HMCyS Vijaya
| Career (United Kingdom) |  |
|---|---|
| Name: | Flying Fish |
| Ordered: | as Tillsonburg |
| Builder: | Redfern Construction, Toronto |
| Yard number: | 55 |
| Laid down: | 30 October 1943 |
| Launched: | 16 February 1944 |
| Completed: | 14 October 1944 |
| Career (Ceylon) |  |
| Name: | Vijaya |
| Namesake: | King Vijaya |
| Acquired: | 1951 |
| Commissioned: | 1951 |
| Out of service: | 1963 |
| Homeport: | Trincomalee |
| Fate: | broken up, 1964 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Algerine-class minesweeper |
| Displacement: | 850 gross register tons (GRT) |
| Length: | 225 ft (69 m) |
| Installed power: | 2000 SHP (1.5 MW) |
| Propulsion: | geared turbines, 2 shafts; or reciprocating engines, 2 shafts |
| Speed: | 16.5 knots (30.6 km/h) |
| Complement: | 85 |
| Sensors and processing systems: | 2 × AN/SPS-64 |
| Armament: | one 4 inch (100 mm) anti-aircraft gun, four 20 mm guns |
HMCyS Vijaya, named in honor of Vijaya, the first king of Sri Lanka, was an Algerine-class minesweeper of the Royal Ceylon Navy, the first warship of that navy. Vijaya had been built as HMS Flying Fish (J370) for the Royal Navy during World War II, but was given to Ceylon by the United Kingdom upon the 1951 formation of Ceylon's navy.
History
Formerly HMS Flying Fish of the Royal Navy, she was built for service in World War II and was equipped with minesweeping gear, she was primarily assigned to convoy escort duty in the Atlantic. After the war she was given to Ceylon on indefinite loan by Britain in 1949 at Singapore with a formal transfer in Colombo. When the Royal Ceylon Navy was formed in 1951 it became the first warship of the navy and was named after the first King of the Island. The First Sri Lankan Captain on the vessel was Lieutenant Commander (later Rear Admiral) Rajan Kadiragamar MVO, ADC, RCyN.
Since 1949 Vijaya became the training platform for the new navy and began undertaking anti-smuggling and anti-illicit immigration patrols in coastal waters. Thereafter it undertook cruises to the Maldives and Burma. In 1952 she sailed to Britain to represent the Royal Ceylon Navy at the fleet review on the coronation of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Although she did not take part in the fleet review due to repairs, the Royal Navy lent a ship of the same class for the RCyN for the review with the name Vijaya II
Vijaya was sunk in a strong storm in the Gulf of Mannar.
References
- "Flying Fish (6117869)". Miramar Ship Index. Retrieved 23 October 2009. (subscription required (help)).
External links
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
