'Do or die'
The Sea Battle that saved 1000 lives
by Sajitha Prematunge & Anushka Nanayakkara
Date: September 16, 2001
Time: 0430 hours
Location: Off Kankesanthurai harbour
Persistent drizzle and gloom overhung the atmosphere. "Pride of
South", the passenger ****p, ferrying nearly 1500 military personnel,
re****ting back for duty after leave, was approaching its destination,
the Kankesanthurai harbour.
Officer-In Command (OIC) of P 442 Fast Attack Craft (FAC), Lt.
Premakumara Kiriella, was very vigilant. "I didn't allow anyone in the
FAC to sleep that night. This was our duty and it was in our blood."
Coming from a family where all three of his brothers were in the Forces,
Lt. Kiriella joined the Navy in 1994.
A graduate of the Kotelawala Defence Academy (KDA), he received further
training of two years at the Naval and Maritime Academy. P 442 and
another FAC were on their way from Kankesanthurai harbour to Nagarkovil,
patrolling the stretch between "Pride of South" and the coast.
"At 0430 hours we got the message that the ****p was under attack by the
LTTE." The two FAC sped at full speed and reached the scene within an
hour. "We were outnumbered, there were nearly 17 LTTE boats. We had only
two FAC and five gun boats to protect the ****p. We were helpless." said
Lt. Kiriella. Since it was a passenger ****p, it carried no weapons.
"We were clearly in a very difficult position. Then, I had to make a
decision." With a crew of 14, with enough ammunition at hand and the
training and courage he acquired from the Navy, he made the crucial
decision of saving "Pride of South". He ordered his team to launch an
attack on the LTTE boats, strategically placing P 442 between the ****p
and the LTTE boats. It was a suicide mission.
While attacking, Lt. Kiriella used the manoeuvring techniques the Navy
had taught him, with the experience he gained from studying other OICs.
"I told my team one thing - do or die doing it." as this was their turn
to make or break the back of the terrorists.
P 442 was in good condition and his men were extremely sup****tive. "The
cheering of the unarmed officers on board the "Pride of South", the
smell of gun powder and the sea breeze, mixed with the sound of gun fire
made us forget everything except the desire to defeat the terrorists.
It's always a game between life and death, but at a moments like this it
does not matter to any of us whether we are going to live or die." One
sailor in P 442 got shot but another managed to pull him to safety. P
442 and its crew fought valiantly, with only one engine functioning. "My
men worked like machines."
"As the Commanding Officer a slightest error on my part could jeopardize
the whole battle." His tasks included communicating the information
shown on the radar via communication system, keeping watch over vital
engine parameters, which are crucial for the manoeuvrability, such as
exhaust temperature and fresh water temperature, keeping account of the
status of the weapons, quantity of ammunition left, while also giving
full operational and tactical commands. "Some of these confines we can
override, if it's called for.
The ability to make the right decision comes with experience and a
little bit of luck." Believe it or not at the end of the day an OICs'
decisions could lead to the victory or defeat in a battle. It was one of
those battles to go down in history books as one of the most fiercely
fought during the height of the war between Forces and LTTE cadres,
lasting well over five hours.
Three LTTE boats were destroyed. Only one sailor in P 442 died. "He was
shot in the abdomen and there was no exit wound. I knew that if he was
not transferred at the earliest, we would lose him." But the battle
which started at 5.30 a.m. went up to almost noon and there were only
two FAC between the LTTE boats and "Pride of South".
It was a choice between one life or 1500. "When the Second-in Command
was giving mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to the injured sailor, he began
vomiting blood. "We knew then there was no longer any hope." These
sailors, at times face situations, with which only the hard core
training will help them to cope with. One hour into the battle we got
reinforcements from Kankesanthurai.
General Officer Commanding 53 division, in a letter to Navy Commander in
2005, commended the Navy Officers and sailors involved in the "Pride of
South" battle, for fighting to save the military personnel in the ****p
at the risk of their own lives.
A soldier, who witnessed the battle first hand on board the ****p, in a
heart warming letter to the Navy Commander in 2001, says that medals for
appreciating such bravery, as depicted by the Navy Officers, have yet to
be created and that it will be forever etched in their minds.
"Our greatest achievement was probably killing the man who was
commanding the entire LTTE fleet. I and my team felt like that we have
done something for our country.
Commanding Officer of an FAC should have the ability to lead people. And
I would do it all over again if it was called for."
This is a true story of courage and determination shown by Lt.
Premakumara Kiriella for which he received the 'Weera Wickrama
Vibushana, award this year at the Gallantry awards.
Courtesy: Sunday Observer
--
For genuine Situation Re****t visit:
http://www.nationalsecurity.lk
http://www.defence.lk/
http://www.army.lk/index1.php
http://www.nmatnet.com/
http://www.sinhalaya.info/index-EN.php
Worth to look following to see how brutal Tamil Tiger Terrorists are
Child Soldiers of LTTE Tamil Tiger Terrorists in Sri Lanka
http://www.spur.asn.au/childwar.htm
Ethnic Cleansing in Sri Lanka
http://www.spur.asn.au/ethnic_cleansing_in_sri_lanka.htm
LTTE TAMIL TIGER ATROCITIES
http://www.spur.asn.au/ltteatrp.htm
|
