Remembering Heroes on the 30th Anniversary of Sri Lanka Navy Special Boats Squadron

Islamabad - 30 July 2024 (Adnan Hameed): Thirty years ago, in Fort Hammenhiel, Karainagar, two officers and 42 sailors volunteered to undergo special training to start a new unit in our navy known as the Special Boat Squadron (SBS) or the Naval Commando Unit. SBS was formed to fight against the LTTE Sea Tigers in lagoons and waterways. I was fortunate enough to command this unit and train my men to be the “Bravest of the Brave” in the Navy. I was a young Lieutenant Commander at that time, and my Second-in-Command was an officer more than 12 years junior to me. He was Acting Sub Lieutenant Samantha Waruna Gallage, who hailed from Dehiwala. He was an excellent swimmer and a fearless fighter. Samantha was also an excellent boat handler and a top marksman. We trained together for three months in the Karainagar lagoon with the intention of taking over boat operations in the Jaffna lagoon from our small detachment at Nagadevannturai. On November 2, 1993, our Naval Detachment in Nagadevanthuri and the Pooneryn Army Complex came under heavy attack from the enemy. One by one, small detachments around the main Pooneryn Army Complex fell into the enemy’s hands like a house of cards, and more than 700 military personnel were trapped in Poonaryn. As there was no possibility to reinforce the besieged Army Complex from the air, Military Commanders decided to send reinforcement troops through an amphibious landing. My unit SBS, the brand-new Naval Special Force, was tasked with carrying out the first wave of landing. Landing at an enemy beach is a suicidal task. If you want to see what it looks like, please watch the first half-hour of Steven Spielberg’s award-winning film “Saving Private Ryan.” It is bloody and chaotic. There is no cover for you until you find some by crossing the beach area. Enemy obstacles and gun positions will be there to slow down your advance, and there is a 90 percent probability of getting killed or injured during this dangerous crossing. Orders were issued. Samantha and I were commanding two Inshore Patrol Craft (commonly known as Water Jets) which carried fifteen Commandos each, followed by fiberglass boats carrying six Commandos each. My orders were very clear to Samantha. I told him that I would land first because I wanted to assess the situation myself. The Navy Gunboats started bombarding the beach early in the morning with their 37mm guns, and we were given clearance to do the landing with a lull in heavy gunfire. Our two Water Jets raced towards the Poonaryn beach. Two enemy machine guns started firing towards us, and suddenly Samantha increased the speed of his Water Jet and landed first, neutralizing the enemy machine gun position with his grenade launchers. I was very angry with Samantha. My orders were very clear as I told him that I would be landing first. However, I was very happy that he had destroyed enemy gun positions in quick succession, preventing any casualties on our side. The landing was successful, and we established the beachhead for our landing craft to beach, and reinforcements poured in. The Poonaryn landing was a huge success. The SBS was hailed as the “Bravest of the Brave” in the Navy. Thirty years ago, in Fort Hammenhiel, Karainagar, two officers and 42 sailors volunteered to undergo special training to start a new unit in our navy known as the Special Boat Squadron (SBS) or the Naval Commando Unit. SBS was formed to fight against the LTTE Sea Tigers in lagoons and waterways. I was fortunate enough to command this unit and train my men to be the “Bravest of the Brave” in the Navy. I was a young Lieutenant Commander at that time, and my Second-in-Command was an officer more than 12 years junior to me. He was Acting Sub Lieutenant Samantha Waruna Gallage, who hailed from Dehiwala. He was an excellent swimmer and a fearless fighter. Samantha was also an excellent boat handler and a top marksman. We trained together for three months in the Karainagar lagoon with the intention of taking over boat operations in the Jaffna lagoon from our small detachment at Nagadevannturai. On November 2, 1993, our Naval Detachment in Nagadevanthuri and the Pooneryn Army Complex came under heavy attack from the enemy. One by one, small detachments around the main Pooneryn Army Complex fell into the enemy’s hands like a house of cards, and more than 700 military personnel were trapped in Poonaryn. As there was no possibility to reinforce the besieged Army Complex from the air, Military Commanders decided to send reinforcement troops through an amphibious landing. My unit SBS, the brand-new Naval Special Force, was tasked with carrying out the first wave of landing. Landing at an enemy beach is a suicidal task. If you want to see what it looks like, please watch the first half-hour of Steven Spielberg’s award-winning film “Saving Private Ryan.” It is bloody and chaotic. There is no cover for you until you find some by crossing the beach area. Enem