Sri Lanka Navy celebrates its 71st Anniversary
December 09, 2021The Sri Lanka Navy celebrates its 71st Anniversary today (Dec 09).
A series of multi-religious ceremonies preceded the Navy Day celebration which culminates today. Anniversary celebratory events are being held under the guidance of Commander of the Navy Vice Admiral Nishantha Ulugetenne.
As a part of these celebrations, capital ships of the Sri Lanka Navy will lay at anchor in the sea off the Galle Face promenade today and tomorrow (Dec 09 &10) giving the public a rare opportunity to view Navy’s sea going assets.
The Navy known as the First Line of Defence of the country made a significant contribution to the humanitarian operations. It also has played a multi-faceted role in the post-war nation building programme since the end of the terrorist conflict.
Keeping constant vigil over the seas of the island nation the Sri Lanka Navy has been able to detect billions of rupees worth drugs and other contraband items, foil illegal migration attempts, poaching and thwart other nefarious activities.
The Navy provides valuable assistance for rescue and relief operations during natural disasters and other emergencies and also plays a pivotal role in marine and coastal protection and conservation.
The Reverse Osmosis (RO) water treatment plants developed and installed by the Navy provides safe drinking water to thousands of families especially in rural areas of the country where there is a high prevalence of Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD).
In 1937 the Ceylon Naval Volunteer Force (CNVF) was established. After World War II, CNVF was absorbed into the Royal Navy as the Ceylon Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve (CRNVR). On 9th December 1950 the Navy Act was enacted and the Royal Ceylon Navy was formed. In 1972, with the introduction of new constitution the Royal Ceylon Navy was renamed as the Sri Lanka Navy.
