able to clearly identify three LTTE arms ships in the deep seas.
The Navy cautioned those on-board to stop but instead received a barrage of mortar shells. The ships were clearly LTTE. Sensing doom, each ship, with a crew of about 10-15 Sea Tigers, were using the mortar tubes on-board to attack the Navy. The Navy opened-up with its own barrage of fire, which included 105mm and 72mm cannons. Within minutes, the artillery shells on-board the LTTE ships caught fire and wrecked the ships. Gradually, the destroyed vessels sunk into the deep abyss a deepest part of the Indian Ocean, never to be seen again. However, in the ensuing melee, the fourth ship had vanished. Apparently, one of the sinking ships had tipped-off the fourth vessel.With each attack passing, the Navy has dared a little more than before. The
September 11th attack was a '9/11' for the LTTE as it never anticipated a Navy ambush 1200 nautical miles out into the sea. DefenceWire has reliably learnt that Naval Intelligence units had single-handedly run the operation. Unlike the previous operations, no Military Intelligence (MI) was involved in the Navy's '9/11' attacks.

Note: Though this article refers to only three warships and two logistics vessels, following are the ships that took part in this operation:

Sayura, Suranimala, Samudura and Shakthi
Non commissioned logistic careers A-520 and A -521

Pictures of these vessels are available among postings on this blog.

SL NAVY UPGRADES ITS WEB SITE

2007-08-17T21:34:00.000-07:00
The SL Navy has at last upgraded its website.

Check out the slick new site at https://www.navy.lk/

Bravo SL Navy... better late than never.

We Sri Lankans all over the world appreciate what our armed forces do in defence of our nation.

2007-06-09T18:14:00.001-07:00

A tribute to the defenders of our seas, democracy and our future

It bothers me that Sri Lankans have little opportunity to get to fully appreciate the level of growth and sophistication achieved by the defenders of our high seas, who combat the world's most prolific terrorists, the tamil-tigers.

Though I do not believe in the blame game, responsibility for failing to raise the national awareness and pride in our armed services must fall fair and square on all the the service chiefs until now. This is not to say they have not done a great job of building up the forces; they have. They have dismally failed to communicate the fact. It is ironic that most of the information found herein had to be sourced from external websites and blogs due to the absence of such information on the official SL Navy website, www.navy.lk.

This blog is an attempt to create at least some awareness in our people, of the capabilities of our naval forces and the assets at their disposal in the daily struggles and deadly challenges they face in defending our nation from those who seek to destroy it.

Dvora

2007-05-13T18:33:00.001-07:00

Dvora

2007-05-13T18:31:00.000-07:00

Missile Frigate

2007-04-12T17:28:00.000-07:00

Missile launch

Sayura

2007-04-07T10:06:00.000-07:00

Length: 101.95m Beam: 11.50m Displacement: 1650 tons / 1890 tons
Armament:
2 no's 25mm 80-cal. anti-aircraft (P55 only)
1 of 40mm 60-cal. Bofors anti-aircraft
4 no's 12.7mm machine guns
Engines: 2 diesels; 2 props; 12800 bhp
Speed: 21.5 knots
Range: 7000 / 15
Complement: 70
Aircraft: 1 Chetak helicopter

[Formerly Indian Navy Ship 'Sukanya' ]

Note:
India has agreed to supply another ship of this nature to SLNavy soon.

SL Navy Auxilliary - P 715

2007-04-06T23:53:00.001-07:00

SL NAVY Off Shore Patrol Craft

2007-04-06T23:50:00.000-07:00

SL NAVY Fast Attack Craft

2007-04-06T23:48:00.000-07:00

SL NAVY Fast Attack Craft

2007-04-06T23:47:00.000-07:00

A 530 Coming ashore

2007-04-06T23:41:00.000-07:00

Landing Craft - Air cushion - A 530

2007-04-06T23:39:00.000-07:00

Displacement-18, Speed-40, Crew-10, Load.-56 commandoes
Arms--1-12.7мм. Made by Vosper-UK

Landing Craft - Air cushion - A 530

2007-04-06T23:38:00.000-07:00

Catamaran Class Transport vessels

2007-04-06T23:35:00.002-07:00

Catamaran Class Transport vessels

2007-04-06T23:35:00.001-07:00

Displacement-154, Speed-30, Crew-15, Load-120 commandoes
Arms--1 no's 20мм 2 no's 12.7мм

Catamaran Class Transport vessels - 3 units

2007-04-06T23:33:00.000-07:00

A 540, A 542, A 543

Landing Craft - Yunan Class - L 820 & L 821

2007-04-06T23:29:00.000-07:00

Landing Craft - Yunan Class - L 820 & L 821

2007-04-06T23:27:00.000-07:00

Displacement-135, Speed-12, Crew-22, Arms--2 no's 14.5мм.
Made in China

Landing Craft - Locally built

2007-04-06T23:24:00.000-07:00

Built by Colomboi Dock Yards, Landing Crafts numbers L836 and L839

Displacement-268, Speed-8, Crew-28
Arms--4 no's -14.5мм, 2 no's 20мм and 2 no's 12.7мм

Landing Craft - Locally built L 836, L 839

2007-04-06T23:20:00.000-07:00

Yuhai Class Landing Ship - L 880

2007-04-06T16:02:00.000-07:00

SHATHI - L880
Speed-14, Crew-60
Arms - 10 no's 14.5мм guns and 6 no's 12.7мм.
Aformidable vessel that can protect itself. Acquired in 1995 from China .

Inshore class - Small 4 units

2007-04-06T16:00:00.000-07:00

Inshore class - Small 4 units

2007-04-06T15:59:00.000-07:00

P 410 - P 413

Inshore patrol craft - Middle 4 units

2007-04-06T15:57:00.000-07:00

P 145, P 146, P 147, P 149

Inshore Patrol Boats - 36 units

2007-04-06T15:55:00.000-07:00

Simonneau Class - 3 boats

2007-04-06T15:53:00.000-07:00

P 250, P 252 and P 253

Chevron Class boats - 4 units

2007-04-06T15:52:00.000-07:00
P 221 - P 224

Patrol Boats - 5 units

2007-04-06T15:49:00.000-07:00

Locally built off shore patrol boats.

P 201, P 211, P 214, P 215, P 233

Trinity Marine Class - 5 boats

2007-04-06T15:47:00.000-07:00
P 480 - 481, P 483- 485

Killer Class - 3 boats

2007-04-06T15:46:00.000-07:00

P 404, P 405 , P 406

The first Dvoras - 3 remaining

2007-04-06T15:43:00.000-07:00

P 401, P 402, P 403

They may be old but they sure do bite..

Super Dvora - Mk 1 - 4 boats (remaining)

2007-04-06T15:40:00.000-07:00

P 440 - P 443

Super Dvoras - 5 units

2007-04-06T15:37:00.000-07:00

P 460 - P 465

Shaldag Class - 7 gun boats

2007-04-06T15:32:00.000-07:00

P 470 - P 476

Safe guarding a nation in which all people can live in harmony, the sons of our soil risk thier lives each day so that we may live...

Do find the time to appreciate what they are doing.

P 621

2007-04-06T15:31:00.001-07:00

ENDURANCE Class

2007-04-06T15:29:00.000-07:00

Ex-US caost guard cutter Endurance.

COLOMBO class - 22 units

2007-04-06T15:26:00.000-07:00

P410 - P424
P450 - P451
P490 - P492
P497 - P497

HAIZHUI class (new version)- 2 ships P340, P341

2007-04-06T15:22:00.000-07:00

HAIZHUI class - 3 ships P330, P331, P332

2007-04-06T15:18:00.000-07:00

Ranasiri P322

2007-04-06T15:16:00.000-07:00

Shanghain class - aerial photo

2007-04-06T15:15:00.000-07:00

Shanghai class patrol ships

2007-04-06T15:12:00.000-07:00
Five ships, built in China. H311, H315, H316, H317 and H318

Missile gun-boats - Nandimithra P 701

2007-04-06T15:10:00.000-07:00

Also of the Israeli built SAAR4 class, this is the sister ship to Suranimala (P 702)
Displacement-415т, Speed-32 Crew-75
Arms- 3 Gabriel anti-ship missile launchers
1 no's 76 mm gun, 1 no's 40мм gun, 2 no's 20мм guns , 2 no's 12.7мм guns

Missile gun-boats - Suranimala

2007-04-06T15:06:00.000-07:00

Facing the challenges on the seas with modern weapons. Suranimala, the name suggests that we face an age old foe. Even though the similarity remains close and makes ridiculous assumptions that much easier, Sri Lanka's present challenges stem from racism gone berserk and the thirst of a few to aspire for Godhood over the dead bodies of forcibly conscripted children and other innocents.

Jayasagara - behemoths of a bygone era

2007-04-06T15:03:00.000-07:00

Slow but deadly, still dedicated to serving the nation.

Displacement-330, Speed-15 Crew-52
Arms-2-25мм, 2-14,5 mm 2-40мм 2-7,62 mm
Built in 1981. [The Russian website says it was built in Sri Lanka. Accuracy of this information is unknown]

Parakramabahu - P 351

2007-04-06T14:59:00.000-07:00

HAIQUING CLASS – Anti-Submarine warfare ship

DISPLACEMENT - 478 Т,
Speed-28 Crew-71
Arms--4-37мм, 4-14,5мм, 2 trumpet depth-charge mortars

Acquired in 1995.

The sub-chaser the Sri Lankan government bought, to chase the imaginary tamil tiger submarine. The word 'intelligence' does take a special meaning in cases like these.

Ol' Para went belly-up when the tsunami hit the Galle harbour, and was resurrected at very low-cost with the help of local talent.
Here's how the Navy's web site described the resurrection of this veteran old ship..

" The Chinese built, submarine chaser P 351 which capsized and sank at the base pier in Galle harbour on 26^th December 2004 as a result Tsunami, was salvaged. The vessel rested on seabed about 65⁰ to starboard side, and a part of super structure and a part of the hull of the port side was visible. Most of the scuttle and the hatches had been open at the time of the calamity and therefore a load of fine mud had been accumulated in the vessel adding extra weight. However, all possible magazine items from the armouries and the main armaments were initially removed.
At first, the Naval divers managed to go into the compartments and shut the scuttles and hatches. Thereafter pumping of water out began and the vessel was secured to the pier with wire ropes by means of a created lever action. The salvage attempts were made using winch barge and the tug provided by the Silk Route Supplier of M/S Master Divers. Though the task was time consuming use of gas cutting, shape charges, turfo winches and chain blocks were used in the attempts made. Two barges obtained from Sri Lanka Ports Authority and the services of the dredger “Ruhunu Putha” was used to hold the vessel from two bollards to minimize rolling. Diving in the narrow sea bed and securing the sunk vessel was indeed a risky task undertaken by the divers and other supporting sailors.

Demise of Leading Diver BKWK Kudahetti, HD 30136 was a sorrowful incident at the time of the peak of the success of the task.

The Navy could complete the operation at a cost of Rs. 450,000.00 avoiding an incurrence of Rs. 80 million, if the task/operation was assigned to a local or a foreign organization.

The salvage operation was completed by 0430 hrs on 15^th May 2005.

It is indeed worthwhile to mention, in gratitude, the services, cooperation and support extended by outside organization and personnel in the operation to make it a complete success..."

Super Dvora - Mk 11

2007-04-06T14:56:00.000-07:00

Initially purchased from Israel, today most of these craft are locally built.

Incidentally, the success of these craft in Sri Lanka led Indian navy also to purchase Super Dvoras and the Naval relationships between the three nations have improved tremendously since then.

Shaldag type

2007-04-06T14:52:00.000-07:00

SL Navy has 7 units of this type.

P55 side view

2007-04-06T14:50:00.000-07:00

P-56 Rear view

2007-04-06T14:47:00.000-07:00

Defending the nation and democracy

2007-04-06T14:45:00.000-07:00

P-56

2007-04-06T14:44:00.000-07:00

Sri Lanka navy ships

2007-04-06T14:41:00.000-07:00