2019-12-09 Mon

Navy Day in Sri Lanka is celebrated annually on December 9. The holiday commemorates the creation of the Royal Ceylon Navy in 1950.

The history of the Sri Lanka Navy began during the period of British colonial rule. The Ceylon Naval Volunteer Force was created in 1937. It was mobilized for war duties two years later, following the outbreak of the Second World War.

In 1948, the Dominion of Ceylon achieved independence from the United Kingdom. The government of Ceylon believed that an island nation should have a strong navy to defend its borders. Therefore on December 9, 1950, the Royal Ceylon Navy came into existence. In 1972, when Ceylon became a republic and was renamed Sri Lanka Navy.

The Sri Lanka Navy is considered to be the country's most vital defense force. Its motto is “The golden fence around the country”. It has about 48,000 active personnel (with approximately 15,000 personnel deployed for shore duties).

The stamp shown above was issued in the year 2010 to commemorate the 60th Anniversary of Sri Lanka Navy. The stamp shows a Navy Vassal amidst a turbulent ocean. The stamp comes with 5 Sri Lankan rupees with the name of the country at the top left inscribed in Sinhalese, Tamil and Roman and the denomination value at the top right.

Image Courtesy: https://colnect.com/

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