HMS York in Colombo
 

by Manjula Fernando

The Royal Navy's guided missile destroyer, HMS York called at Colombo Port yesterday, en route to an operational deployment to the Far East in support of UK foreign and defence policy.

The Ship's Commanding officer Matt Harvey said their stopover in Sri Lanka showcased the good relations between Britain and Sri Lanka.

"This is a goodwill visit. UK and Sri Lankan Governments are good friends. Besides my crew members were also looking forward to visiting Sri Lanka," Commander Harvey told a group of reporters welcoming them on board HMS York last afternoon.

He said the ship had been at sea since their last call at Cyprus four weeks ago.

"The ship's visit is a symbol of strong links between our two Navies," British High Commission Defence advisor Lt.Col. Colin Martin said expressing that the ship's visit will also provide an opportunity to build on the goodwill generated by the post-tsunami relief operations carried out by the Royal Navy in Batticaloa.

Having sailed from Portsmouth on June 20 on a 20-week operational deployment, this newest and most modern member of the Royal fleet will take part in a multinational exercise, 'BERSAMA LIMA' off the coast of Malaysia as the UK component in the Five Powers Defence Agreement, the Commander said.

HMS York was to arrive in Colombo on August 5 accompanied by RFA Black Rover, a fleet tanker also on its way to Far East on the same mission. Due to a change in schedule the warship arrived in Colombo yesterday morning and Black Rover is to reach the Port on schedule on Friday.

The Birmingham born Commander who joined the Royal Navy in 1985 said although his ship is designed to protect the fleet against air attack, as with any Royal Navy warship this can be re-configured to meet other tasks like peacekeeping.

The ship carries 250 crew members out of which 28 are female members. The crew include two female officers.

This type 42 destroyer forms the backbone of the Royal fleet's anti air warfare forces. It is equipped with a 'Seadart' missile system to protect a group of ships against air attack, two triple barrelled torpedo tubes and active sonar set to detect submarines and to provide safety against sub-surface threats.

An important component of the weapons package on board is a Lynx helicopter equipped with anti submarine torpedoes and air-to-surface guided missiles.

The warship will be anchored here till Monday during which the crew will enjoy friendly sporting activities with the Sri Lanka Navy besides sightseeing.

The Royal Navy crew will play football, volleyball, rugby and hockey matches against the Sri Lankan Navy. Their programme here include a Defence Industry Exhibition on board the ship on Saturday and a lunch hosted by the Ship's Commander for the Defence Secretary, Navy Commander, the Mayor of Colombo and several other special invitees on Friday.