W.W.E. Clancy Fernando † VSV, USP | |
|---|---|
 Admiral Clancy Fernando | |
| Birth name | Wannakuwatta Waduge Erwin Clancy Fernando |
| Born | (1938-10-10)10 October 1938 |
| Died | 16 November 1992(1992-11-16) (aged 54) Colombo,Sri Lanka |
| Allegiance |  Sri Lanka |
| Service |  Sri Lanka Navy |
| Years of service | 1957–1992 |
| Rank |  Admiral |
| Commands | Commander of the Sri Lankan Navy |
| Battles / wars | Sri Lankan Civil War |
| Awards |  Vishista Seva Vibhushanaya Uttama Seva Padakkama |
Admiral Wannakuwatta Waduge Erwin Clancy FernandoVSV,USP,MNI (InSinhalese: ක්ලැන්සි ෆර්නැන්ඩෝ; 10 October 1938 – 16 November 1992) was a seniorSri Lanka Navy officer. He served as theCommander of the Sri Lanka Navy from 1 November 1991 to 16 November 1992, when he was assassinated by theLTTE[1] he was the most senior officer in the Sri Lankan armed forces to be killed in the line of duty.
Born on 10 October 1938, Fernando was educated atPrince of Wales' College, Moratuwa, where he was a member of the team Western Band.
He joined theRoyal Ceylon Navy on 17 December 1957 as acadet officer. After completing five months of basic training, he proceeded for officer training atBritannia Royal Naval College inDartmouth,United Kingdom. After one year of training, he was promoted toMidshipman on 1 May 1959. On completion of his training at Dartmouth in July 1960, he was commissioned as anActing Sub Lieutenant and returned to Ceylon. He was assigned asFirst Lieutenant to HMCyS Aliya which was part of HMCyS Coastal Forces. From 1963 to 1964 he was the commanding officer of the short patrol boat, HMCyS Diyakawa. He serves with the Royal Ceylon Navy in Trincomalee, Tangalle and Karainagar, serving on boardHMCyS Gajabahu, theflagship of the fleet.[2]
He introduced theSinhala communication system into the navy and authored the book on ‘Customs and etiquettes of Services’. With the introduction ofShanghai Class Fast Gun Boats in to the navy, Lieutenant Commander Fernando served as the commanding officer of SLNS Ranakamee from 1972 to 1973 and then commanded theShershen-class torpedo boat SLNS Samudra Devi, which was the flagship of the fleet in 1980. In 1977, he attendedDefence Services Staff College,Wellington. Promoted to the rank ofCommander in March 1978, he was the Commanding Officer of the SLNS Tissa and thereafter SLNS Elara, and served as the Master of the Ceylon Shipping Corporations MV Lanka Kanthi.[2] Fernando was held the memberships of theBritish Institute of Management, and theNautical Institute and had obtained a master's degree in defence studies. He had also been conferred with the certificate of Master Mariners and was the first President of Sri Lanka Branch of theNautical Institute.
On 30 June 1983, he was appointed Director Naval Operations. Promoted the rank ofCaptain on 1 January 1984, he was appointed Commandant of theNaval and Maritime Academy. He was promoted toCommodore in July 1986 and served as Commander Western Naval Area, Commander Eastern Naval Area, and Security Forces Commander, Trincomalee. In 1987, he attended theNational Defence College inNew Delhi. In 1991, he was promoted to the rank ofrear admiral and held the post of theChief of Staff of the navy, shortly he was promoted to the rank ofvice admiral on appointment to the office of theCommander of the Sri Lanka Navy on 1 November 1991. After becoming navy commander he intensified naval operations against theLTTE, effectively denying the terrorist free use of the sea. He pioneeredsmall boat operations, initially in the Kilali lagoon in Jaffna which later evolved in theSpecial Boat Squadron and theRapid Action Boat Squadron in later decades. The navy under took in landing the army in its first amphibious operationOperation Balavegaya in 1991.[3]
He was assassinated by aLTTEsuicide bomber[1] who drove an explosives laden motorbike into hisstaff car on the 16 November 1992 at 8.35 a.m, in front of theGalle Face Green. Killed in the bombing wasLieutenant (posthumouslylieutenant-commander) Sandun Gunasekera, hisflag lieutenant and his driver. He was on his way to naval headquarters at Flagstaff Street in the Galle Buck from his official residence "Navy House" at Longden Place,Colombo after he returned from India after discussing Indo-Sri Lankan naval cooperation. Admiral Fernando's assassination took place soon after the death of LTTE Sea Tiger leader Charles at the hands of a navy patrol launched from Nagathevanthurai.[2]
He was posthumously promoted toadmiral and awarded theVishista Seva Vibhushanaya and theUttama Seva Padakkama. While in service he had received theSri Lanka Armed Services Long Service Medal and Clasp,Republic of Sri Lanka Armed Services Medal,Ceylon Armed Services Long Service Medal andClasp,Purna Bhumi Padakkama,President's Inauguration Medal and theSri Lanka Navy 25th Anniversary Medal.
He was married to Monica Fernando and had two sons, Nishan and Dinukh and a daughter, Sashi.[4]
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Commander of the Sri Lankan Navy 1991-1992 † | Succeeded by |
Ceylon Naval Volunteer Force Sri Lanka Navy |  | |