Sri Lanka Navy celebrates its 58th Anniversary

Sri Lanka Navy celebrates its 58th Anniversary on the 09th of December 2008 with a wide array of religious and social functions conducted to mark the historical occasion. Many naval ceremonies are scheduled to be held in keeping with the traditions and customs of the Navy. Today , Sri Lanka Navy has evolved into its current prestigious status as a pioneering, professional and a victorious maritime force observing the standard naval protocols and executing a key role in eradicating the scourge of terrorism from our motherland. It traces its genesis as far back as the year 1937 when it began its voyage under the name of Ceylon Naval Volunteer Force (CNVF) established to meet the objectives and the requirements of the British Imperialist Crown who ruled our country then. Thereafter, it got absorbed into the Royal Navy after the World War II as the Ceylon Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve (CRNVR) which eventually turned out to be Royal Ceylon Navy on 09th of December 1950 consisting of a nucleus of 100 officers and men. In 1972, with the introduction of the first republican constitution, Royal Ceylon Navy took on its present name, Sri Lanka Navy.

The humble voyage of the Sri Lanka Navy thus begun, has journeyed many a nautical mile gathering fair winds most of the time since its inception. It has so far been boldly and strategically steered forward by many a stalwart Commanding Officer at the helm. When we trace back along its illustrious history line, we begin to see how the Navy has evolved under all the Commanders who have steered it hitherto. As such, the qualitative and quantitative development in various aspects of the Navy has been in existence all along in varying degrees. However, the resurgence that has taken place in the Navy in the present war scenario under the present Naval High Command stands above them all; unique and inimitable.

In the past, the Navy used to be orthodox and remained largely ceremonial; Moreover, as far back as mid 2005, it was complacent about the role it was playing by being only reactive to the threat posed by the emerging LTTE sea power in our territorial waters. This traditionally languid attitude of being only reactive helped the enemy to forge into a force which, at one time some thought that it was a force that is difficult to be tackled because of the superiority it had exhibited in certain encounters with the Navy.

This clich‚ of the misnomer, largely perpetrated by its supporters and pro-media, that the LTTE is powerful at sea and posing a huge threat to the Navy, has been made to track back towards its nullity because of the timely and strategically prudent measures initiated and implemented by the present Naval High Command who have brought about an all round resurgence in every aspect of the Navy, both at sea and on land where naval personnel, proving their prowess ,competence and bravery, stay on constant alert to fight LTTE terrorism. The Navy is being fortified in its task of protecting the territorial integrity and the sovereignty of the motherland.

Under the present Naval High Command, weapons in the Navy do not get corroded and blunt by sea breeze; they are kept ever honed as sharp as finely thinned and tempered arrow points; all the craft, from the low profile small Fast Attack Craft, which has proven deadly against LTTE sea tigers, to the big Off Shore Patrol vessel, which destroyed the LTTE international logistics network, remain in constant readiness with ultra modern weapons mounted and competent gunners and sailors ready to meet enemy any attack.

Naval personnel are never idle, jittery, and lethargic; they are agile being physically fit; they are dexterous having been trained by battle experts; they are well groomed in the ardent fervour of love for the motherland. Above all, they are extraordinarily patriotic and dedicated to the service that they render in safeguarding the territorial integrity and the sovereignty of the country. The high quality of their performance, excellent morale in the battlefield, unrelenting determination to execute a task assigned, the disciplined and orderly manner in which they act, the fine dexterity, competence and the precision that they exhibit in targeting their enemy and above all, the humane qualities ingrained in the naval personnel are the results of the fine training and the constant care and concern shown towards its men by the competent hands that handle the helm so strategically and shrewdly.

"Victory is the main object of war. If this is long delayed, weapons will become blunt and the ardour of the soldiers will be dampened" is a fact emphasized by Sun Tzu which is worthy of following by any great warrior who is engaged in a combat to cause the down fall of his enemy, however mighty and powerful he might be. Interestingly, for the fortune of our nation, the present Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy Vice Admiral Wasantha Karannagoda at the helm, has proven that he has been steering the Sri Lanka Navy in line with Sun Tzu ushering in a new victorious era making the Navy proactive with a proliferation of the latest innovations which have been greatly instrumental in creating a total disarray and the eventual extinction of the enemy. Therefore, the Sri Lanka Navy is indeed so blessed to have such a competent captain at the helm to guide her at this crucial stage of war.

It is in this context that one can witness the Navy coming of age heroically and remarkably leaving from littoral waters to deep blue seas when the Navy caused the destruction of the enemy supply vessels which are rightly named as "floating armories". The destruction of these vessels that fed the LTEE with ultra modern weaponry and warlike materials to attack civilians and the security forces is considered to be the turning point in the ongoing counter terrorist operations.

Finally, it is pertinent to note that the Navy has immensely developed with the passage of time ushering in an era where it can transit from its traditionally confined limitations to broader farseeing perspectives with much ease enabling it to register more decisive victories in the annals of the country's history.

Some of the LTTE Arms carrying ships destroyed by SLN since 2005