Jude Lakmal Wijethunge
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Lieutenant Commander Jude Lakmal De Silva Wijethunge (, died 30 March 1996), was an
officer An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," fro ...
in the
Sri Lanka Navy The Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) (; ) is the navy, naval arm of the Sri Lanka Armed Forces and is classed as the country's most vital defence force due to its island geography. It is responsible for the maritime defence of the Sri Lankan nation and its ...
. He was a proud product of Ananda Central College Elpitiya. As a
Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...
, he commanded the
Dvora-class fast patrol boat The Dvora-class fast patrol boat is a fast class of patrol boats built by Israel Aerospace Industries for the Israeli Sea Corps based on the Israeli . Operational history Sri Lanka The Dvora class has become the work horse of the Sri Lanka ...
P458 of the 4th Fast Attack Flotilla. He was posthumously awarded the
Parama Weera Vibhushanaya __NOTOC__ The Parama Weera Vibhushanaya (PWV) ( Sinhala: පරම වීර වීභූෂණය ''parama vīra vibhūṣaṇaya''; Tamil: பரம வீர விபுஷனைய) is Sri Lanka's highest military decoration, awarded for ac ...
, Sri Lanka's highest military award for gallantry, for his actions on 30 March 1996 in defending a Navy transport from a
Sea Tiger The Sea Tigers (Tamil: கடற்புலிகள் ''Kaţaṛpulikaḷ'') was the naval wing of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) during the Sri Lankan Civil War. It was founded in 1984. The Sea Tigers had a number of small but ...
attack. As part of an escort to the transport vessel, Wijethunge fought off repeated attacks until his craft had suffered severe damage including to its engines, and all his crew were incapacitated. Noticing a Sea Tiger suicide boat, Wijethunge maneuvered the P458 to intercept it causing the suicide boat to ram into his vessel. The resulting explosion destroyed both vessels, thereby saving the transport vessel which was the target of the suicide boat. Two members of his crew were later rescued from the waters. He was posthumously promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Commander in addition to receiving the Parama Weera Vibhushanaya, and is the first naval officer to receive the award. Wijethunge is one of only two navy recipients of the Parama Weera Vibhushanaya, the other being
Chief Petty Officer A chief petty officer (CPO) is a senior non-commissioned officer in many navies and coast guards, usually above petty officer. By country Australia "Chief Petty Officer" is the second highest non-commissioned rank in the Royal Australian Navy ...
K. G. Shantha.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wijethunge, Jude Lakmal 1996 deaths Recipients of the Parama Weera Vibhushanaya Sri Lanka Navy officers Year of birth missing Sri Lankan military personnel killed in action