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New Role, New Thinking - 1965 to 1983

"Blue Water" days would not come again. But the Navy kept its head, showed what it could do under stress, thought and planned for the future. The damage caused by Cyclone "Emly" was put right quicker by the Navy than anyone else. Assistance was given to Hospitals, Security Services, off-shore islands, merchant vessels carrying emergency supplies in unfamiliar waters, transport of medical supplies and fuel on GAJABAHU, salvage of government ships run aground and ferrying administrative service officers to flood ravaged areas were some of them. In both routine and emergency situations, the Navy was the force of choice, but this was not enough.

The Navy turned its eyes away from the past to the present and the future. Accepting a new role of an unarmed small boat Navy, it built up a flotilla of 28 Patrol Craft for coastal surveillance and maintained their crews' seamanship skills even under the limits imposed on them. Planning and thinking about the future role engaged Headquarters and individual minds. Many of the roles the Navy, and others, play today can be traced back to those days. The establishment of a Naval & Maritime Academy, a Naval Diving Unit, an Hydrographic Unit, an Agricultural & Livestock Project, controlling nationalized ports, providing training to all government maritime institutions these were all accomplished. Other ideas mooted saw the light of day later. Among them were: Manning Merchant Ships, Piloting in Ports, Docking & Slipping, Building coastal anchorages, Maintenance of Lighthouses, Ship building. All these have come true today; but were born of Naval "Think Tanks".

Recruitment of Sailors and intake of Officers re-commenced gradually but soon the flood-gates opened. Larger numbers were recruited and special Training Establishments set up to cope. What had been lost was never regained, but the future beckoned. The new intakes were more educated and the training was more technical and advanced. All this took place towards the end of the period, but it took a calamity for the government to set matters right again.

The calamity that was required to re-assess the Navy's role and the fleet's configuration came earlier than expected. In 1971, only months after a general election, where the people had spoken, Anti-democratic Forces led by the "Janata Vimukthi Peramuna" (JVP) unleashed a series of attacks on Police Stations in the provinces. Intelligence had been lacking, or unheeded, and the Police, the Government and the Armed Services were taken completely by surprise.

The element of surprise and the lack of a strategy to meet such an eventuality worked in favor of the insurgents, initially, and a kind of chaos reigned for a while. But the tradition of discipline and ability to respond to the unexpected on the part of the forces, and determined leadership and decision making on the part of government, quickly turned the tide in favour of the government. The insurgents were confronted, defeated and an Amnesty extended, in the course of a few months. The country would not be the same again.

The immediate impact on the Navy stemmed from the realization that it was under-manned and under equipped, though eminently capable of responding swiftly and effectively. Lack of personnel had led to GAJABAHU being required to lend her crew for the fight on land, rendering her non-existent as a sea-going deterrent. When it became apparent that gun-running and support for the insurgents were coming across the sea, Ceylon had to ask for help from neighboring and friendly nations. Thus we were reduced to asking Indian and Pakistan Navies to patrol our waters. Similar fates befell the Army and Air Force, but nowhere was it more apparent or galling to national pride.

The government was quick to learn from the errors of the past and to plan for the future. Manpower requirements were met and recruitment was taken in hand. Security checking had become necessary as insurgents had infiltrated all three Services and, in the Navy at Chunnakam in Jaffna, a JVP sympathetic sailor opened fire on his comrades, killing two and wounding others. The perpetrators of this crime were swiftly dealt with, but the Navy also incurred its first combat-related casualty in Nochchiyagama during this time.

The changes in the country and the Navy, consequent to all this, was profound. Many countries responded with provision of military hardware and training. All concerned countries stationed Defence Attaches in their Embassies, among whom were India, Pakistan, the UK, the USA, Indonesia, France and the USSR. The Insurgency had changed Ceylon's status in global politics.

In the year 1972 this change of status was echoed by the country by the decision to renounce Dominion Status within the British Empire (with the Queen's representative as Head of State) in favour of a Republican status (with a President selected by Parliament as Head of State). The "Dominion of Ceylon" became the "Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka" and the Royal Ceylon Navy became the Sri Lanka Navy. The Naval Ensign also shed the St. George's Cross as it had been done in all major ex-colonial navies, and Flag Officers' flags were redesigned. The term "Captain of the Navy", introduced in the Navy Act, was changed to "Commander of the Navy", in keeping with the terminology adopted by the other two services. Finally, "Her Majesty's Ceylon Ships" (H.M.Cy.S.) became "Sri Lanka Navy Ships" (SLNS).

The need to add teeth to the Navy at sea was a prime consideration. The first ships to be acquired were given by the People's Republic of China. They were the "Shanghai" class Fast Gun Boats (FGB) SLNS SOORAYA and WEERAYA which were taken over in 1972. Much bigger than the Patrol Craft, though not Major Fleet Units, they carried a battery of guns that could be very effective. Three more of the same type were purchased, DAKSHAYA, RANAKAMEE and BALAWATHA in 1973 and JAGATHA and RAKSHAKA in 1980. From the USSR, a very new type of vessel was received as a gift and commissioned SLNS SAMUDRA DEVI. Orders for five general duties Patrol Craft were placed with Cheverton Workboats of the UK and the first two were commissioned SERUWA and KORAWAKKA. Most importantly, Colombo Dockyard emerged as capable shipbuilders and, towards the end of this period, built the 40-metre Off-shore Patrol Craft JAYESAGARA, shortly followed by SAGARAWARDENA.

There was a fleet once again to sail the seas and cruises were again undertaken. GAJABAHU sailed on an operational visit to Madras in 1972, BALAWATHA and GAJABAHU paid a goodwill call on the Maldives in 1973, GAJABAHU, flying the Commander of the Navy's flag sailed to the same destination in 1974 and again, later the same year, in connection with the Prime Minister's visit there. A direct result was the acceptance of two Maldivian Cadets for training in Sir Lanka. There were other cruises, too: GAJABAHU to Cochin (1976), SOORYA and RANAKAMEE to the Maldives (1976), followed by BALAWATHA and WEERAYA (1978) and JAGATHA and RAKSHAKA in 1981.

In another sea-going exercise, a group of officers and sailors under LCdr. M.H. Weliwitigoda, circumnavigated the island under sail in a locally built whaler.

During the Insurgency, the Navy acted alongside the Army in containing terrorism. In spite of the shortage of personnel, it undertook the security of areas that were beyond the scope of the Police to handle. Naval Coordinating Officers were appointed to Polonnaruwa, Ampara and Ratnapura - Cdr. A.H.A. de Silva, Cdr. (E) D.A.G. Fernando and Capt. W. Molegoda, VNR, respectively. New bases were commissioned and new duties commenced, as the plans of the earlier era came to fruition. SLNS VIJAYA was commissioned in Kalpitiya in 1973. A Naval Detachment was established in Laxapana. The Ceylon Shipping Corporation merchant vessel m.v. "Lanka Kanthi" was taken over and manned by a crew of naval officers and sailors as part of the Corporation's fleet: so were the coastal vessels "Mahaweli" and "Maduru Oya". The Imperial Lighthouses Commission wound up their operations in Sri Lanka and the Navy took over the maintenance of the Barberyn, Great Basses and Dondra Lighthouses.

With the insurgents subdued and precautionary measures taken, the Navy was able, with a sense of pride, to resume a ceremonial role. With the retirement of Rear Adm. D.V. Hunter in 1973, a new generation of leaders emerged. Adm. Hunter had joined the Navy in 1938 one of the original "Signalman Gunners" and became the first Sailor in any Navy in the world to rise from the bottom rung to Commander of the Navy. He was the last of the wartime veterans and Command now passed to the first all-new Officers to be commissioned after Independence. The first was Rear Adm. D.B. Goonesekera, a Direct-entry Sub Lieutenant commissioned in 1950. In 1983, command passed to another generation when Rear Adm. A.W.H. Perera (Direct-entry) handed over command to Rear Adm. (later Vice Adm.) A.H.A. de Silva, who had been one of the first Officer Cadet intake, in 1949.

On 9th December 1975, the Navy celebrated its Silver Jubilee. At an impressive ceremony at the Sugathadasa Stadium, H.E. the President William Gopallawa presented his Colours to the Navy.

The new National Carrier, "Air Lanka" was launched and carried the Navy Cultural Troupe to London, Zurich, Paris, Bangkok and Singapore, where they performed with acclaim under the baton of Cdr. D.P. Danwatte, Director of Music.

Queen Elizabeth II of Britain visited Sri Lanka by air (with "Britannia" following) in 1981 and the Navy Paraded a Guard of Honour for her.

Under all this euphoria, the prelude to the next internal conflict was surfacing. The murder of the Mayor of Jaffna was the first sign. Throughout the seventies, incidents born of communal tensions occurred and it was expected that a conflagration could take place soon. The Armed Services prepared themselves and, by Presidential Directive an organization was formed within which the Armed Services, Police and Administrative Services could co-ordinate anti-terrorist activities in Vavuniya, Mannar, Mullaitivu and Trincomalee. Titled "Joint Services Special Operations Command" (JOSSOP), the Navy Commander was appointed Coordinator-in-Chief with J. Bandaragoda, SLAS as Deputy. It was to operate from its Headquarters in Vavuniya.