Sad Day for Sri Lanka Navy Special Boats Squadron

Certificate Awarding Ceremony of BALANCE STYLE US Navy SEALs/ SLN SBS joint exercise

By Admiral Ravindra C Wijegunaratne

A few months ago, he was in the headlines as “First Sri Lankan to win US Navy SEAL Commando Trident badge. Lt Koyan Chamitha of the elite Special Boats Squadron (SBS) achieved this unique honour by successfully completing the SEAL BUDs course at the US Navy SEAL training school at USA.   

Considered as one of the toughest Commando training courses in the World, he joined 200 US Navy and other friendly Navys’ candidates for 14- months of unbelievable training, worst being going through “Hell week “, where trainees were NOT ALLOWED TO SLEEP FOR ONE WEEK but has to do rigorous training in Mud flats of San Diego beachfront of California, bordering Mexico.   

SEAL means trained for unconventional warfare at sea (all SEALs are Combat divers), air (all SEALs are paratroopers) and land warfare, including maritime, jungle, urban and arctic terrains.   

Out of 200 trainees, only 27 finally qualified to proudly wear the SEAL Trident pin in their uniform!   

Our Koyan son was one of them, bringing immense pride to SBS, the Sri Lanka Navy and to the Country.  

When he returned to Sri Lanka last year, SBS leadership gave him an important opportunity to train officers/ sailors who volunteered for a new batch of SBS trainees. It was only last week that he interacted with US Navy SEALs at Trincomalee at SBS/ US Navy SEALs joint exercise named “Exercise Balance Style”.  

Soon after this joint exercise, he travelled to Colombo to participate in the Independence Day Parade scheduled on February 04, 2026, at Independence Square.  

He stayed with other SBS officers and sailors taking part in Parade rehearsals at our Naval Base at Welisara.  That fateful evening, as he does every day, he did his run, rigorous Gym training and did a long swim at the swimming pool before taking a light dinner and went to bed.  

He was found dead in his cabin (room) at Welisara Wardroom (officers Mess) the next morning, possibly a silent heart attack at night while sleeping. The complete postmortem reports will come soon. The joint training with US Navy SEALs started in 1996, exactly 30 years ago. SBS conducts this joint training every year, except for two years when SBS had to commit all their troops to eradicate LTTE terrorists.  

Father/ Founder of SBS with his SEAL on 1st November 2025 at SBS HQ, Nicholson Cove, Naval Base, Trincomalee

WE ARE EXTREMELY GRATEFUL TO THE US NAVY SEALS FOR MAKING US PROFESSIONALLY COMPETENT 

When we started joint training with the UN Navy SEALs, 30 years ago, our dream was to train one of the SBS officers at the San Diego US Navy Special Forces School. It took 30 years to achieve this dream.   

But…. Our own Sri Lanka Navy Special Boats Squadron SEAL, 24-year-old Koyan son, went away “like a candle in the wind.”   

So sad! May he attain the Supreme Bliss of Nirvana. 

The writer is the Co- founder of SBS with the late Commander (VNF) Cedric Martinstyn in 1993 and commanded this elite Unit twice during the conflict time 1993 and 2000.

WV, RWP and Bar, RSP, VSV, USP, NI (M) (Pakistan), ndc, psn, Bsc

(Hons) (War Studies) (Karachi) MPhil (Madras)

Former Navy Commander and Former Chief of Defence Staff

Former Chairman, Trincomalee Petroleum Terminals Ltd

Former Managing Director, Ceylon Petroleum Corporation

Former High Commissioner to Pakistan