[MilCom] Sri Lanka Navy on HF

[MJ Cleary]

Had an interesting log a few minutes ago (1946z). Sri Lanka Navy P621 came up on 8301.6 kHz with Sector San Juan. Identified as a 210 foot former USCG cutter that departed Little Rock en route Puerto Rico. Stated they will be guarding 8301.6 for further comms with San Juan.

Found this background info:

Sri Lankan Navy's newest vessel leaves USA 
Saturday, February 19, 2005, 15:12 GMT, ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.
Feb 19, Washington DC: The former United States Coast Guard cutter "Courageous", now named P 621, left Norfolk, Virginia, today on its way to Sri Lanka. 

It is the newest vessel to join the Sri Lankan Navy. The departure was celebrated at a multi-religious ceremony attended by officials from the US Departments of State and Defence, the US Navy, and the US Coast Guard. 

Sri Lankan Ambassador to the United States Devinda R. Subasinghe, Rear Admiral Wasantha Karannagoda, who is in the US representing the Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy, and Brigadier Rohan Jayasinghe, Sri Lanka's Defence, Military, Naval and Air Attaché to the US, also attended. 

P 621 will be commanded by Captain S.S. Ranasinghe.  

'Courageous' now heading for Sri Lanka 
Sunday, February 20, 2005, 12:21 GMT, ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.
Feb 20, Colombo: The former United States Coast Guard cutter 'Courageous', purchased by the Sri Lankan Navy and refurbished in the United States, set sail from Norfolk Harbor in Virginia yesterday. 

Sources said the cutter departed for Sri Lanka after an extensive refurbishment program. The ship will add valuable deep-water surveillance and interdiction capability to the Sri Lanka Navy. 

It will be used for coast guard activities, especially to track down illegal immigrants and drug smugglers.  

Five Lankan Navy officers in US desert 
Sunday, 20 February 2005 - 5:36 AM SL Time 

The Sri Lanka Navy's latest acquisition, a P 621 (formerly US Coast Guard Cutter Courageous) had left the US east coast on Saturday sans five crew members who had disappeared. 

The vessel commanded by Captain S. S. Ranasinghe had left after a multi religious ceremony attended by Sri Lanka's Ambassador to the US Devinda R. Subasinghe and Rear Admiral Wasantha Karannagoda who represented Navy Commander Daya Sandagiri at the ship taking-over ceremony. 

Sandagiri said he was seeking US help to track down the missing personnel. According to him, the missing personnel had been among the 65-man group that had been assigned to take-over the vessel. But unfortunately five personnel had seized the opportunity to desert. 

The chief-of-defence staff acknowledged the difficulty in apprehending the missing personnel. Navy spokesman Commodore Jayantha Perera said two of them had fled first and three others had followed. He said this sort of incident had not happened before. (SF)