Impassable for even a sprat:

Navy dragnet thrown around Mullaitivu seas

Dhaneshi Yatawara in Puthumathalan

The roughness of the sea was at its worst and the entire surrounding was in pitch dark. The Sri Lanka Navy, Dvora was just about to return to the Trincomalee harbour to refuel and collect water before launching their extensive operations and surveillances in the seas off Mullaitivu.

In the middle of constant communications over the radio sets the Commanding Officer received an “alert” from the radar point on the ground of a possible threat.

“Fifteen boats with white flags are trying to launch into the sea from south of the Farah III wreckage,” the message said. All the Fast Attack Crafts, Inshore Patrol Crafts and small attack boats of the Rapid Action Squadron and the Special Boat Squadron of the Sri Lanka Navy, always on high alert received the message instantly.

The flotilla of boats with white flags, instead of facing the Navy boats no withdrew seeing the change of maneuvere of the Navy boats. Naval crafts continued their close surveillance.

During the wee hours on the following day, the LTTE launched a suicide mission to incapacitate the Naval defence lines in the seas off Mullaitivu.

Successfully thwarting the attack, the Sri Lanka Navy deployed in the defence lines, destroyed two boats and four suicide boats of the Sea Tigers and killed 25 cadres.

Since the day the LTTE was extensively restricted to a six kilometre long coastal line in the ‘No Fire Zone’, the threat on Sri Lanka Navy operating in these waters increased in this manner. Yet it never succeeded.

Tight blockade

The two masterminds of these tricky Operations Commanders of the Northern and Eastern Naval Commands, Rear Admiral Somarathilake Dissanayake and Rear Admiral Susith Weerasekara confirmed the sealing of all LTTE movements in the sea.

“The LTTE cannot pull wool over our eyes and escape. Thought the LTTE concentrated all their sea power on to this narrow stretch causing maximum strain to us, yet we have the advantage of concentrating our entire fire power to eliminate it”, Navy spokesman Captain D.K.P. Dasanayake. While travelling in the seas off Mullaitivu explained the current security situation in the area.

The area is constantly patrolled by SLN vessels, consisting of fast attack craft (FAC), offshore patrol vessels (OPVs), gun boats, and the SLN’s Rapid Action Boat Squadron (RABS) and Special Boat Squadron (SBS), eliminating the LTTE’s seaward escape route and preventing supplies from reaching the terrorist. SLN crews would have to keep vigilant round the clock in monitoring their movements.

Accordingly, throughout the day 80 small boats of the RABS and SBS are operating approximately one nautical mile while FACs operate at a distance of three nautical miles from the coast. The OPVs constantly operate in the deep sea to prevent intruders from international seas as well as escape efforts from inland.

The eagle eye

The RABS, SBS and the FACs are fully equipped with Electronic Optical Devices (EODs) as well as RADARS for remotesensing.

SLN have established two RADAR points on the land at Chalai and Chillawatta which observe the entire ground area of the present restricted zone providing a clear picture of the enemy movements.

The EODs give a clear close picture of the enemy line. They are under constant surveillance. The large numbers of small high-speed heavily armed IPC outnumber the LTTE suicide boats and overwhelm them during battle.

Hundreds of fibre-glass IPCs are locally made in three variants for operations in different seas.

With the new threats looming on the SLN, the mission-oriented Small Boats concept became effective against the enemy strategies and tactics including the suicide boat attacks.

With a low profile and moving at 35-40 knots, the suicide craft were very difficult to engage with gunfire.

We had launched a strong operation to secure and defeat the LTTE which is now confined to a six kilometre long coastal stretch. Due to our intensified surveillance the Sea Tigers of the LTTE don’t have the slightest chance of survival or escape,” Commanding Officer of the FAC Squadron Captain D.N.S.C. Kalubowila said speaking to the media crew on a recently conducted visit to the Naval defence lines.

“The three officers and the 18 sailors on board of a FAC are the best of the specially trained Navy personnel. To be a fighter in a FAC is no easy task.

Each and every one should know how to operate every single point of the craft - technically as well as during assaults,” Captain Kalubowila added.

With highly skilled officers and sailors, the fight against the ruthless LTTE while surviving on the rough seas, eliminating terrorism beyond our seas is not a dream but a reality.

Pic: Samantha Weerasiri