A preserved LTTE naval boatyard near Puthukkudiyiruppu where the Sea Tigers built submarines, semi-submersibles and attack craft, discovered by the army at the end of the war.

Overview

Hidden in the scrub near Puthukkudiyiruppu, this boatyard was where the Sea Tigers, the naval wing of the LTTE, secretly constructed submarines, semi-submersibles, suicide boats, gunboats and human torpedoes. Discovered by advancing government troops in 2009, the yard and several of its unusual craft have been preserved as an open-air war site. It offers a stark, memorable insight into the ingenuity and scale of the insurgency's naval operations during the civil war.

History

As Sri Lankan forces closed in on the last LTTE-held territory in 2009, they uncovered the deserted submarine yard where the Sea Tigers had been building experimental underwater and surface craft. The site was preserved after the war ended in May 2009 and is now maintained as a military-run memorial to the conflict.