{"id":150878,"date":"2025-07-22T21:28:31","date_gmt":"2025-07-23T03:28:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/?p=150878"},"modified":"2025-07-22T13:18:03","modified_gmt":"2025-07-22T20:18:03","slug":"the-turning-point-by-wasantha-karannagoda-part-4","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2025\/07\/22\/the-turning-point-by-wasantha-karannagoda-part-4\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cTHE TURNING POINT\u201d BY WASANTHA KARANNAGODA\u00a0\u00a0 PART 4"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a0KAMALIKA PIERIS<\/em><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n

During \u00a0the Eelam war, the Navy was heavily \u00a0engaged in escort duties. The cargo and fuel shipped to Jaffna from Trincomalee to Colombo were escorted by the navy.\u00a0 \u00a0The passenger ferry carrying civilians sailed under navy security. [1]<\/a>\u00a0 \u00a0The LTTE closed the A9 road to Jaffna and the\u00a0 government \u00a0forces had to take a sea route to the north. Navy\u00a0 provided an escort for all such\u00a0 sea journeys. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Navy was\u00a0 responsible for the transfer of army personnel\u00a0 to and from Jaffna. In 1999 navy acquired\u00a0 two new fast passenger carriers capable of\u00a0 carrying 300 passengers at\u00a0 25 knots, named Hansaya and Lihiniya. They sailed \u00a0together every day,\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 carrying military personnel form Trincomalee to Kankesanturai . In Oct 2000 LTTE \u00a0destroyed Hansaya completely \u00a0and Lihiniya partially.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2003 the \u00a0government direct navy to charter a suitable passenger ferry for military personnel to travel to and from Jaffna.[2]<\/a>\u00a0 \u00a0A fast moving ferry capable\u00a0\u00a0 of doing\u00a0 25 knots \u00a0was needed.[3]<\/a> \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00a0Instead\u00a0 they hired Pearl Cruise\u201d .Pearl Cruise carried 700 troops at a time, mostly army personnel, from Trincomalee to Kankesanturai \u00a0and vice versa.[4]<\/a>\u00a0 \u00a0LTTE attacked Pearl Cruise in May 2006 using suicide boats. Pearl Cruise\u00a0 was saved because of a brave gesture by Lieutenant Commander Edirisinghe\u00a0 who had rammed the LTTE suicide boat heading for Pearl Cruise. Both craft\u00a0\u00a0 exploded killing LTTE and \u00a0navy personnel.\u00a0\u00a0 This was the bravest act by naval personnel in the Eelam war, said Karannagoda.[5]<\/a>\u00a0 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00a0<\/strong>Pearl Cruise was \u00a0very unsatisfactory . Its speed of less than 11 knots was too slow. Conditions on Pearl cruise were pathetic, said Karannagoda in\u00a0 his book. Soldiers were\u00a0\u00a0 packed like sardines and it \u00a0took nearly 16-18 hours per journey. [6]<\/a>\u00a0 \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pearl Cruise was to be temporary but no attempt was made to replace it \u00a0with a ferry having better speed.[7]<\/a>\u00a0 \u00a0Instead, the \u00a0Navy Commander\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0kept extending the Pearl Cruise contract every 3-6 months, continuously for more than\u00a0\u00a0 two years, \u00a0without going for a fresh tender.[8]<\/a>\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00a0<\/strong>When he became Commander in 2005 Karannagoda \u00a0called an international tender for a\u00a0 suitable passenger \u00a0ferry \u00a0having the \u00a0required speed.[9]<\/a> They found a suitable ferry in Indonesia, the Jetliner, [10]<\/a> with speed of 30 knots\u00a0 and\u00a0 four engines of a make \u00a0which the navy was familiar with.[11]<\/a>\u00a0 <\/strong>It could carry up to 100 \u00a0metric tons of weapons, food and medicine and could easily accommodate 200 vehicles.[12]<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00a0<\/strong>Jetliner arrived in Trincomalee \u00a0around 2 pm on 22 July 2006 ,[13]<\/a>\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0protected all the way \u00a0from \u00a0Indonesia to Sri Lanka , from pirates and LTTE. It was \u00a0most welcome. Jetliner could keep a minimum distance of over 50 km,[14]<\/a> \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a030 nautical miles from land. Sea conditions became rougher as the distance increased from coastline, \u00a0and Jetliner could\u00a0 face\u00a0 these rough condition, \u00a0LTTE boats\u00a0 could not, Karannagoda observed.[15]<\/a>\u00a0 <\/strong>[16]<\/a>\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On arrival in Sri Lanka  Jetliner was converted to a warship by installing eight 14.5 mm guns for its protection. In addition, it carried four IGLA missiles, 40 LMGs and technical equipment including modern radar was installed, said Rear Admiral (Rtd) Noel Kalubowila in an interview for Ceylon Today.[17]<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kalubowila also  observed that  Jetliner  had a massive cafeteria,  and areas where troops could engage in small games. We showed two movies. These helped relax the mind. Jetliner  contributed to boosting the morale of troops by facilitating safe travel.\u201d [18]<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00a0<\/strong>Jetliner could carry more than 3000 troops in one go, at a speed of\u00a0 28-30 knots and \u00a0took less than 6 hours to complete the \u00a0one way trip between Trincomalee and Kankesanturai .[19]<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0 Troops traveling in Jetliner were fresh and ready to serve, unlike on Pearl Cruise. Time spent by the navy on escort was \u00a0also reduced.\u00a0 Jetliner was used only once a week, so \u00a0accompanying naval craft \u00a0were could be used for other work for the rest of the week.[20]<\/a>\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jetliner made the first voyage to Kankesanturai \u00a0from Trincomalee\u00a0 during day time. Ferry left around 8 am and reached\u00a0 destination around 2 pm the same day,[21]<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0 stayed overnight at Kankesanturai\u00a0 and then sailed back to Trincomalee the next day. Date of this first sailing is not available.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

LTTE attacked Jetliner at Trincomalee harbour\u00a0 on its second voyage in 2 August 2006 when it was returning form Kankesanturai\u00a0 with 1700 army\u00a0 personnel. [22]<\/a> It was an all out attack with four LTTE\u00a0 suicide\u00a0 boats, 8 attack boats and\u00a0 LTTE airplanes.[23]<\/a> <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00a0LTTE\u00a0 fired into the inner\u00a0 Harbor\u00a0 to\u00a0 which\u00a0\u00a0 Jetliner was heading. LTTE also fired at\u00a0 the\u00a0 Naval dockyard, Air force camp[24]<\/a> at China Bay and the army camp\u00a0 at Trincomalee\u00a0 harbour. [25]<\/a> \u00a0at the same time,\u00a0 there was an LTTE \u00a0attack on the army and navy camps in Mutur. It was clear that\u00a0 LTTE had planned this for some time and had\u00a0 waited for Jetliner observed Karannagoda .<\/strong>[26]<\/a> <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

At Trincomalee , the last 15 rounds \u00a0of LTTE artillery had hit the\u00a0 harbour entrance. This meant that some one had acted as the forward spotter for the LTTE and had given the necessary correction for the firing. The spotter may \u00a0have been stationed on the harbour road , which is\u00a0 the\u00a0 northern boundary of the inner harbor . \u00a0<\/strong>[27]<\/a>\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We were\u00a0 prepared for this attack and countered it, Karannagoda \u00a0said. The attack\u00a0 only lasted 30 minutes. The navy response was too strong for the LTTE . Navy had fired back using\u00a0 the 122 army MBRL installed in Naval Dockyard\u00a0 in 2002 to face the Sampur\u00a0 threat. .Navy destroyed 3 suicide boats and four attack boats of the\u00a0 LTTE . No Sri Lanka Navy craft was damaged as a result of the artillery attack but 5 sailors were killed and 40 wounded in the Dockyard Naval Base[28]<\/a> LTTE withdrew. Jetliner entered the harbor without a scratch .<\/strong>[29]<\/a>\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00a0 <\/strong>After this attack, Jetliner was quickly\u00a0\u00a0 dispatched, late at night to Galle. This is described in detail in the book. [30]<\/a>\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The navy upgraded the fighting capacity of \u00a0\u00a0Jetliner while it was berthed at Galle.[31]<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Having failed to destroy Jetliner, LTTE \u00a0then wanted Jetliner sent back to Indonesia. They used\u00a0 two \u00a0officials\u00a0 in the Indonesian embassy\u00a0 in Sri Lanka .These two embassy officials\u00a0 went to Galle and spoke to the crew, who\u00a0 announced that\u00a0 they \u00a0wanted to return to Indonesia with the ship. Sri Lanka resisted. The Indonesia crew were sent back and Jetliner remained with the navy.[32]<\/a>\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The LTTE camp at Sampur \u00a0in Koddiyar bay, with its formidable artillery was destroyed\u00a0 on the instruction of President Mahinda Rajapaksa.[33]<\/a> \u00a0Jetliner returned\u00a0 to Trincomalee \u00a0and berthed at Nicholson Cove, which was the only safe place for it. Due to \u00a0LTTE air threat,\u00a0 anti aircraft guns were installed in several strategic places at Nicholson Cove, on board Jetliner itself and in the Naval Dockyard. Seach lights were also installed in selected strategic positions.[34]<\/a> <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thereafter \u00a0Jetliner went once a week to Jaffna during daylight hours carrying 3000 troops each day. [35]<\/a> \u00a0Jetliner continued\u00a0 its weekly\u00a0 journey until the war ended. It was returned to Indonesia in 2012.[36]<\/a> \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since Jetliner carried more than 3,000 unarmed soldiers at a time, Sri Lanka Navy paid utmost attention to protecting it from enemy attack on its journey from Trincomalee to Kankesanturai\u00a0 and back.[37]<\/a>The probability of LTTE\u00a0 aircraft trying to target the ferry was very high .Jetliner was at the top of LTTE\u2019s target list and there had been five subsequent attacks on it at different times.[38]<\/a> The \u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>Jetliner voyage was closely monitored,[39]<\/a> <\/strong>Navy Commander, Vice Admiral Wasantha Karannagoda\u00a0 did\u00a0 not move from the Operation Room until\u00a0 the operation was over.\u00a0 Embarkation and dis-embarkation on Jetliner was time consuming task.[40]<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This weekly voyage was a special ops for the entire navy. It was all hands on deck when the Jetliner\u00a0 started its voyage The procedure is described\u00a0 in great detail in the book.[41]<\/a> On days of Jetliner voyage, the entire Naval\u00a0 Dockyard went into action stations from midnight. All naval craft and ships inside\u00a0 the harbour\u00a0\u00a0 had their anti aircraft guns ready against the LTTE\u00a0 air threat.\u00a0 Regular exercises were conducted to prepare all naval personnel in the Jetliner and in the Naval Dockyard against possible LTTE bombing raids <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00a0Before Jetliner\u00a0 embarked , waves of FAC were sent out at intervals to comb the area. They included 24 FACs, \u00a04 FGBs\u00a0 and two offshore patrols. In march 2007, sixty Arrow and Wave rider were added.[42]<\/a> .\u00a0\u00a0 8 FACs sailed with Jetliner forming a screen around it. [43]<\/a>\u00a0 Twenty\u00a0 Dvoras and Arrow boats\u00a0 went\u00a0 alongside,[44]<\/a> added Kalubowila. .A team of\u00a0 air force personnel were stationed on the upper deck of the\u00a0 Jet liner during her journeys, with surface to air missiles\u00a0 as well.[45]<\/a> ( continued)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

[1]<\/a> Karannagoda The turning point p 244<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[2]<\/a> Karannagoda The turning point p 245<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[3]<\/a> Karannagoda The turning point p 245<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[4]<\/a> Karannagoda The turning point p 171<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[5]<\/a> Karannagoda The turning point p197,198<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[6]<\/a> Karannagoda The turning point p 171<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[7]<\/a> Karannagoda The turning point p 171<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[8]<\/a> Karannagoda The turning point p 194<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[9]<\/a> Karannagoda The turning point p 194<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[10]<\/a> Karannagoda The turning point p 248<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[11]<\/a> Karannagoda The turning point p 247<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[12]<\/a> Gagani Weerakoonv.https:\/\/ceylontoday.lk\/2024\/05\/18\/jetliner-the-lifeline-of-humanitarian-operation\/<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

[14]<\/a> Karannagoda The turning point p 247<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[15]<\/a> Karannagoda The turning point p 250<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

[17]<\/a> Gagani Weerakoonv.https:\/\/ceylontoday.lk\/2024\/05\/18\/jetliner-the-lifeline-of-humanitarian-operation\/<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[18]<\/a> Gagani Weerakoonv.https:\/\/ceylontoday.lk\/2024\/05\/18\/jetliner-the-lifeline-of-humanitarian-operation\/<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[19]<\/a> Karannagoda The turning point p 171, 172<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[20]<\/a> Karannagoda The turning point p 171, 172<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[21]<\/a> Karannagoda The turning point p 171, 172<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[22]<\/a> Karannagoda The turning point p 253<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[23]<\/a> https:\/\/www.sundaytimes.lk\/080831\/Columns\/sitreport.html<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[24]<\/a> Karannagoda The turning point p 254<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[25]<\/a> Gagani Weerakoonv.https:\/\/ceylontoday.lk\/2024\/05\/18\/jetliner-the-lifeline-of-humanitarian-operation\/<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[26]<\/a> Karannagoda The turning point p 255<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[27]<\/a> Karannagoda The turning point p 256, 257<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[28]<\/a> Gagani Weerakoonv.https:\/\/ceylontoday.lk\/2024\/05\/18\/jetliner-the-lifeline-of-humanitarian-operation\/<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[29]<\/a> Karannagoda The turning point p 254<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[30]<\/a> Karannagoda The turning point p 264<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[31]<\/a>Gagani Weerakoonv.https:\/\/ceylontoday.lk\/2024\/05\/18\/jetliner-the-lifeline-of-humanitarian-operation\/<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[32]<\/a> Karannagoda The turning point p 264, 265<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[33]<\/a> Karannagoda The turning point p 251<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[34]<\/a> Karannagoda The turning point p 272<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[35]<\/a> Karannagoda The turning point p 266<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[36]<\/a> Karannagoda The turning point p 274<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[37]<\/a> Gagani Weerakoonv.https:\/\/ceylontoday.lk\/2024\/05\/18\/jetliner-the-lifeline-of-humanitarian-operation\/<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[38]<\/a> Gagani Weerakoonv.https:\/\/ceylontoday.lk\/2024\/05\/18\/jetliner-the-lifeline-of-humanitarian-operation\/<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[39]<\/a> Karannagoda The turning point p 269<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[40]<\/a> Karannagoda The turning point p 172<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[41]<\/a> Karannagoda The turning point p 266-269<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[42]<\/a> Karannagoda The turning point p 267<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[43]<\/a> Karannagoda The turning point p 268<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[44]<\/a> Gagani Weerakoonv.https:\/\/ceylontoday.lk\/2024\/05\/18\/jetliner-the-lifeline-of-humanitarian-operation\/<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[45]<\/a> Karannagoda The turning point p 272<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

\u00a0KAMALIKA PIERIS During \u00a0the Eelam war, the Navy was heavily \u00a0engaged in escort duties. The cargo and fuel shipped to Jaffna from Trincomalee to Colombo were escorted by the navy.\u00a0 \u00a0The passenger ferry carrying civilians sailed under navy security. [1]\u00a0 \u00a0The LTTE closed the A9 road to Jaffna and the\u00a0 government \u00a0forces had to take […]<\/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-150878","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\/150878","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=150878"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/150878\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=150878"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=150878"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=150878"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}