Special Boat Squadron (Sri Lanka)
| Special Boat Squadron | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1993 - Present |
| Country | Sri Lanka |
| Branch | Sri Lanka Navy |
| Type | Naval Special Forces |
| Role |
Special operations Maritime Counter-Terrorism |
| Part of | Special operations, Sri Lanka Navy |
| Nickname(s) | SBS |
| Engagements | Sri Lankan Civil War |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders |
Admiral Ravindra Wijegunaratne |
The Special Boat Squadron (SBS) (In Sinhalese: "විශේෂ යාත්රා බලඝණය" Visesha Yathra Balaghanaya) (In Tamil: "சிறப்பு படகு படை" Ciṟappu Paṭaku Paṭai) is the Sri Lanka Navy's elite special forces unit, modeled after the British Special Boat Service, it was raised in 1993 and fought in the Sri Lankan Civil War.
It forms part of the Sri Lanka Special Forces, alongside the Commando Regiment (CR), Special Forces Regiment (SF), and SLAF Special Forces (SLAFSF). Unlike any of the other Sri Lankan special forces units the SBS is a naval special forces unit.
The SBS was modeled after the Special Boat Service of the Royal Navy. In its role as a naval special forces unit it takes up wide variety of operations such as amphibious raids, Maritime Counter-Terrorism, Reconnaissance and target indication, combat swimmer missions and small boat operations. As a Special Forces unit, its role is not limited to water-borne operations. The SBS conducts operations on land, together with the Commando Regiment (CR) and Special Forces Regiment (SF), with regular ground combat units of the Navy and the Army and on many occasions autonomously.
The roles of the Special Boat Squadron are predominantly focused on, but not restricted to,
Due to frequent resistances and various Asymmetric tactics near the naval troop deployed areas in country, the Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) recognized the imminent need to raise a specially trained counter terrorist team and realized the value of special operations in the early stages of confronting separatist terrorism that devastated the country for over three decades. Although not formerly commissioned, the urge for action of few young and eccentric officers and men who were more than willing to put themselves in the harms' way at enemy's door step,was evident in the early confrontation with the LTTE. Among them, Lieutenant Commander Shanthi Bahar had been a pioneer to lead a small team of specially trained sailors seeking the LTTE hideouts in jungles and thickets of Trincomalee. His untimely death in action delayed the foundation of a naval special force by many years.
...
Wikipedia