HMAS Glenelg in Colombo

7 February 2010

The ship’s company of HMAS Glenelg enjoyed a four day stop-over in Colombo, Sri Lanka from 28 Jan to 31 Jan 2010 as part of a deployment aimed at fostering friendship and military ties with the island nation.

Glenelg’s visit to Sri Lanka was the first by an Australian ship in five years, and only the fourth visit since 1982.

Colombo is some 3200 miles west of Glenelg’s home port of Darwin, and her deployment marks the furthest west an Armidale Class Patrol Boat has travelled from Australian waters.

During the visit, Glenelg hosted the Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy, Vice Admiral T.S.G. Samarasinghe, RSP, VSV, USP, ndc, psc, who was fascinated by the technology and design of the Royal Australian Navy’s newest Armidale Class Patrol Boat.

Along with VIP tours of the ship, the crew entertained local orphans who were mesmerized by the sight of their first warship.

The ship’s company also travelled to SLNS Gemunu, the primary training base for the Sri Lankan Navy, where they conducted a friendly cricket match with the recruits. Glenelg proudly sported their ship’s charity t-shirts from The Greyman organisation, an organisation dedicated to child protection.

Throughout the match the Sri Lankan crowd members were quite vocal, singing, playing music and shouting “Aussie, Aussie, Aussie!” in the manner they had been taught by member of Glenelg’s ships company Leading Seaman NPC Coleman.

The Sri Lankan team opened and scored an impressive total, before the Australian batting line-up crumbled, getting all out for a score that highlighted the fact that you should never play cricket in the subcontinent.