{"id":150820,"date":"2025-07-20T17:36:34","date_gmt":"2025-07-21T00:36:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/?p=150820"},"modified":"2025-07-21T16:18:37","modified_gmt":"2025-07-21T23:18:37","slug":"the-turning-point-by-wasantha-karannagoda-part-3a","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2025\/07\/20\/the-turning-point-by-wasantha-karannagoda-part-3a\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cTHE TURNING POINT\u201d BY WASANTHA KARANNAGODA\u00a0–\u00a0 PART 3A"},"content":{"rendered":"

KAMALIKA PIERIS<\/em><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n

The book The Turning Point \u2019has a separate chapter titled\u00a0 \u2018The evolution of the Sri Lanka navy and the LTTE\u2019s Sea Tigers\u201d. This \u00a0give us much first hand information on the development of the LTTE Sea Tiger force and the measures taken\u00a0 by the navy to combat them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00a0<\/strong>We are told that the\u00a0 LTTE first used\u00a0 their boats to smuggle arms \u00a0and ammunition\u00a0 from India and to \u00a0send\u00a0 their cadres to India for training. Until the mid 1980s \u00a0LTTE only \u00a0\u00a0had\u00a0 25 HP outboard motors for their fiberglass dinghies \u00a0which were 17-20 feet in length and \u00a0had a speed of around 10-12 knots. [1]<\/a> <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Until the late 1980s the LTTE did not confront the Sri Lanka navy directly. They tried to avoid the\u00a0 Sri Lanka navy as much as possible.[2]<\/a> \u00a0\u00a0The Sea Tiger wing called Kadal Pura \u00a0was launched in 1985. It was the LTTE \u2018 de facto\u2019 navy. The boats\u00a0\u00a0 had higher HP out board motors\u00a0 such as\u00a0 40 and 75 , which gave the craft the required speed of 20 to 25 knots. The craft also had high caliber 23 mm weapons\u00a0 which \u00a0gave greater range.[3]<\/a> \u00a0\u00a0LTTE had a cell in Indonesia that provided war material including HP outboard motors and large fiberglass boats.[4]<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

To\u00a0 match this, navy obtained\u00a0 \u00a0six Fast Attack Craft FAC, \u00a0manufactured in Israel, by the Dvora company\u00a0 in 1985 and 1986.\u00a0 Colombo Dockyard also built \u00a0the \u2018Dvora\u2019\u00a0 later. They were effective but\u00a0 were\u00a0\u00a0 not as powerful as the original\u00a0 Dvora, observed Karannagoda .[5]<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0 FACs were also bought from other countries, the book gives the\u00a0 details\u00a0 and the relative strength of the\u00a0\u00a0 different makes.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00a0<\/strong>When the FACs arrived, LTTE\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 started to\u00a0\u00a0 do\u00a0 their sea movement at night. Sea tigers started\u00a0 to \u00a0attack\u00a0 around 4 pm to take advantage of darkness. The navy had difficulty in spotting the much smaller LTTE boats in the dark, though its fighting ability was greater.[6]<\/a> \u00a0\u00a0Navy\u00a0 got a powerful search light called Xenon, that\u00a0 emit a\u00a0 beam that could illuminate a target at about 1 km, which was \u00a0sufficient for attack at night.\u00a0 It also blinded the LTTE cadres in the\u00a0 dinghy.[7]<\/a>\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 FACs\u00a0 were divided into three squadrons, each under a commander. There was a separate training officer for the FACS.[8]<\/a> \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Karannagoda looked into the suitability of the officers heading the FACs and found that\u00a0 more than 50% were not suitable. They were replaced.[9]<\/a> \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Women sailors and lady officers were appointed for each FAC\u00a0 area , to visit the families of the FAC staff\u00a0 and look into their welfare , such as \u00a0school, health\u00a0 and any other matters that needed attention. This was done so that FAC personnel \u00a0could concentrate on their work.[10]<\/a> <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The navy deployed FACs to patrol the north-east and north-west seaboard. The \u00a0\u00a0north-eastern seaboard, where LTTE had its\u00a0 sea tiger camps was patrolled round the clock by six FACS \u00a0in pairs, 30 km apart, from three designated positions Challai (C) Mullaitivu ( M)\u00a0 and Nayaru ( N).They patrolled \u00a0a coastal belt of approx. 100 km from Point Pedro to Nayaru.\u00a0 <\/strong>[11]<\/a>\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Karannagoda wanted to upgrade the\u00a0 weapons of the FAC. This is described in great detail in the book . In 1997, the navy got its first multi sensor stabilized integrated system (MSIS) with a thermal\u00a0 camera. The MSISs connected to a computer that\u00a0 calculated all aspects including ballistics, wind speed, roll and pitch of the craft, estimated speed of enemy craft an gave the firing solution to the gun, which made it very accurate. [12]<\/a>\u00a0 This took the LTTE by surprise. Navy could now see the LTTE boats before the LTTE could see the navy boat and the navy was able to destroy many of the LTTE boats in a night.<\/strong>[13]<\/a> <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00a0Navy had more than 30 FACS fitted with thermal cameras and stabilizing gun platforms. \u00a0Guns of varying strength were fitted on to the boats. Naval firepower became very formidable\u00a0 and it was difficult for the LTTE to match it at the time. Therefore LTTE could not operate\u00a0 freely even at night.\u00a0 The\u00a0 Navy speed increased to 45 knots , caliber of weapons improved from 20 mm to 23 mm.<\/strong>[14]<\/a> <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Later, four sets of additional engines were bought for the FAC instead of more craft.\u00a0 FAC could now be repaired within two days .[15]<\/a> There were other improvements to\u00a0 the fighting ability of navy craft. These are described in detail in the book.\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Navy had a secure communications network within the navy,\u00a0\u00a0 including an internal telephone system between the HQ and area commands, where the conversation was automatically encoded. [16]<\/a> Satellite phones were provided for each ship and craft during Karannagoda\u2019s time. <\/strong>[17]<\/strong><\/a> <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the Navy found it difficult to maintain communications\u00a0 with its own craft in certain areas in the sea. They could not receive transmission signals after a certain distance from\u00a0 land, particularly in the areas where LTTE had the highest number of sea tiger camps.\u00a0 To overcome this, five\u00a0 masts were \u00a0constructed\u00a0 \u00a0each over 120 m , at strategic locations, covering the entire\u00a0 north, north east and north west seaboard. The masts\u00a0\u00a0 provided live\u00a0 pictures of battles ,\u00a0 and of\u00a0 additional craft put to sea from LTTE camps. [18]<\/a> These masts helped\u00a0 destroy the floating warehouses.[19]<\/a> <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On March 30, 1996, the Dvora bearing number P-458 was tasked with the duty of escorting a convoy. It was under Lieutenant Jude Wijetunge .The LTTE had sent a suicide boat to attack the convoy. It was going at  full speed  towards the  convoy when  Wijetunge\u2019s Dvora rammed the suicide boat and both boats exploded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 Lieutenant Jude Wijetunge became the first Navy officer to be posthumously awarded the  Parama Weera Vibhushana, the highest gallantry medal awarded to members of the Sri Lanka Armed Forces. He was   also promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Commander.[20]<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

LTTE use the Ceasefire Agreement (2002-2005) to rearm and improve their fighting capability. Under the Ceasefire Agreement\u00a0 ,certain officials who held high position in the government\u00a0 helped LTTE to get down outboard motors with higher HP, fiberglass material for boat building and new communication equipment, all of which had been prohibited earlier.\u00a0 The items came under the pretext of helping the \u00a0fishing community.\u00a0 Navy complained but the complaints were \u00a0ignored. [21]<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

LTTE had strengthened itself during the Ceasefire Agreement \u00a0and were able to deploy\u00a0 30-40 boats with higher HP engine together with 4-5 suicide boats at any given time from their camps,\u00a0 to launch wolf pack type attacks on the pairs of FACs.[22]<\/a>\u00a0 This reduced the advantage FAC has enjoyed up to 2002.[23]<\/a>\u00a0 When LTTE attacked in 2006, only a few FACs had the speed advantage and were capable of facing the new LTTE high speed suicide boat threat. [24]<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

During the UNP government 2001-2004 military purchases for the\u00a0 armed forces were either reduced or\u00a0 halted totally. \u00a0Instead the \u00a0government\u00a0 favored the LTTE . Defence Ministry ordered the navy to release a number of\u00a0 LTTE boats with arms and ammunition, claymore mines and other material captured off the Trincomalee harbor by navy under trying conditions, in rain and scorching sun..[25]<\/a> \u00a0LTTE\u00a0 violated Ceasefire Agreement over 3000 times, but \u00a0government \u00a0wanted \u00a0the Sri Lanka navy to exercise restraint.[26]<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00a0After the Tsunami of 2004, on the pretext of helping fishermen, LTTE\u00a0 got down experts from west to help them build lightweight\u00a0 fiberglass large attack boats and suicide boats.\u00a0 LTTE also got outboard motors over 200 HP, which were banned\u00a0 in the country. Customs inspections were relaxed\u00a0 and LTTE was able to receive the higher HP outboard motors by the container load without difficulty.\u00a0 They were also able to get fully constructed high speed boats in containers transferred to their areas undetected, said Karannagoda in his book.[27]<\/a> <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00a0In\u00a0 1999 and 2000 LTTE started \u00a0its well known Wolf Pack \u00a0attacks of around 8-12 boats at a time against the FACs who were patrolling the north eastern seaboard, where LTTE had its\u00a0 sea tiger camps. LTTE had radar stations in their bases and these observed the movement of the FACs and launched the attacks when they were\u00a0 about 10 kms from land.\u00a0 It was difficult to catch them as they returned to land very fast .<\/strong>[28]<\/a>\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00a0By mid 2006 LTTE was able to launch 20-25 boats with four and five suicide boats at a time in their wolf pack type of attacks against the navy. One intelligence report stated that\u00a0 LTTE was conducting trials of a new very high speed\u00a0 suicide boat with speed of more than 45 knots and there was video footage of its trials. LTTE was planning to construct over 100 such suicide\u00a0 boats.<\/strong>[29]<\/a> <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Navy needed\u00a0 150 FACs\u00a0 to combat the Wolf pack .\u00a0 This was out of the question. \u00a0Also, FACs could not\u00a0 be made smaller as they had to stay a \u00a0minimum period of 24 -36 hours sea continuously\u00a0 to monitor enemy activities. LTTE strategy was to hit and run, \u00a0so LTTE\u00a0 boats\u00a0 \u00a0were meant to stay 6-8 hours and return to camp.<\/strong>[30]<\/a> .<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00a0<\/strong>Karannagoda started to search for a suitable small boat, slightly\u00a0 bigger\u00a0 and with better firepower than the LTTE boat. In September 2006, army liberated Sampur,\u00a0 and \u00a0one\u00a0 suicide boat \u00a0\u00a0caught his eye,\u00a0 it was an imported boat. He \u00a0sent the boat to Welisara navy fiberglass workshop.\u00a0\u00a0 They copied this boat and fitted it with\u00a0 two 250 HP outboard motors, \u00a0\u00a02.3 mm gun in front,\u00a0 with two 12.5 mm guns on either side. The boat could carry five.\u00a0\u00a0 After several changes we got the perfect boat we wanted\u00a0 said Karannagoda . He called it Arrow boat.<\/strong>[31]<\/a> <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Arrow boat was mass produced \u00a0at Welisara \u00a0boat building yard.\u00a0 It took\u00a0 6 months to complete the first 30\u00a0 Arrow boats.\u00a0 Welisara eventually\u00a0 turned out more than\u00a0 8 arrow boats a month [32]<\/a> totaling over 200 Arrow boats inhouse. [33]<\/a> \u00a0250 HP outboard motors\u00a0 from Japan,\u00a0 23 mm guns from Bulgaria, 14.5 mm guns from China were bought in sufficient quantities for these boats. The sailors for Arrow \u00a0were trained at a camp establish specially for this at Kalpitiya. [34]<\/a> \u00a030 Arrow boats \u00a0were positioned at selected locations starting with Pulmoddai and extending to Talaimannar , Delft and Kayts.[35]<\/a> <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A harbor was \u00a0made for these boats at Point Pedro, in 5 months by the \u00a0Northern Area Commander and his team ,[36]<\/a> with\u00a0 pier, harbor, fully fledged naval camp and 120 meter mast for installation of radar, thermal camera and antennas for communications. The \u00a0LTTE informants in the Tamil villages at Point Pedro\u00a0 would \u00a0have\u00a0 informed the LTTE about this. <\/strong>[37]<\/a> \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00a0<\/strong>In June 2007,there was a \u00a0major confrontation between\u00a0 navy and LTTE. LTTE launched\u00a0 25 boats from Challai and Mullaitivu. Arrow boats were ready for them.\u00a0 There were\u00a0 50 Arrow boats against 30 LTTE boats.[38]<\/a> \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Arrow boats won the battle.\u00a0 LTTE withdrew having lost several boats.\u00a0 [39]<\/a> \u00a0This battle is \u00a0described in the book, with much detail. This was a \u00a0huge defeat for LTTE and a big victory for us, said Karannagoda . Navy in high spirits over the success of the battle.[40]<\/a> <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

After this battle, \u00a0sailors complained \u00a0that a command craft was lacking .[41]<\/a> \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Navy\u00a0 had captured an abandoned large LTTE boat, Indumathi in 2007.[42]<\/a> \u00a0Indumathi has been constructed abroad\u00a0 .[43]<\/a> \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0At Welisara, the navy copied\u00a0 Indumathi and \u00a0created the \u00a0Wave Rider boat. Wave Rider became the command craft. There was \u00a0one Wave Rider to five Arrow boats. [44]<\/a> <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This flotilla of small boats belonging to the Sri Lanka navy, was\u00a0 able to destroy\u00a0\u00a0 attack boats and suicide boats of the LTTE\u00a0 in every battle at sea. This reduced the sea battles from 22 in 2006 to\u00a0 11 in 2007 \u00a0and three in 2008. . By the end of 2008 LTTE did not have any boats to fight at sea and the Sea Tigers were fighting on land.[45]<\/a> \u00a0\u00a0( continued)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

[1]<\/a> Karannagoda The turning point p 126<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[2]<\/a> Karannagoda The turning point p 129<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[3]<\/a> Karannagoda The turning point p 129<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[4]<\/a> Karannagoda The turning point p 249<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[5]<\/a> Karannagoda The turning point p 128<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[6]<\/a> Karannagoda The turning point p 195<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[7]<\/a> Karannagoda The turning point p 129<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[8]<\/a> Karannagoda The turning point  p  215<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[9]<\/a> Karannagoda The turning point  p 216<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[10]<\/a> Karannagoda The turning point  p  217<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[11]<\/a> Karannagoda The turning point  p  138,  231,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[12]<\/a> Karannagoda The turning point  p 130,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[13]<\/a> Karannagoda The turning point  p 130,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[14]<\/a> Karannagoda The turning point p 131<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[15]<\/a> Karannagoda The turning point p 173<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[16]<\/a> Karannagoda, The Turning Point p  192<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[17]<\/a> Karannagoda, The Turning Point p  170<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[18]<\/a> Karannagoda, The Turning Point p  201<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[19]<\/a> Karannagoda, The Turning Point p  170<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[20]<\/a> https:\/\/archives1.dailynews.lk\/2020\/09\/19\/features\/229140\/cruising-waves-victory?views_lazy_load_disabled=true&page=12#google_vignette<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[21]<\/a> Karannagoda The turning point p 215<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[22]<\/a> Karannagoda The turning point p 232<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[23]<\/a> Karannagoda The turning point p 214<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[24]<\/a> Karannagoda The turning point p 214<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[25]<\/a> Karannagoda The turning point p 44<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[26]<\/a> Karannagoda The turning point p 149,153<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[27]<\/a> Karannagoda The turning point p 132<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[28]<\/a> Karannagoda The turning point p 138,139<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[29]<\/a> Karannagoda The turning point p 133<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[30]<\/a> Karannagoda The turning point p 217,218<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[31]<\/a> Karannagoda, The Turning Point p  233, 235<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[32]<\/a> Karannagoda, The Turning Point p  235-238<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[33]<\/a> Rohan Gunaratne .foreward to The Turning point p xix<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[34]<\/a> Karannagoda, The Turning Point p  235-238<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[35]<\/a> Karannagoda, The Turning Point p 242<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[36]<\/a> Karannagoda, The Turning Point p  241<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[37]<\/a> Karannagoda, The Turning Point p  238<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[38]<\/a> Karannagoda, The Turning Point p  239<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[39]<\/a> Karannagoda, The Turning Point p 240<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[40]<\/a> Karannagoda, The Turning Point p 241-242<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[41]<\/a> Karannagoda, The Turning Point p 241-242<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[42]<\/a> Karannagoda, The Turning Point p 240<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[43]<\/a> Karannagoda, The Turning Point p  241<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[44]<\/a> Karannagoda, The Turning Point p  241<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[45]<\/a> Karannagoda, The Turning Point p  242<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

KAMALIKA PIERIS The book The Turning Point \u2019has a separate chapter titled\u00a0 \u2018The evolution of the Sri Lanka navy and the LTTE\u2019s Sea Tigers\u201d. This \u00a0give us much first hand information on the development of the LTTE Sea Tiger force and the measures taken\u00a0 by the navy to combat them. \u00a0We are told that the\u00a0 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[104],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-150820","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-kamalika-pieris"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/150820","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=150820"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/150820\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=150820"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=150820"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=150820"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}