Thisara Samarasinghe
Encyclopedia
Admiral
Thisara Sugeeshwara Gunasekara Samarasinghe, RSP
, VSV
, USP
, ndc
, psc, DISS, MNI
, SLN
(16 July 1954 - ) is a Sri Lanka
n naval officer and diplomat. He was the former Commander of the Sri Lankan Navy
from July 2009 to January 2011 and current Sri Lankan High Commissioner
to Australia
.
where he was a Senior Prefect, Regimental Sergeant Major of the Cadet Corps and won colours at Athletics. He joined the Sri Lanka Navy after completing school in 1974 as an Officer Cadet
. He won the Sword of Honour of the 4th intake at the Naval & Maritime Academy and won the Best International Midshipman award at Britannia Royal Naval College
in 1976 along with appointment as Divisional Sub Lieutenant. A specialist navigator
, he graduated from Navigation and Direction School INS Venduruthy
in India securing the 1st place in order of merit. He is a graduate of the Naval Staff College (Class 38) from Naval War College
and of the National Defence College
, New Delhi (45th Course) -2005.
Fast Attack Crafts in 1985 that would later make up the 4th Fast Attack Flotilla
. Thereafter he served on board Fast Gun Boats of the 3rd Fast Gun Boats Squadron and the Surveillance Command Tender and Surveillance Command Ship (then the Flagship
) of the 7th Surveillance Command Squadron. His shore commands included a naval base in the northern naval area and of two training establishments. He had also served in several Staff and Deputy Director/Director appointments at Naval Headquarters
. In 1998 he was the Aide de Camp (ADC) to HRH Prince of Wales
during his state visit to Sri Lanka for 50th Anniversary Independence Day Celebrations.
As a Commodore
he was posted as the Deputy Area Commander of the Northern Naval Area, Eastern Naval Area and Southern Naval Area, before he was appointed Commander of the Southern Naval Area in 2002. He was appointed as the first Director, General Services in 2004 while concurrently holding the appointments of Director, Naval Projects & Plans; Naval Assistant to Commander of the Navy and Principal Staff Officer of the Joint Operations Headquarters under the Chief of Defence Staff.
A recipient of 5 commendation letters from four Commanders of the Navy, he has led Naval Delegations to India, Russia, Israel and USA on bilateral issues.
Promoted to Rear Admiral
, in December 2005 he was appointed as Acting Commander Northern Naval Area, before he was appointed as the Director General Naval Operations in 2006 overseeing the anti arms smuggling operations
that lead to the distraction of several LTTE gun running ships in the Indian Ocean. Thereafter in 2007 he served as Commander of the Eastern Naval Area during Eastern operations
and in 2008, Commander of the Northern Naval Area during Northern offensive. In May 2009 he was appointed Chief of Staff
of the Navy. On July 15, 2009 he was made commander of the navy and promoted to the rank of Vice Admiral
. On January 12, 2011 he was promoted to the rank of Admiral
and retired three days later.
Admiral Samarasinghe was awarded Rana Sura Padakkama
(RSP) for gallantry in combat, the service medal
s Vishista Seva Vibhushanaya
(VSV), Uttama Seva Padakkama
(USP), the Sri Lanka Armed Services Long Service Medal
and other medals that include the Purna Bhumi Padakkama
and the North and East Operations Medal
.
Admiral
Admiral is the rank, or part of the name of the ranks, of the highest naval officers. It is usually considered a full admiral and above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet . It is usually abbreviated to "Adm" or "ADM"...
Thisara Sugeeshwara Gunasekara Samarasinghe, RSP
Rana Sura Padakkama
The Rana Sura Padakkama is a medal presented to members of all ranks of the Military of Sri Lanka for individual and/or associated acts of heroism in facing the enemy and performed of their own accord. The decoration is presented by the President of Sri Lanka...
, VSV
Vishista Seva Vibhushanaya
The Vishista Seva Vibhushanaya medal and bar are presented to Sri Lankan senior military officers of three services, given that their loyal service is of not less than 25 years and possess a perfectly flawless record of moral and military conduct, will be appropriate for the award...
, USP
Uttama Seva Padakkama
The Uttama Seva Padakkama is presented to all ranks of the Regular Forces of the Sri Lankan military for valuable service and dedication to duty with the outstanding ability, merit and excellent conduct, given that they count not less than 15 years continuous and uninterrupted service and possess...
, ndc
NDC
NDC or ndc may refer to:*IATA code for Nanded Airport, India* ndc, "name daemon control program" in some Unix-based BIND name-server environments* N.D.C., a 2002 single by Australian band Jebediah* National Defence Commission of North Korea...
, psc, DISS, MNI
MNI
The abbreviation MNI may stand for:* Miami Network Interface, a network hardware API for Amiga computers.* The professional title for an individual who is a Member of the Nautical Institute....
, SLN
Sri Lankan Navy
-The Beginning and World War II:In January 1938 the Ceylon Naval Volunteer Force was created with Commander W.G. Beauchamp as Commanding Officer under ordinance No I of 1937. On 31 August 1939 at the out set of World War II, the CNVF was mobilized for war duties...
(16 July 1954 - ) is a Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
n naval officer and diplomat. He was the former Commander of the Sri Lankan Navy
Commander of the Navy (Sri Lanka)
The Commander of the Navy is the professional head of the Sri Lanka Navy. The current Commander of the Navy is Vice Admiral D.W.S. Dissanayake...
from July 2009 to January 2011 and current Sri Lankan High Commissioner
High Commissioner
High Commissioner is the title of various high-ranking, special executive positions held by a commission of appointment.The English term is also used to render various equivalent titles in other languages.-Bilateral diplomacy:...
to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
Education
Born to Francis Samrasinghe a civil servant and Umawathie Samarasinghe a teacher, he was educated at the prestigious Royal College ColomboRoyal College Colombo
The Royal College of Colombo was founded in January 1835 in Colombo. It is considered to be the leading Public School in Sri Lanka...
where he was a Senior Prefect, Regimental Sergeant Major of the Cadet Corps and won colours at Athletics. He joined the Sri Lanka Navy after completing school in 1974 as an Officer Cadet
Officer Cadet
Officer cadet is a rank held by military and merchant navy cadets during their training to become commissioned officers and merchant navy officers, respectively. The term officer trainee is used interchangeably in some countries...
. He won the Sword of Honour of the 4th intake at the Naval & Maritime Academy and won the Best International Midshipman award at Britannia Royal Naval College
Britannia Royal Naval College
Britannia Royal Naval College is the initial officer training establishment of the Royal Navy, located on a hill overlooking Dartmouth, Devon, England. While Royal Naval officer training has taken place in the town since 1863, the buildings which are seen today were only finished in 1905, and...
in 1976 along with appointment as Divisional Sub Lieutenant. A specialist navigator
Navigator
A navigator is the person on board a ship or aircraft responsible for its navigation. The navigator's primary responsibility is to be aware of ship or aircraft position at all times. Responsibilities include planning the journey, advising the Captain or aircraft Commander of estimated timing to...
, he graduated from Navigation and Direction School INS Venduruthy
INS Venduruthy
INS Venduruthy is the oldest naval establishment in Kochi, India. A small naval unit was set up just two days prior to the outbreak of World War II it is currently being used as a Seamen Training Establishment...
in India securing the 1st place in order of merit. He is a graduate of the Naval Staff College (Class 38) from Naval War College
Naval War College
The Naval War College is an education and research institution of the United States Navy that specializes in developing ideas for naval warfare and passing them along to officers of the Navy. The college is located on the grounds of Naval Station Newport in Newport, Rhode Island...
and of the National Defence College
National Defence College, India
The National Defence College of India, located in New Delhi, is an institution of higher learning of the defence forces of India. The institution was inaugurated on 27 April 1960 and is the only military institution in the country that imparts knowledge on all aspects of national security and...
, New Delhi (45th Course) -2005.
Naval career
He had served on board Short Patrol Craft, Long Patrol Craft and in command of one of the first two Dvora - Mk IDvora class fast patrol boat
The Dvora class fast patrol boat is a fast class of patrol boats built by Israel Aerospace Industries for the Israeli Sea Corps based on the Israeli Dabur.-Sri Lanka:...
Fast Attack Crafts in 1985 that would later make up the 4th Fast Attack Flotilla
Fast Attack Flotilla
The 4th Fast Attack Flotilla is a force element flotilla of the Sri Lanka Navy. The flotilla's mission is to provide heavily armed and fast patrol boat capability to counter sea tiger movements along the coast and to protect naval and civilian shipping from sea tiger suicide crafts.-History:The...
. Thereafter he served on board Fast Gun Boats of the 3rd Fast Gun Boats Squadron and the Surveillance Command Tender and Surveillance Command Ship (then the Flagship
Flagship
A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, reflecting the custom of its commander, characteristically a flag officer, flying a distinguishing flag...
) of the 7th Surveillance Command Squadron. His shore commands included a naval base in the northern naval area and of two training establishments. He had also served in several Staff and Deputy Director/Director appointments at Naval Headquarters
SLNS Parakrama
SLNS Parakrama is a Sri Lanka Navy shore establishment sited on Flagstaff Street in Colombo, in close proximity to the Colombo Lighthouse. It functions as the naval headquarter of the Navy. In this capacity it has the offices of the Commander of the Navy, Chief of Staff, the Board of Management ...
. In 1998 he was the Aide de Camp (ADC) to HRH Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales is a title traditionally granted to the heir apparent to the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the 15 other independent Commonwealth realms...
during his state visit to Sri Lanka for 50th Anniversary Independence Day Celebrations.
As a Commodore
Commodore (rank)
Commodore is a military rank used in many navies that is superior to a navy captain, but below a rear admiral. Non-English-speaking nations often use the rank of flotilla admiral or counter admiral as an equivalent .It is often regarded as a one-star rank with a NATO code of OF-6, but is not always...
he was posted as the Deputy Area Commander of the Northern Naval Area, Eastern Naval Area and Southern Naval Area, before he was appointed Commander of the Southern Naval Area in 2002. He was appointed as the first Director, General Services in 2004 while concurrently holding the appointments of Director, Naval Projects & Plans; Naval Assistant to Commander of the Navy and Principal Staff Officer of the Joint Operations Headquarters under the Chief of Defence Staff.
A recipient of 5 commendation letters from four Commanders of the Navy, he has led Naval Delegations to India, Russia, Israel and USA on bilateral issues.
Promoted to Rear Admiral
Rear Admiral
Rear admiral is a naval commissioned officer rank above that of a commodore and captain, and below that of a vice admiral. It is generally regarded as the lowest of the "admiral" ranks, which are also sometimes referred to as "flag officers" or "flag ranks"...
, in December 2005 he was appointed as Acting Commander Northern Naval Area, before he was appointed as the Director General Naval Operations in 2006 overseeing the anti arms smuggling operations
Sri Lanka Navy anti arms smuggling operations
The Anti-arms smuggling operations were a series of highly successful deep sea operations launched by the Sri Lanka Navy to counter illegal arms shipments to Sri Lanka by the LTTE terrorists in 2008 by a fleet of rouge merchant ships...
that lead to the distraction of several LTTE gun running ships in the Indian Ocean. Thereafter in 2007 he served as Commander of the Eastern Naval Area during Eastern operations
Eastern Theater of Eelam War IV
The Eastern Theater of Eelam War IV, the warfare started in the Eastern province of Sri Lanka on July 21, 2006, when the LTTE cut off the water supply to the rice fields in the Mavil aru area in the eastern Trincomalee district...
and in 2008, Commander of the Northern Naval Area during Northern offensive. In May 2009 he was appointed Chief of Staff
Chief of Staff
The title, chief of staff, identifies the leader of a complex organization, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a Principal Staff Officer , who is the coordinator of the supporting staff or a primary aide to an important individual, such as a president.In general, a chief of...
of the Navy. On July 15, 2009 he was made commander of the navy and promoted to the rank of Vice Admiral
Vice Admiral
Vice admiral is a senior naval rank of a three-star flag officer, which is equivalent to lieutenant general in the other uniformed services. A vice admiral is typically senior to a rear admiral and junior to an admiral...
. On January 12, 2011 he was promoted to the rank of Admiral
Admiral
Admiral is the rank, or part of the name of the ranks, of the highest naval officers. It is usually considered a full admiral and above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet . It is usually abbreviated to "Adm" or "ADM"...
and retired three days later.
Admiral Samarasinghe was awarded Rana Sura Padakkama
Rana Sura Padakkama
The Rana Sura Padakkama is a medal presented to members of all ranks of the Military of Sri Lanka for individual and/or associated acts of heroism in facing the enemy and performed of their own accord. The decoration is presented by the President of Sri Lanka...
(RSP) for gallantry in combat, the service medal
Service medal
A service medal is a military award generally of the lowest degree. A service medal is awarded to a member of the military who joins the military, or is already serving, during a designated time period...
s Vishista Seva Vibhushanaya
Vishista Seva Vibhushanaya
The Vishista Seva Vibhushanaya medal and bar are presented to Sri Lankan senior military officers of three services, given that their loyal service is of not less than 25 years and possess a perfectly flawless record of moral and military conduct, will be appropriate for the award...
(VSV), Uttama Seva Padakkama
Uttama Seva Padakkama
The Uttama Seva Padakkama is presented to all ranks of the Regular Forces of the Sri Lankan military for valuable service and dedication to duty with the outstanding ability, merit and excellent conduct, given that they count not less than 15 years continuous and uninterrupted service and possess...
(USP), the Sri Lanka Armed Services Long Service Medal
Sri Lanka Armed Services Long Service Medal
The Sri Lanka Armed Services Long Service Medal shall be granted to All regular officers and other ranks of the Sri Lanka Army, Sri Lanka Navy and Sri Lanka Air Force, who complete 12 years continuous service and whose character and conduct have been irreproachable and who are recommended by their...
and other medals that include the Purna Bhumi Padakkama
Purna Bhumi Padakkama
The Purna Bhumi Padakkama is presented to all ranks of the Regular and Volunteer Forces of the military of the Republic of Sri Lanka and the Sri Lanka Police, who have served in the districts of:* Jaffna since July 22, 1977....
and the North and East Operations Medal
North and East Operations Medal
The North and East Operations Medal is presented to all ranks of the Regular and Volunteer Forces of the military of the Republic of Sri Lanka and the Sri Lanka Police, who have served in the Norther and Eastern provinces for an accumulated period of 3 years since July 23, 1983.-Areas of service...
.