Sunday Times 2
The last ‘Admiral’ from H.M.Cy.S. Coastal Forces
Commanding Officer Lieutenant Aubrey Wise, Actg. Sub Lieutenant Clancy Fernando seated in front with a dog at his feet with ship’s complement of H.M.Cy.S. Aliya at ‘Honey Moon Cottage Pier’ at Naval Dockyard Trincomalee. Interestingly enough the cap tallies of the sailors carry the words H.M.Cy.S. Coastal Forces.
A Century ago a group of young British Naval Officers in Harwich wanted to build a small but fast attack motor boat which carried torpedoes. This idea materialised and the first six Coastal Motor Boats were delivered to the Royal Navy in 1919.
Coastal Forces in 1940 was a division of the Royal Navy commanded by the Rear Admiral Coastal Forces, Head Quartered at HMS Vernon. At the height of World War Two in 1944 its strength was 3,000 officers and 22,000 sailors. The 2,000 odd coastal forces craft affectionately known as the Royal Navy’s “Little Ships” fought over 900 actions sinking 400 vessels. During the course of action they fired 1,169 torpedoes, shot down 32 aircraft and carried out extensive mine laying operations. They also lost 170 of their own craft.
The very young men who served in Coastal Forces, manned craft that were wooden, heavily armed, carrying ammunition and high-octane fuel as they went in to attack naval enemy at close range. Coastal Forces played a prominent part in both world wars and the people who served in the Motor Torpedo Boats, Motor Gun Boats, and Motor Launches gained a greater number of distinguished service awards than any other branch of the Royal Navy. The brave young men who manned these fast attack craft made an extraordinary contribution to naval warfare. They operated in the darkest of nights in flimsy, heavily armed, craft, attacking the enemy at close range. They were known as the ‘spitfires of the seas’.
‘H.M.Cy.S. Coastal Forces’ cap tally from Clancy Fernando's collection. The last Royal Navy Mine Sweepers to wear “HM Coastal Forces” cap tallies had been taken out of reserve in 1968. Thereafter, they wore individual ship’s cap tallies. This would have been the same in Ceylon.
Expansion to the East
Coastal Forces in the Eastern Theatre date back to March 1942, when the first Fairmile “B” type motor launch built in India was commissioned in Calcutta. The Captain Coastal Forces, Eastern Theatre was appointed and was headquartered in Bombay.
In January 1945, the Captain Coastal Forces, Eastern Theatre and his staff moved to Colombo to co-operate more closely with the staff of the Commander-in-Chief, East Indies Station.
Realignment of defence for Ceylon
The Ceylon Naval Volunteer Force (CNVF) was established in 1937 and mobilised for war duties in August 1939. Three years later, the CNVF was accepted by the Royal Navy as a Volunteer Reserve, and named the Ceylon Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve (CRNVR). It operated in this manner until March 1946. It initially operated Port Commission Tugs and graduated to modified trawlers, whalers, and motor fishing vessels.
D.S. Senanayake foresaw the looming threat from India to a newly Independent Ceylon. Therefore, he signed the first ever ‘Defence Pact’ with Britain in 1947, prior to obtaining independence for Ceylon in 1948. This ensured that Britain would protect Ceylon from external aggression.
S.W.R.D. Bandaranayake of the left wing Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), who became Prime Minister of Ceylon in 1956, abrogated the Defence Pact, which the former Prime Minister from the United National Party (UNP) had signed with Britain. The SLFP Government in power was against foreign military bases in Ceylon. Therefore, Britain was asked to hand over all naval and air bases in Ceylon. On October 15, 1957 H.M.S. Highflyer at the sprawling Royal Navy base in Trincomalee was taken over by the Royal Ceylon Navy.
The 50’s era also saw sweeping changes in the defence arena of Ceylon. Significant among them was the Navy Act of 1950, which gave birth to the Royal Ceylon Navy. The pressing operational issue for the newly formed Royal Ceylon Navy was illicit immigration derogatorily referred to as “Kallathoni”; the practice of extremely poor Tamils from Southern India escaping for reasons of abject poverty, crossing the Palk Strait which was just 30 nautical miles across. Not the true role of Coastal Forces but in the absence of war it was a priority. Initial operations were in vessels borrowed from the Port Commission and Customs.
Vice Admiral Clancy Fernando on board an Inshore Patrol Craft on the Jaffna Lagoon
Inception in Ceylon
In 1957 coastal defence was identified as of paramount importance to the island of Ceylon, which boasted a coast line of 724 nautical miles or 1340 Km. Therefore, the naval bases taken over from the British along with the newly acquired craft including Algerian Class Mine Sweepers, River Class Frigates, a Ford Class Seaward Defence Boat, and an Oceangoing Tug gave the much needed impetus to the Royal Ceylon Navy. Then in the early sixties, two Long Patrol Boats and four Short Patrol Boats were inducted.
A young man joins the fray
Young Clancy Fernando had just turned 19, five days before the Trincomalee Naval base was taken over. The socio-political events of that era would have made deep impressions on him because on December 17, 1957, he joined the Royal Ceylon Navy as an Officer Cadet. After five months of basic training in Ceylon, he proceeded to Britannia Royal Naval College (BRNC) Dartmouth. On completion of one year of training, he was promoted Midshipman on May 1, 1959. Thereafter, in July 1960, on successful completion of his training at BRNC Dartmouth, he was commissioned an Acting Sub Lieutenant and returned to Ceylon to be drafted as the First Lieutenant on-board H.M.Cy.S. (Her Majesties Ceylon Ship) Aliya which was part of H.M.Cy.S. Coastal Forces.
Thereafter, in 1963-64, he was the Commanding Officer of H.M.Cy.S. Diyakawa, which was a Short Patrol Boat.
Navy runs aground
The involvement in 1962 of the former Navy Captain, Rear Admiral Royce de Mel, in the attempted ‘Coup dTétatét saw a downgrading of the Blue Water capability of the Royal Ceylon Navy. However, it also became an impetus in the next few years for the expansion of its coastal surveillance fleet with the induction of 28 Coastal Patrol Craft, which were largely unarmed.
The expansion in Sri Lanka
In 1972, under the leadership of Sirimavo Bandaranaike, properly armed ‘Shanghai ‘ Class Fast Gun Boats were inducted into the Sri Lanka Navy. Lieutenant Commander Clancy Fernando served from 1972-73 as the Commanding Officer of S.L.N.S. Ranakamee (Sri Lanka Navy Ship), one of the brand new Fast Gun Boats gifted by the Chinese Government. Then in December 1975, a Shershen Class Fast Missile Boat from Russia was commissioned S.L.N.S. Samudra Devi. Commander Clancy Fernando served as her Commanding Officer in 1980.
A real threat
Offensive coastal warfare in Sri Lanka was developed by the terrorist group Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam around 1983/84. Initially, India covertly assisted the LTTE with overt support from some major political leaders in Tamil Nadu. Hence, their training bases, logistics bases, and military equipment dumps were in India. Therefore, cadres and equipment needed to be smuggled across the Palk Strait.
Additionally the LTTE was also heavily involved in people smuggling, gun running, and drug trafficking. Hence the LTTE raised their ‘Sea Tiger’ wing with the active technical support from a Scandinavian country, which had a deep interest in Sri Lanka. The LTTE developed almost six types of Logistics Craft namely ‘Miraj’, ‘Kumudan Dovra’, ‘Kuruvi’, ‘Armour Plated’, ‘Air Duplication’ & ‘Thirikka’. When the Sri Lanka Navy attacked these logistic runs, the LTTE developed many Attack Craft such as ‘Vella’, Sudai’, ‘Prisanth’, ‘Madan’, ‘Fighter’ and ‘Water Jet’. It also developed many suicide craft to ram naval vessels.
Rising to the occasion
In the initial stages of the war, funds were extremely limited and the acquisition of vessels was not an easy task for many naval commanders. Even then many different types of Fast Attack Craft, Inshore Patrol Craft, and Water Jets were inducted to the fleet from 1984 onwards. They included various types of Dovra Class Fast Attack Craft from Israel and Cougar Class Inshore Patrol Craft from U.K. Then in later years, the Shaldag Class Fast Attack Craft from Israel, Dovra Class Fast Attack Craft built by Colombo Dockyard along with many locally built Inshore Patrol Craft and Water Jets were inducted.
During 1991-92, Navy Commander Vice Admiral Clancy Fernando took great efforts to enhance the brown water capability of the Sri Lanka Navy. Although with limited funds he managed to effectively block the LTTE’s main supply route, which was across the Kilali lagoon, and intensify the war at sea. Ultimately the LTTE assassinated him, using one of their suicide carders.
Admiral Jayanatha Colombage’s book ‘Asymmetric Warfare at Sea’ says: “A former commanding officer of the SBS, describes the background to the SBS as follows: The Special Boat Squadron came into effect during the 1990s. We had a detachment at Nagathevanthurai in the main land on the southern side of the Jaffna lagoon. During that time, the LTTE had only one way to move their troops from the mainland to the Jaffna peninsula, that is by crossing the Jaffna lagoon. One of the commanders, who was killed by the LTTE, Admiral Clancy Fernando, had an idea of having a detachment at Nagathevanthurai and fight with the LTTE with navy small boats inside the Jaffna lagoon, so that their troop movements can be disturbed and reduced. For that we started this detachment and we put our inshore patrol craft available at that time to fight in the lagoon.”
In the Island of September 25, 2012, an article titled ‘Siege on Jaffna and the assassination of a Navy Chief’ by Shamindra Ferdinando, says: “VA Fernando, who took over the SLN in July 1991 during the LTTE siege on Elephant Pass base, was given the uphill task of blocking the Jaffna lagoon…….. Dasanayake asserted that the experience gained at the isolated Nagathevanthurai base during 1991-1993 period contributed towards the subsequent formation of the elite Special Boat Squadron (SBS) and the Rapid Action Boat Squadron (RABS)…….In the latter part of 1992, the SLN killed Charles, widely believed to be a senior Sea Tiger leader during a confrontation in the Jaffna lagoon. The assassination of VA Fernando took place in the immediate aftermath of an SLN patrol launched from Nagathevanthurai killing Charles. VA Fernando strongly believed that the LTTE could be overwhelmed by blocking overland, sea and supply routes. Despite severe constraints, particularly shortage of required assets for such a gigantic task, VA Fernando strove to achieve what was considered impossible. The SLN comprised 9,000 officers and men and didn’t have the strength for additional deployment in the northern theatre of operations.”
President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s political will after 2005 to bring terrorism to an end ensured funds to upgrade and expand the Sri Lanka Navy. Hence from 2006 to 2008, large numbers of Arrow Boats built by the Sri Lanka Navy were inducted to the fleet. With an enhanced fleet there was also a marked shift in the war strategy for the Sri Lanka Navy to dominate the Sea.
The Centenary year
It is a historical coincidence that on June 22, 2019, the President of Sri Lanka commissioned the 4th Fast Attack Flotilla (FAF 4) and awarded it President’s Colours. FAF 4 is the successor to H.M.Cy.S. Coastal Forces. It is also the premier offensive power of the Sri Lanka Navy today and has dominated the littoral in the recent past. Presently the formations consist of fast, agile, and heavily armed craft. The officers and sailors who man these Fast Attack Craft (FAC) have mastered them to an art of perfection, that many International Navies of the world are bench marking.
Further, the Royal Navy celebrated the Centenary of the Coastal Forces on August 25, 2019 at the Portsmouth Dockyard.
The fact that late Admiral Clancy Fernando was the last Admiral from H.M.Cy.S. Coastal Forces to Command the Sri Lanka Navy is not known. His 27th death anniversary passed in the shadow of a decisive Presidential election on November 16, 2019.