Naval and Maritime Academy Trincomalee notches 45 years

Dr. Ajith C. S. Perera

Systematic naval training has always been recognised as an indispensable requirement for the progress and development of the service.

The Naval and Maritime Academy (NMA), Trincomalee - for officer training in the Sri Lanka Navy and located within SLN Dockyard, Trincomalee - first established on January 15, 1967 - was formally commissioned on July 18. 1967 with Instructor Commander M. G. S. Perera, its founder, as its first commandant.

Instructor Commander M. G. S. Perera

As a result of Commander Perera's painstaking pioneering efforts with commitment and foresight backed by the quality of teaching and the dedication of seven other members of the 'Instructing Team' have seen this naval academy growing from strength to strength, sailing through prosperity and hard times, peace and war, tranquillity and tremendous change.

The Navy being the first line of defence in an island nation such as ours, requires high calibre people in the execution of its arduous task. The knowledge, discipline, leadership, dedication to the country and professionalism shown by them in battle as well as in peace fulfilling admirably this need, can be attributed to the best training the Academy strives to provide.

Today, after 45 years of its commissioning NMA still remains the main training establishment to enhance the manpower training capabilities of the Sri Lanka Navy.

It has even sprung to fame as a degree awarding naval academy receiving university status in 2001 and also as the solitary naval establishment to be awarded with the President's Colours on December 13, 2003.

Training in those formative years

After the establishment of the Royal Ceylon Navy in December 1950, the need for officer training came to light. With its expansion and the high cost of overseas training of officers, Navy first ventured out to establish a training unit in Diyatalawa.

Thistle Camp and four married quarters were taken over from the Airforce and Army respectively, and commissioned H.M.Cy.S. Rangalla on August 28, 1951 with M. G. S. Perera as the first as well as the one and only Instructor (training) officer in our then one-ship Navy.

With modest facilities and just a single Instructor Officer, training in the first decade was. a herculean task. It was limited to naval indoctrination and basic professional training.

As the Cadet intakes grew in numbers and frequency, further expansion of training became essential and seven assistants with university degrees were taken in. H. M. Cy. S. Rangalla at Diyatalawa hence became the first ship to be manned entirely by Instructor Officers with Instructor Lieutenant Commander M. G. S. Perera as the commanding officer - the first non-executive branch officer to be appointed to command a ship. Tragically, the Navy was requested to handover Diyatalawa to the Army in 1963.

Sailing ahead

It was the time in our own country, a vital awareness of the maritime aspects and development set in. Its utmost importance and value began to surface. The then 'Captain of the Navy' Rear Admiral Rajan Kadirgamar MVO, brother of the late Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar, identified the need to re-assess the entire structure of Navy's own in-service training and its objectives along with the establishment of a proper formal Naval training academy.

Naval and Maritime Academy, Trincomalee

With the rapid expansion of the Navy, a separate wing for officer training (OTW) was established in 1990. With this, further expansion of the nautical school into the specialisations of Gunnery and Anti-submarine warfare school along with language, humanities and computer department came into being.

Today, even degree courses are conducted by the NMA. Bachelor of Science degrees accredited to the University of Kelaniya includes Naval Studies in Maritime Warfare, Naval Studies in Land Warfare and Naval Studies in Logistic Management.

Junior Naval Staff Course was inaugurated on March 7, 2005. Its aim is to enhance the theoretical and practical knowledge on naval administration and staff skills of junior officers of the Sri Lanka Navy in order that they would perform their duties in a most efficient manner.

Further efforts have been taken to offer a Postgraduate Diploma for officers who successfully complete the course, with the accreditation of certain training courses conducted at NMA to Kotalawela Defence University (KDU).

Recently sea cadet assessment camps have also been initiated at NMA where cadets are evaluated under several areas which include seamanship and naval knowledge, map reading, knots and usage of ropes and endurance march and afforded the opportunities to visit naval ships. The NMA continues to strive to achieve international standards and holds the ISO 9001:2008 Quality Management System Certification awarded by the Sri Lanka Standard Institution.

However, regardless of the changes in structure and facilities and organisation that future circumstances will necessitate, the primary aim of NMA training will continue to remain the same - the inculcation of those ideals of duty, naval discipline, character, courage and honour, so very essential in Naval service and no less important in other Maritime profession.