Sri Lanka Navy celebrates 64th Anniversary today

The Sri Lanka Navy celebrates 64th anniversary today, giving prominence to religious activities. Many naval ceremonies are held in keeping with time-honoured naval customs and traditions. The main Buddhist religious ceremony will be held at the Dalada Maligawa in Kandy.

The current Sri Lankan Navy was established on 9 December 1950 when the Navy Act was passed for the formation of the Royal Ceylon Navy. The roots of the modern Sri Lankan Navy date back to 1937 when the Ceylon Naval Volunteer Force was established, which was renamed and absorbed into the Royal Navy as the Ceylon Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve during World War II. The current name Sri Lanka Navy was constituted in 1972 when Sri Lanka became a republic and the introduction of new constitution.

In recent years under the leadership of President Mahinda Rajapaksa and able-guidance of Defence and Urban Development Ministry Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, Sri Lanka Navy played a pivotal role by eliminating the terrorists’ International Arms Supply Network through the destructions of the enemy’s “floating arms warehouses” in deep sea operations, which was a turning point in the war against LTTE terror. The deadly blow dealt to the terrorists’ International Arms Supply Network crippled their fighting capability and diminished their firepower.