Sea Tiger Shipyard

Top choice in Jaffna & the North


The LTTE navy was a guerrilla force that operated for decades, often organising suicide attacks on government ships and ports. This site is where experimental submarines and fast boats were built to carry out attacks. Really just a clearing in the dunes, there are more than a dozen craft here in bizarre shapes and stages of construction. There's even the remains of a rudimentary canal used to bring the vessels to and from the ocean.

The subs in particular are fascinating to look at. Utterly Rube Goldberg, they were constructed with simple tools and scrap metal for deadly missions. There are a couple of snack stands and usually some soldiers lounging around.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Jaffna & the North attractions

1. Shelling Zone

0.53 MILES

A small dirt road near the Sea Tiger Shipyard runs northwest and is back from the beach. Go about 1km from the A35 and stop near a military base entrance…

2. Monument of Victory

2.35 MILES

Set amid a marsh, a huge gold-coloured torso of a soldier juts up from the ground. It's bombastic to say the least; nearby a small building houses map…

3. Vaddu Vakal Bridge

4.04 MILES

This single-lane concrete veteran still bears war scars. When the fish are running, the sides are lined with people casting nets; it's one of the few…

4. Mullaittivu Beach

5.74 MILES

The beach at Mullaittivu is long, white and beautiful. It's undeveloped, although there is some construction in the town, as stores are being built. There…

5. Fallen Water Tower

24.34 MILES

Right near the centre of town, an enormous concrete water tower lies on its side where it was toppled in the final days of the war in 2008. The sheer size…

6. Buldozer Memorial

26.82 MILES

About 1km south of the causeway's southern end, there is a large memorial to Gamini Kularatne, a Sri Lanka Army soldier who single-handedly disabled an…

7. Elephant Pass War Memorial

27.46 MILES

This grandiose, vaguely stupa-like monument glorifies the role of the Sri Lankan armed forces in defeating the LTTE and lauds the role of former President…

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