COLOMBO, April 1 (Xinhua) -- A British ship, SS Sagaing which sank in Trincomalee Harbour in Sri Lanka's east during World War II, was refloated after 75 years, by a team of divers from the Sri Lanka Navy, the navy media unit said in a statement here Sunday.

The 138-meter-long passenger-cum-cargo ship launched on December 24, 1924, belonged to the British Navy.

It was hit in Japanese bombing attacks while at anchorage in the harbour on April 9, 1942 and was subsequently abandoned due to escalating fire on board.

On August 24, 1943, the damaged ship was sunk to be used as a pier for naval ships.

"Sri Lanka Navy resorted to re-float the wreck which was fully submerged 35 feet under the sea in order to make sea room for expanding berthing facilities in the harbour. The task of salvaging and removing the ship wreck was assigned to Eastern Naval Command," the navy said.

The salvage operation took several months.