Trincomalee Watchtower through time

Trincomalee 1940–2023 20 photos of this spot

20 photographs taken at the same spot in Trincomalee, spanning 1940–2023 — 17 of them from before 1980. Line them up and watch the place change.

The coastline near Trincomalee on Ceylon's northeast shore, photographed around the start of the 1940s, when the town's deep natural harbor served as a key Allied naval base in the Indian Ocean.

EU: De kust bij Trincomalee (Ceylon) begin jaren 40. (1940) 1940 The coastline near Trincomalee on Ceylon's northeast shore, photographed around the start of the 1940s, when the town's deep natural harbor served as a key Allied naval base in the Indian Ocean.

EU: Baai (Trincomalee ?) te Ceylon begin jaren 40. (1940) 1940 The bay at Trincomalee, on the eastern coast of Ceylon (present-day Sri Lanka), photographed in the early 1940s. Trincomalee's deep natural harbor, among the finest anchorages in the Indian Ocean, made the port strategically important to the British during the Second World War.

EU: De kust bij Trincomalee (Ceylon) begin jaren 40 (1940) 1940 Trincomalee's coastline is shown here around 1940, when the island was still the British colony of Ceylon. The town's natural deep-water harbor, among the finest in the Indian Ocean, had long made it a strategically important port on Sri Lanka's northeast coast.

EU: Bemanning van de kruiser Hr.Ms. Jacob van Heemskerck aan het zwemmen bij Trincomalee (Ceylon) begin jaren 40. (1940) 1940 Crew members of the Dutch cruiser Hr. Ms. Jacob van Heemskerck swimming near Trincomalee, Ceylon, photographed in the early 1940s. Trincomalee's natural harbor served as a key Allied naval base in the Indian Ocean during the Second World War.

EU: The coast near Trincomalee, Ceylon (early 1940s) 1940 This early-1940s photograph shows the coastline near Trincomalee, whose deep natural harbor on Ceylon's northeast coast had made it a strategically valued anchorage since the era of European colonial rivalry in the Indian Ocean.

EU: Bay near Trincomalee, Ceylon (early 1940s) 1940 A bay near Trincomalee appears in this photograph from the early 1940s, around the time the port's harbor was serving as a base for Britain's Eastern Fleet during the Second World War.

EU: De kust bij Trincomalee, Ceylon (1940) 1940 The coastline near Trincomalee appears in this 1940 photograph, taken along Ceylon's northeastern shore, home to one of the finest natural harbors in the Indian Ocean and a site of long-standing strategic importance.

EU: De kust bij Trincomalee (Ceylon) begin jaren 40. (1941) 1941 The coast near Trincomalee on the east coast of Ceylon, photographed around 1941. Trincomalee's natural harbor was among the finest deep-water anchorages in the Indian Ocean.

EU: Baai (Trincomalee ?) te Ceylon begin jaren 40. (1941) 1941 A bay believed to be near Trincomalee, Ceylon, photographed in the early 1940s, a period when the port's harbor drew growing attention from Allied naval planners.

EU: De kust bij Trincomalee (Ceylon) begin jaren 40. (1942) 1942 The coastline near Trincomalee in Ceylon, photographed in the early 1940s; the natural harbor here was among the largest in the Indian Ocean and of strategic importance during the Second World War.

EU: De kust bij Trincomalee (Ceylon) begin jaren 40 (1942) 1942 A stretch of coastline near Trincomalee, Ceylon, captured in the early 1940s. The town's harbor was regarded as one of the finest natural anchorages in the Indian Ocean and became a key Allied naval base as the Second World War spread through the region.

EU: Baai (Trincomalee ?) te Ceylon begin jaren 40. (1942) 1942 A bay near Trincomalee on the island of Ceylon, photographed in the early 1940s. Trincomalee's deep natural harbor on the island's east coast made it a strategically important port throughout the colonial era, valued in turn by Portuguese, Dutch and British forces.

EU: The coast near Trincomalee, Ceylon, early 1942 The coast near Trincomalee, Ceylon, in the early 1940s. This natural harbor on the island's northeast shore became a key Allied naval base during the war.

EU: Bay near Trincomalee, Ceylon, early 1942 A bay near Trincomalee, Ceylon, in the early 1940s, showing the sheltered waters that made this stretch of coastline strategically valuable during the war.

EU: De kust bij Trincomalee (Ceylon), begin jaren 40 (1942) 1942 Dated to the early 1940s, this photograph again shows the coast near Trincomalee on Ceylon's northeastern shore, a natural harbor that became a key Allied naval base during the Second World War and remained an important port well after.

EU: Baai bij Trincomalee, Ceylon, begin jaren 40 (1942) 1942 This early-1940s photograph depicts a bay near Trincomalee, Ceylon, whose sheltered waters made the area one of the most strategically valued harbors in the Indian Ocean during that period, drawing naval and merchant vessels alike.

EU: De kust bij Trincomalee begin jaren 40 (1942) 1942 The coastline at Trincomalee, a natural harbor on Ceylon's northeast coast, photographed in the early 1940s during the Second World War, when the port's deep, sheltered bay made it valuable to Allied naval forces in the Indian Ocean.

Trincomalee Watchtower 1984 A watchtower in Trincomalee, Sri Lanka, photographed in 1984. The city's natural harbor on the island's northeast coast has made it a strategic port for centuries, historically overseen by fortifications such as this one.

Trinquemalay, retour des pêcheurs au Sri-Lanka 2015 Fishermen returning at Trincomalee, Sri Lanka, photographed in 2015. Trincomalee is home to one of the world's finest natural deep-water harbors, on the island's northeastern coast, and has supported a fishing community for centuries.

Dawn at Trincomalee Beach (Trincomalee, Eastern Province, Sri Lanka), Spring 2023 Dawn breaking over the beach at Trincomalee, the eastern Sri Lankan port city known for one of the world's finest natural harbors.