Far East Cruise To Booze

The longest passage by Sri Lanka Navy Vessel P628 from east coast USA Baltimore to Sri Lanka

• Do not measure a capability of a Warship by the date they were launched, but see equipment and weaponry they have on board
• Adultery alone does not automatically bar a maintenance claim; the courts require that the adultery be repeated or habitual for the spouse to lose the right to maintenance

By Admiral Ravindra C Wijegunaratne 

This great news appeared few days back prompted me to write this article. The four ex- US Coast Guard ships given to Sri Lanka Navy - they are SLNS Samudura (P621), SLNS GAJABAHU (P626), SLNS VIJAYABAHU (P627) and now ex- USCG DECISIVE (P 628). was officially handed over on ceremony held on 2nd December 2025.   

The Commander of the Navy Vice Admiral Kanchana Banagoda and Sri Lanka Ambassador to US His Excellency Mahinda Samarasinghe was present at this historic ceremony.   

On completion all training/ testing equipment’s, the newly acquired SLN ship (P 628 until Commissioned as a SLN ship with new name) left her home port (Pensacola, Florida) in her long voyage to Sri Lanka (Colombo / Trincomalee) few days back.   

She is under command of brilliant Captain Gayan Wickramasooriya assisted by his crew (14 officers and 72 sailors) will have a passage of 14,775 nautical miles. As per her planned voyage they are scheduled to cover this distance in 77 days and reach Sri Lanka by second week of May, 2026.   

She is going to be the first SLN ship to cross through Panama Canal from Atlantic Ocean to Pacific Ocean. She has endurance of 6000 nautical miles; that means she has to plan ahead from where she is going to re-fuel during her passage. We wish her “fair winds and following seas”   

I am going to clear three things what general public should know, who are NOT SEAFARERS.   

One - why a ship is called SHE? - the simple answer is like your own lady - “it is not the Initial ACQUISITION which will cost you; but the MAINTENANCE!” (ladies please pardon me!)   

Second- why SLN acquiring OLD SHIPS? This ship ex US CG Cutter is built in 1967 and commissioned in 1968! These ships are built with best marine quality steel and they go through Major Overhauls every four years.   

For example, do you know US 7th fleet Flag ship (7th fleet covers the Indo- Pacific region) USS Blue ridge (Where the 7th Fleet Commander commands 50 to 60 ships, 150 aircraft and 27,000 sailors and Marines) was built and launched on 4th January 1969?   

So, do not measure a capability of a Warships by the date they were launched, but see equipment and weaponry they have on board. USS Blue Ridge last came to Sri Lanka on 26-31 March 2016 when I was the Commander of the Navy. I had the privilege of taking our Commander-in- Chief and the then President Maithripala Sirisena on board at Colombo Harbour.   

President Sirisena received onboard USS Blue Ridge by 7th US Fleet Commander   

My able Director General Operations Rear Admiral Dharmendra Wettewa led Sri Lankan Navy delegation on board for FIRST EVER SRI LANKA NAVY AND US NAVY STAFF TALKS.   

His skillful negotiation (of course he is a alumnus of US Navy War College, Rode Island, and later also appointed as Sri Lanka Defence Attache in Our Embassy in Washington DC, USA) paid way to establishing Sri Lanka Navy Marines Crops and trained under US Marines and acquisition of more US Coast Guards ships to SLN.   

Bravo Zulu to Dharmendra.   

Again- advice to me by my Foreign Service Guru -late Lakshman Kadirgamar - “Use your officers who speak SAME LANGUAGE when dealing with Foreign Forces- they will understand your requirements better”.   

Three- what you mean by “Fair winds and following seas” -Fair winds defined in American Regional Dictionary as “safe journey and good fortunes “an early example of phrase’s used in Herman Melville’s MOBY DICK published in 1851.   

In otherwise “let me square the yard (in sailing ships) and add more sails to reach home safe and fast.   

“Following seas” defined by US Practical Navigation book by Bowditch as “A sea in general direction of you are heading “which take you home fast.   

Dear Captain Gayan Wickramasooriya our blessings are with you!   

I take this opportunity to thank US government for helping us to be a partner in making vast Indian Ocean safe.   

Mrs Sirimavo R D Bandaranaike was the Prime Minister of Ceylon from 21 July 1960 to 25 March 1965 and this period was very eventful period for our Navy.   

The Navy under Rear Admiral Gerald Royce De Mel, OBE, the first Ceylonese Navy Commander (then known as Captain of the Navy - CofN) requested government to proceed on “Far East Cruise” up to Japan on “flag showing cruise” visiting Far Eastern countries of Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines and Japan.   

As explained vividly in book   

“We should have a Navy” by Navy Historian legendary Commander Somasiri Devendra, it was approved by the government. The Navy”s flag ship Royal Ceylon Navy ship Parakrama (Algerian class Minesweeper Ex- HMS Pickle) and newly commissioned River class frigates- brought from Israel few days before assassination of Prime Minister Hon SWRD Bandaranaike on fatal day 29 th September 1959 - incidentally one of last public functions Hon Prime Minister attended prior to his death - old sailors still remember our Prime Minister came for this Commissioning Ceremony clad in European dress rather than his usual National Dress. Royal Ceylon Navy Ship Mahasen was a Canadian built River class frigate- Ex-Israel Navy ship MIVTACH. RCyN ship Mahasen was commanded by Lieutenant Commander Rajan Proctor and RCyN Ship Parakrama was commanded by Lieutenant Commander D I De Livera.   

President Sirisena received onboard USS Blue Ridge by 7th US Fleet Commander

Sri Lanka Navy- US Navy Staff talks on board USS Blue Ridge led by Rear Admiral Dharmendra Wettewa

CofN Rear Admiral De Mel would fly his flag on board RCyNS Mahasen and planned to join h Japan. It was another coincidence that Ceylon Ambassador in Japan was ex- Navy officer Sir Susantha De Fonseka. The passage planned to visit Singapore, Bangkok, Hong Kong, Tokyo and return journey visit. Port Swettehnam - now known as Port Klang (Malaysia) and Penang (Malaysia).   

All went well until two ships util they arrived in Hong Kong where Parakrama developed technical issues.   

Order given RCyNS Parakrama to remain alongside in Hong Kong and RCyNS Mahasen to continue voyage to Tokyo, Japan.   

Our ship received a grand reception both by Japanese Navy (known as Japanese Self Defense Force) and our Ambassador Sir Susantha De Fonseka. Rear Admiral De Mel and his staff, whom flew to Japan joined the ship soon. The Royal Ceylon Navy’s “Flag showing Mission “was a complete success.   

Ther return journey was uneventful.   

THEN THE BAD LUCK STRUCK BOTH FOR OUR NAVY AND NATION, which changed the destiny of our Navy.   

On return journey, RCyNS Mahasen was tasked collect Weapons and Ammunition load from Singapore by Ministry of Defence; same time some of our officers had planned a “side business “ they purchased large quantities of Whiskey bottles at cheaper rate and loaded the store where Arms and ammo stored, with the intention of having a good time when returned home (some say they were planning to sell some of this load of Whiskey and made some good money).   

Anyway, when this “Whiskey Purchase “was came to know by an “interested party “; they leaked it to top leadership of Country that “Navy is smuggling weapons and ammunitions on board Navy ships”!!!   

As soon as ship arrived the Inspector General of Police visited on board RCyN ship Mahasen to inspect the ship. As usual NAVAL WAY, our officers on board looked after IGP and other Police officers very well and they NEVER inspected the ship Mahasen but reported nothing suspicious found onboard, other than Arms and Ammunitions brought as per Ministry of Defence instructions!   

Naval headquarters knowing the “stuff on board”, issued Sailing orders to ship to patrol off South of Mannar - with secret verbal instructions- “dump your bloody whiskey at deep sea and come clean when returning to harbour “!   

Ship sailed from Colombo harbour - but …. how can you dump Whiskey bottles at sea? It’s a shame!   

Mahasen officers planned an illegal transfer of whiskey off Kalpitiya, North of Colombo. They unlocked the “Stuff” to a fishing trawler came from Kalpitiya with instructions to hand over them to one of their friends ashore.   

However, another trawler seen the transfer of “heavy boxes” from Navy ship to a trawler and reported matter to Kalpitiya Police. It was a known secret them “Navy try to smuggle Arms and Ammunitions to country “. .   

Police raided the trawler loaded with whisky bottles when she arrived at Kalpitiya fisheries pier.   

Commission of Nine Royal Ceylon Navy officers withdrawn, eight were sent on compulsory retirement with large number of sailors.   

Rear Admiral Royce De Mel, the serving Captain of the Navy was interdicted pending inquiry.   

The Navy’s involvement in 1962 attempted “Coup de etat “make bad into worse. No officers or sailors were recruited in to the Navy for next decade.   

THIS IS HOW FAR EAST CRUISE BECAME FAR EAST BOOZE!!!!   

All big ships were sold for scrap and Royal Ceylon Navy because a “patrol craft Navy”.   

All this happened before I was born in 1962! Therefore, my narration here purely with available records and stories by our “old Navy - Okapi Navy “.   

Let me explain to you what is “Okapi Navy” in my next article.   

THOSE WERE THE DAYS!   

If anyone interested on Genesis of our Navy, please read “We must have a Navy” by late Instructor Commander Somasiri Devendra, freely available on our Military of Defense Web Site.   

The writer is a former Navy Commander and Former Chief of Defense Staff, Former Chairman, Trincomalee Petroleum Terminals Ltd, Former Managing Director Ceylon Petroleum Corporation, Former High Commissioner to Pakistan