This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations .(December 2023) |
History | |
---|---|
Sri Lanka | |
Commissioned | 1991 |
Decommissioned | 1996 |
Fate | Sunk |
SLNS Ranaviru (Ranaviru, in Sinhalese: Warrior) was a Type 062I-class (NATO: Shanghai III class) fast gun boat of the Sri Lanka Navy, attached to the 3rd Fast Gun Boats Squadron from 1991 when she was commissioned to 1996 when she was sunk by two Sea Tiger suicide crafts off the coast of Mullaitivu.
On 19 July 1996, SLNS Ranaviru under the command of Lieutenant Commander Parakrama Samaraweera, RSP, was dispatched to the seas off the coast of Mullaitivu where the Sri Lanka Army base was under siege during the first battle of Mullaitivu. She led the naval force that included Ranaviru, six Dvora Fast Attack Crafts and the landing ship SLNS Shakthi, tasked with attempting an amphibious landing of a relief force to break the siege. Ranaviru was tasked with providing naval gun fire to cover the landing. Due to stiff resistance by coastal and sea units of the LTTE, the landing attempt was abandoned and landing ships began to withdraw. Ranaviru began covering the withdrawal when it was hit by a Sea Tiger suicide craft which inflicted serious damage and disabled its propulsion. Lieutenant Commander Samaraweera and the crew continued firing her guns and small arms until the disabled ship was hit by a second suicide craft resulting in a massive explosion that sank her. Of the crew of 36 only two survived to be rescued by navy craft. Seven bodies were recovered amidst the sea battle. Commander Samaraweera, who was last seen on the bridge firing a rifle, was listed missing; his body was never recovered and presumed that he went down with his ship. He was posthumously awarded the Weera Wickrama Vibhushanaya for his gallantry and promoted to the rank of Commander. [1] [2]
The Sea Tigers was the naval wing of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam during the Sri Lankan Civil War. It was founded in 1984. The Sea Tigers had a number of small but effective suicide bomber vessels. During its existence it had gained a reputation as a capable adversary for the Sri Lankan Navy. During the civil war, the Sea Tigers had sunk at least 29 Sri Lankan small inshore patrol boats, 20 Dvora Class fast attack craft, 3 gunboats, 2 Large surveillance command ships, and one freighter.
The Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) is the naval arm of the Sri Lanka Armed Forces and is classed as the country's most vital defence force due to its island geography and is responsible for the maritime defence of the Sri Lankan nation and its interests. The role of the Sri Lanka Navy is to conduct operations at sea for the defence of the nation and its interests and conduct prompt and sustainable combat operations at sea in accordance with the national policies.
Admiral Wannakuwatta Waduge Erwin Clancy Fernando VSV, USP, MNI was a senior Sri Lanka Navy officer. He served as the Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy from 1 November 1991 to 16 November 1992, when he was assassinated by the LTTE he was the most senior officer in the Sri Lankan armed forces to be killed in the line of duty.
The Special Boat Squadron is the Sri Lanka Navy's elite special forces unit, modeled after the British Special Boat Service. It was raised in 1993.
The Battle of Mullaitivu, also known as the First Battle of Mullaitivu and codenamed Operation Unceasing Waves-1, was a battle between the militant Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam and the Sri Lankan military during the Sri Lankan Civil War for control of the military base in Mullaitivu in north-eastern Sri Lanka.
The Battle of Point Pedro was a naval battle that occurred on May 12, 2006 near Point Pedro, Jaffna, Sri Lanka. The Sri Lankan Navy was attacked by a group of Tamil Tiger boats. A group of SLN attack boats was escorting a troop transport, the MV Pearl Cruise II which was carrying 710 soldiers for the city of Jaffna which had been under siege for the previous six years.
The 4th Fast Attack Flotilla is a force element flotilla of the Sri Lanka Navy. The flotilla's mission is to provide heavily armed and fast patrol boat capability to counter sea tiger movements along the coast and to protect naval and civilian shipping from sea tiger suicide crafts.
The Cedric class, formerly known as Arrow class, is a series of fast patrol/assault speed boats constructed by the Sri Lanka Navy for use by its littoral warfare units, the elite Special Boat Squadron (SBS) and the Rapid Action Boat Squadron (RABS).
Attack on Galle Harbour was a suicide attack carried out by 15 Sea Tigers of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) on the commercial Galle Harbour and Sri Lanka Navy base SLNS Dakshina in the tourist town of Galle in southern Sri Lanka.
Operation Sea Breeze was a combined military operation launched by the Sri Lanka Armed Forces in Mullaitivu. It was the first amphibious operation launched by the Sri Lankan military in its history. The operation was carried out to break the siege and reinforce the Sri Lanka Army camp in Mullaitivu. It was successfully carried out and the area controlled by the camp was extended.
Vice admiral Susith Maliya Bandara Weerasekara RSP, VSV, USP, ndu, psn, MSc. (DS) Mgmt, DISS, DIDSS was a commissioned officer of the Sri Lanka Navy. He was the highest ranked senior officer of the Sri Lanka Navy at the time he was overlooked for the position of Commander of the Navy, leading to his subsequent retirement. A committee appointed by President Maithripala Sirisena found that he was politically victimised by the previous government and he was promoted to the rank of vice admiral in October 2015.
Rear Admiral Manil Mendis was a Sri Lankan admiral. He is the former director of naval training and former commander of the Southern Naval Area. He was promoted to the rank of rear admiral in 2015, after a committee appointed by Maithripala Sirisena, the president of Sri Lanka found that he was politically victimized in 2010.
Anthony Rohan Amarasinghe, RSP, VSV, USP, psc, MNI, SLN was a distinguished Sri Lankan admiral. He served as the Director of Naval Rapid Action Boat Squadron, Director Naval Operations, Commander Southern Naval Area (ComSouth), Director General Personnel and Training, Commander North Central Naval Area (ComNorCen), Commander Western Naval Area (ComWest) and Commander Eastern Naval Area (ComEast). He retired from the active service in 2014 upon reaching a mandatory retirement age of 55 for Sri Lankan Armed Forces Personnel. At the time of his retirement, he was the third most senior executive officer behind Commander of the Navy and the Chief of Staff.
SLNS Parakramabahu (P351) was a Type 037 corvette class submarine chaser of the Sri Lanka Navy. The ship was named after King Parakramabahu I with warrior king of the ancient Sri Lankan Kingdom of Polonnaruwa. Purchased from the People's Liberation Army Navy, she served as the flagship of the fleet in the 1990s.
The bombing of SLNS Sooraya and SLNS Ranasuru was an attack carried out on 19 April 1995 by LTTE suicide frogmen of the Sea Tigers, who attacked and sank two Sri Lanka Navy gun boats moored in the harbor of Trincomalee, Sri Lanka by planting explosives on them.
The Battle of Weli Oya, was a battle between the militant Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam and the Sri Lanka Army during the Sri Lankan Civil War for control of the military bases in Weli Oya in northern Sri Lanka on 28 July 1995.
Naval Boat Building Yard (NBBY) is a shipyard of the Sri Lanka Navy situated in Welisara that produce small and specialist watercraft for the Sri Lanka Armed Forces, state institutions and civilians.
The Battle of Point Pedro 2007 was a naval battle that occurred on June 19, 2007 near Point Pedro, Jaffna, Sri Lanka. The battle took place when Sri Lankan Navy patrol boats were attacked by a group of Tamil Tiger patrol boats off the shore of Point Pedro.
The Battle off the coast of Mullaitivu was a naval battle fought between the Sri Lanka Navy and Sea Tigers on 23 March 1997, off the coast of town of Mullaitivu which has been under control of the LTTE since the Battle of Mullaitivu in 1996.
Attack on Colombo Harbour was a suicide attack carried out by six Black Sea Tigers of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) on Colombo Harbour, which is the primary commercial port in Sri Lanka.