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The Hellenic Naval Cadets Academy ( el, Σχολή Ναυτικών Δοκίμων, abbr. ΣΝΔ, lit. "School of Naval Cadets") is a military university and has the responsibility to educate and suitably train competent Naval Officers for the
Hellenic Navy The Hellenic Navy (HN; el, Πολεμικό Ναυτικό, Polemikó Naftikó, War Navy, abbreviated ΠΝ) is the naval force of Greece, part of the Hellenic Armed Forces. The modern Greek navy historically hails from the naval forces of var ...
. Founded in 1845, the academy is one of the oldest educational institutions in
Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders wi ...
. The academy educates Deck and Engineering Naval
cadet A cadet is an officer trainee or candidate. The term is frequently used to refer to those training to become an officer in the military, often a person who is a junior trainee. Its meaning may vary between countries which can include youths in ...
s. It may also educate Supply Officer cadets as well as Coast Guard Officer cadets. Foreign nationals are also accepted to study as naval cadets in the academy.


History

The academy has a long history in naval education. Its presence is closely associated with the foundation and evolution of the Hellenic Navy, covering a period of 150 years of educational work. The Academy was founded in 1845 as a naval training school on board the corvette . For 50 years, it operated unofficially on board various combat ships, stabilizing its position and improving its work. In 1884, with the help of a French naval mission, the academy was officially reorganized by the Greek State and new facilities were built to house its operations. At the time, the academy's quarters were on board the corvette ''Hellas''. In 1905 it was transferred to
Piraeus Piraeus ( ; el, Πειραιάς ; grc, Πειραιεύς ) is a port city within the Athens urban area ("Greater Athens"), in the Attica region of Greece. It is located southwest of Athens' city centre, along the east coast of the Saro ...
, where it has remained ever since. The academy's base was transferred to a new and permanent installation beside the harbour of Piraeus, by the entrance of the main port. The operating conditions were greatly improved by the new quarters and this better facilitated its operation. New cadets were accepted and new Navy ships were appointed to help in the educational process. Since then, during its 150 years of operation, the Hellenic Naval Cadets Academy has evolved into one of the most prestigious institutions in Greece. More than 5,000 naval officers have graduated and led the Hellenic Navy, while many others have distinguished themselves in science, technology and politics. The organization and structure of the academy has made great reforms, always according to the needs of the Hellenic Navy.


Structure

The Academy's organization is divided into two main branches. The first branch deals with education and training and includes four Directorates: The Naval Cadet Administration, the Nautical and Military training, the Athletics and the Academic Studies directorate. The second branch is responsible of base support and everything that needs to be done for the academy's proper function. The academy is commanded by an officer of the higher naval ranks. Issues involving academic studies are examined by the Superior Educational Council, a body formed of academy professors and naval officers under the chairmanship of the Academy Superintendent.


Admissions

The screening procedure for the selection of new cadets is based on the established system of national examinations, undertaken by all university candidates in Greece. The Hellenic Naval Academy runs additional health, intelligence and athletic tests on its candidates. About 400 cadets study in the Academy each year. All lessons are taught in Greek and basic training lasts for 4 years. Greek nationals are admitted to the Hellenic Naval Academy following both: successful participation to the preliminary examination that includes gymnastics, physical and psychological tests and, successful participation to the annual national examinations, operated by the Ministry of Education. The number of admissions is decided by the
Ministry of Defence {{unsourced, date=February 2021 A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in state ...
, which issues an annual call for applications and always according to the Navy needs. Foreign nationals are selected primarily by their governments, following bilateral agreements with the
Greek state Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...
. Candidates must provide confirmation, issued by their government, that they have been selected for the particular military academy and must hold a
birth certificate A birth certificate is a vital record that documents the birth of a person. The term "birth certificate" can refer to either the original document certifying the circumstances of the birth or to a certified copy of or representation of the ensui ...
, a health certificate and a certificate of education equivalent to the ''Greek Secondary Education Certificate'', required for admission to any ''Highest Educational Institution'' (
University A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United Stat ...
) in Greece. Upon arrival, the foreign students attend one-year preparatory courses. The beginners level teaching is conducted in
Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...
, English and French. During that year, students take
Greek language Greek ( el, label= Modern Greek, Ελληνικά, Elliniká, ; grc, Ἑλληνική, Hellēnikḗ) is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages, native to Greece, Cyprus, southern Italy ( Calabria and Salento), souther ...
courses,
mathematics Mathematics is an area of knowledge that includes the topics of numbers, formulas and related structures, shapes and the spaces in which they are contained, and quantities and their changes. These topics are represented in modern mathematics ...
,
physics Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which ...
and
chemistry Chemistry is the scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a natural science that covers the elements that make up matter to the compounds made of atoms, molecules and ions: their composition, structure, proper ...
fundamental courses and undergo
military training Military education and training is a process which intends to establish and improve the capabilities of military personnel in their respective roles. Military training may be voluntary or compulsory duty. It begins with recruit training, procee ...
. After the preparatory year, the foreign cadets join the full academic and military 4-year course, following the same program and obligations as their Greek colleagues. The costs of education are covered by
scholarship A scholarship is a form of financial aid awarded to students for further education. Generally, scholarships are awarded based on a set of criteria such as academic merit, diversity and inclusion, athletic skill, and financial need. Scholars ...
s and include accommodation, tuition, training and clothing expenses, but not travel costs, to and from Greece.


Education

The Hellenic Naval Cadets Academy offers a 4-year course. Aim of the education offered is to provide graduates (both deck officers and engineers) with adequate skills and knowledge to perform their duties as Navy Officers and keep up with evolving developments in naval science,
strategy Strategy (from Greek στρατηγία ''stratēgia'', "art of troop leader; office of general, command, generalship") is a general plan to achieve one or more long-term or overall goals under conditions of uncertainty. In the sense of the " ...
and
technology Technology is the application of knowledge to reach practical goals in a specifiable and reproducible way. The word ''technology'' may also mean the product of such an endeavor. The use of technology is widely prevalent in medicine, scien ...
of
naval warfare Naval warfare is combat in and on the sea, the ocean, or any other battlespace involving a major body of water such as a large lake or wide river. Mankind has fought battles on the sea for more than 3,000 years. Even in the interior of large la ...
. The day at the academy begins at 6.00 am. For five days every week the cadets attend an intense training program (academic, athletic and marine) while the afternoon is available for the rest of the academy activities as well as various cultural, athletic and social events. The academic year is divided in two semesters. During the winter term, cadets attend academic courses, professional military courses and naval training courses (off board). In addition, they receive practical courses by participating in short training voyages on various naval ships. During the Summer term, cadets of the first three classes embark for a two-month training cruise, until recently on board the training ship HN ''Aris'' and for the past few years usually on board a Frigate and a General Support Ship. The trip includes approaching at ports of various countries. Conditions for cadets to familiarize themselves with the profession and duties of an officer, are provided through instractions on professional matters, on board training and application of the theory taught, together with drills carried out during the cruise.


Graduation

Cadets graduate from the academy provided they have concluded successfully all years and courses (academic and practical). Upon their graduation, all naval officers are commissioned to combat units of the Hellenic Navy fleet. During the graduation ceremony the flag of the Hellenic Naval Academy, following tradition, is handed over by new Navy Officers to the 3rd year cadets. In the beginning of their career, officers serve in battle-ships and attend certain specialized schools. These schools have as goal to enhance their expertise and make them familiar with the battle-ship operations and function during peace and war. More specifically, officers are trained along the following lines: Immediately after they graduate, officers attend a four to six-month school where they receive additional theoretical and practical training and learn about system and equipment of their appointed battle-ships, as well as their duties as officers on those ships. During the first stages of their career, officers may also choose to serve in
submarine A submarine (or sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability. The term is also sometimes used historically or colloquially to refer to remotely op ...
s,
helicopter A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forward, backward and laterally. These attribu ...
s, marine patrol aircraft and underwater demolition (Special Forces), after being trained in their respective training schools. Furthermore, when promoted to ''Lieutenant Junior Grade'', they go through a training stage lasting nine to eleven months. There they follow training held by various specialization departments of the Navy. According to the department they choose (or are appointed according to Navy needs), they take a degree of specialization to one of the following subjects: gunnery,
navigation Navigation is a field of study that focuses on the process of monitoring and controlling the movement of a craft or vehicle from one place to another.Bowditch, 2003:799. The field of navigation includes four general categories: land navigation ...
,
communication Communication (from la, communicare, meaning "to share" or "to be in relation with") is usually defined as the transmission of information. The term may also refer to the message communicated through such transmissions or the field of inqui ...
s and
electronic engineering Electronics engineering is a sub-discipline of electrical engineering which emerged in the early 20th century and is distinguished by the additional use of active components such as semiconductor devices to amplify and control electric current ...
. Lieutenant officers attend the ''Navy Staff Officers School'' and the ''Naval War School'' for 3 to 4 months on each school, where they obtain a ''Staff Officer'' degree. An officer may then serve as staff officer in various departments of the Hellenic Navy. Finally, officers ranked ''Lieutenant Junior Grade'' and ''Lieutenant'', may be educated abroad (in
Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
or in the United States) in schools such as NPS, MIT, the
University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...
etc., thus becoming further specialized in fields such as
electronics The field of electronics is a branch of physics and electrical engineering that deals with the emission, behaviour and effects of electrons using electronic devices. Electronics uses active devices to control electron flow by amplification ...
, weapon systems,
computers A computer is a machine that can be programmed to carry out sequences of arithmetic or logical operations (computation) automatically. Modern digital electronic computers can perform generic sets of operations known as programs. These prog ...
, operation research,
marine architecture Marine architecture is the design of architectural and engineering structures which support coastal design, near-shore and off-shore or deep-water planning for many projects such as shipyards, ship transport, coastal management or other marine and/o ...
etc.


External links


Academy Homepage
{{Coord, 37, 56, 03, N, 23, 37, 41, E, display=title Educational institutions established in 1845 Naval units and formations of Greece Naval academies Commander's Crosses of the Cross of Valour (Greece) 1845 establishments in Greece Education in Greece