AN ADMIRAL WHO MADE THE SUPREME SACRIFICE
The 20th death anniversary of late Admiral Clancy Fernando, the 11th Commander of the Navy falls on November 16. His name is etched in history as the highest-ranking military officer to make the Supreme Sacrifice for Sri Lanka. He was a man of fiery enthu
Admiral Fernando was assassinated on November 16, 1992 at 8.35 am on the Galle Face Centre Road in the heart of Colombo, when a LTTE suicidal cadre rammed an explosive laden motorcycle into his vehicle. He was on his way to the Naval Headquarters at Flagstaff Street in Galle Buck, Colombo 1 from his official residence, “Navy House” at Longden Place, Colombo 7.
He was travelling in his official car, a Mercedes Benz, bearing number NAHA 5006, clad in his immaculate white Naval uniform with the ‘Naval Ensign’ fluttering in the flagstand and the distinguished ‘Star Plates’ majestically displayed in the fore and the aft. That’s the way Admiral Fernando moved about, throughout his tenure as the Commander of the Navy.
It was a bright sunny day and I called the Admiral at “Navy House” to explain how a series of strange events prevented me from joining him on the drive from his official residence to the Naval Headquarters. By then, he was getting ready to leave and said, “Thank you, I’ll be there” and replaced the receiver, not knowing that it was the last telephone conversation of his life.
After a few minutes, I switched on the communication set to monitor his movement. Suddenly, I heard confused exchange of messages and my office telephone started to ring. On the line was the wife of the Admiral and she could only say “Shemal”. Within seconds, I whisked off in my vehicle and as I drove past the old Parliament along Galle Road, I saw it all. It was all over and the cruel terrorists had snatched away from our midst, a courageous Admiral.
I deem it a privilege to have known him, received his wise counsel and enjoyed serving him as his Aide and Personal Secretary throughout his tenure of office, which spanned from August 1, 1991 to November 16, 1992. He was indeed an admirable admiral.
The Admiral was born on October 10, 1938 as Wannakuwatta Waduge Erwin Clancy Fernando and had his education at Prince of Wales College, Moratuwa. In the 1950s, the Royal Navy was not merely the greatest fighting force afloat but intensely professional, performing what it was taught to do with skill and dedication.
The most usual practice was for aspirant Naval Officers to join as Cadets and undergo initial training in the Royal Ceylon Navy and continue to the Britannia Royal Naval College at Dartmouth, United Kingdom.
Young Clancy Fernando now decided that a life under the ocean wave was his manifest destiny. And he joined the then Royal Ceylon Navy on December 17, 1957.
Admiral Fernando once recalled those days at Dartmouth, “The cadets wore uniform, of a heavy cloth that never kept its shape and boots and starched collars were compulsory. Everything was done at the double, whether or not there was need for hurry, and the discipline was military. To toughen the boys in mind and body was a constant preoccupation”.
Most of his early days in
Young Clancy Fernando now decided that a life under the ocean wave was his manifest destiny. And he joined the then Royal Ceylon Navy on December 17, 1957
the then Royal Ceylon Navy were at Trincomalee, Tangalle and Karainagar besides his long spells at sea. He had served on board HMCyS Aliya and HMCyS Gajabahu, a Frigate which was the then Flag Ship. Also, he commanded HMCyS Diyakawa, SLNS Ranakamee and SLNS Samudra Devi, the Flag Ship of the Sri Lanka Navy in 1980.
Into every pursuit he hurled himself with an abandon that was always invigorating, sometimes alarming. He demanded the highest standards from himself and from everyone else. Yet his professionalism was not cold or calculating he got enormous pleasure out of everything he did and communicated it to all around him.
He attended the Defence Services Staff College, Wellington, India in 1977. He was promoted to the rank of Commander on March 1, 1978. He held the appointments of Commanding Officer of SLNS Tissa in the East, Commanding Officer of SLNS Elara in the North and as the Master of the Ceylon Shipping Corporation’s M/V Lanka Kanthi.
On June 30, 1983 he was made the Director Naval Operations and with his promotion to the rank of Captain on January 1, 1984 he was appointed as the Commandant of the Naval and Maritime.
He was elevated to Commodore on July 1, 1986 and held key appointments of the Commander Western Naval Area and Commander Eastern Naval Area where he aptly proved his strengths as a competent and an efficient administrator. Then, he was elevated to the position of the Chief of Staff on April 4, 1990.
He held memberships of the British Institute of Management, the Nautical Institute of UK and Royal Naval Institute of Navigation, UK. He possessed a Masters Degree in Defence Studies and had been conferred with the Master Mariner Certificate. He was the first President of the Sri Lanka Branch of the Nautical Institute, UK. He was promoted Rear Admiral on March 29, 1991.
He was in good stead when his career took its next and decisive turn and he was made Acting Commander of the Navy on August 1, 1991. This ultimate promotion fortified him for the struggles that lay ahead, but until the official letter arrived he did not allow himself to be certain that he had achieved the ambition of his lifetime to reach the helm of the Navy.
(The writer is a serving Naval Officer whose by-line appears in newspapers and magazines regularly. This article is adapted from a tribute he made to the late Admiral in 2002)
HE DEMANDED THE HIGHEST STANDARDS FROM HIMSELF AND FROM EVERYONE ELSE. YET HIS PROFESSIONALISM WAS NOT COLD OR CALCULATING HE GOT ENORMOUS PLEASURE OUT OF EVERYTHING HE DID AND COMMUNICATED IT TO ALL AROUND HIM