Defence Secretary Kapila Waidyaratne PC and Navy Commander Vice Admiral Sirimevan Ranasinghe visited and addressed the Sri Lanka Navy crew on board Ex-USCGC ‘Sherman’ in Honolulu, Hawaii on Wednesday. The Defence Secretary inspected the ship and held discussions with the United States Coast Guard authorities with respect to the progress of the acquisition of the Ex-USCGC ‘Sherman’ to the Sri Lanka Navy and future plans.
The event was also attended by the Sri Lankan Consul Bede Dhammika Cooray and the designated Commanding Officer of the ship Captain Aruna Thennakoon. The official handing over ceremony of USCGC Sherman to Sri Lanka Navy has been delayed due to the hurricane ‘Lane’ which is on its way towards Hawaii. However, the ship is scheduled to be taken over by the Sri Lanka Navy by the end of this month (August) and will be in Sri Lanka next April.