SLNS Sayura (Sayura, in Sinhalese: Sea) is the former flagship and an offshore patrol vessel (OPV) of the Sri Lanka Navy.
.jpg) SLNS Sayura, at Colombo Harbour in March 2017
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 India | |
| Name | INS Sarayu |
| Builder | Hindustan Shipyard Limited |
| Launched | 16 October 1989 |
| Commissioned | 8 October 1991 |
| Decommissioned | 1 November 2000 |
| Homeport | INS Virbahu, Visakhapatnam |
| Fate | Sold to Sri Lanka Navy 1 November 2000 |
 Sri Lanka | |
| Name | SLNS Sayura |
| Acquired | 1 November 2000 |
| Commissioned | 2000 |
| Homeport | SLN Dockyard, Trincomalee |
| Status | Active |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Sukanya-class patrol vessel[1] |
| Displacement | 1,890 tons (full load)[1] |
| Length | 101 m (331 ft) |
| Beam | 11.5 m (38 ft) |
| Propulsion | 2 × diesel engines, 12,800 bhp (9,540 kW), 2 shafts |
| Speed | 22 knots (41 km/h; 25 mph) |
| Range | 7,000 nmi (13,000 km; 8,100 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph) |
| Complement | 140 (incl 15 officers) |
| Sensors and processing systems |
|
| Armament |
|
| Aircraft carried | 1 HAL Chetak |
She was formerly, INS Sarayu, a Sukanya-class patrol vessel of the Indian Navy sold to Sri Lanka in 2000. She was upgraded with new armament in India before being delivered to the Sri Lanka Navy. India also committed to providing maintenance and refit of the ship.[2]
Operations
editSayura was tasked with deep sea patrolling both within the Sri Lankan territorial waters and in international waters to curb arms smuggling by the LTTE. During the 4th Ealam war after undergoing a major refit in India, Sayura, along with other OPVs of the Sri Lanka Navy, has successfully intercepted several ships smuggling arms for the LTTE. In all these cases the ships were sunk when the LTTE Sea Tigers attacked the naval vessels with mortars. Sayura also participated in the Cadex 2009 military training exercises with the Indian Navy after the war ended. [3]
In 2017, it sailed to Langkawi to take part in LIMA 2017 with a detachment of the newly formed Marine battalion.[4]
Commanding officers
editThe first Sri Lankan Navy officer to Captain the ship was then Captain SMAJ Perera USP, psc.
Since then it has been commanded by:
- Captain (Later CMDE while commanding) AARA Dias RSP, USP, psc, MSc(DS)
- Captain AR Amarasinghe RSP, USP, psc
- Captain RC Wijegunaratne WV, RWP, RSP, psn
- Captain DMS Dissanayake RWP, psc
- Captain (Later CMDE while commanding) KKVPH De Silva WWV, USP
- CMDE SWC Mohotty MSc (DS) Mgmt)
- CMDE NAN Sarathsena RSP, MSc (DS) Mgmt.
- CMDE WASS Perera RWP, RSP, USP, psc
INS Sarayu
editCommissioned 10 April 1991, INS Sarayu (P54) served with the Indian Navy until she was sold to Sri Lanka on 1 November 2000.
References
edit- ^ a b "Title unknown". Archived from the original on June 19, 2009.
- ^ "Title unknown" (PDF). Archived from the original (pdf) on December 12, 2006.
- ^ "Sri Lanka and India Navy conduct joint naval training exercise". Ministry of Defence and Urban Development - Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka. 6 October 2009. Archived from the original on 29 February 2012. Retrieved 2009-10-16.
- ^ ‘Sayura’ leaves for Malaysia to attend LIMA-2017