Polish Naval Academy (PNA) of the Heroes of Westerplatte is a naval university supervised by the Ministry of National Defence Republic of Poland, with the history, uninterrupted by World War II, dating back to 1922. At present the PNA provides education for officer-cadets, commissioned officers and civilian students at first and second cycles of study (undergraduate and graduate), as well as doctoral studies. It also offers opportunities for professional development at specialized courses and postgraduate programs. In accordance with international agreements the PNA trains officers for naval forces of countries in Europe, North Africa, the Middle and Far East. International exchange significantly contributes to the rise in qualifications of the PNA staff. It also allows the students to attend lectures given by best specialists from leading scientific centers of the world.
Akademia Marynarki Wojennej im. Bohaterów Westerplatte | |
| Motto | Morze, Ojczyzna, Obowiązek |
|---|---|
Motto in English | Sea, Fatherland, Duty |
| Established | 1922 |
| Rector | Cpt. prof. Tomasz Szubrycht |
| Location | , , 54°32′38″N 18°32′39″E / 54.5438°N 18.5442°E |
| Language | Polish/English |
| Website | www |
| File:Logoamwnew.svg | |
History
Temporary Officers’ Training Corps (1921)
After the foundation of Polish Naval Forces on November 28th of 1918 by the time’s Chief of State Józef Piłsudski the formation of its military branch was started. One of the main goals was a formation of a training structure, due to the lack of cadets. The plan was at first to start a Maritime School and a training division which was completed in 1920.
There was no need for this type of training structure until the Polish-Soviet war of 1920, since all of the naval forces were being outsourced from the occupying regime’s government. After Poland gained its autonomy, general Kazimierz Porębski decided to form first institution that temporarily provided courses for new officers (pol. Tymczasowe Kursy Instruktorskie dla Oficerów (abbr. TIK)) in Toruń, Poland on March 20th of 1921. It was an 18-month-long course that was preparing officers of land forces for a service on board of battleships. Under the supervision of LCDR Adam Mohuczy in total the course was completed by 39 officers.[1]
Naval Officers’ School (1922)
Under the jurisdiction of rear admiral Kazimierz Porębski on November 6th of 1922 the Naval Officers’ School (pol. Oficerska Szkoła Marynarki Wojennej (abbr. OSMW)) was formed again in Toruń. This time the school consisted of 1 faculty and was meant to provide new cadets to become maritime officers. The training period consisted of 2 years that later got extended to 3 years. During the courses cadets were gaining experience on board of such battleships as OORP “Komendant Piłsudski” and “Generał Haller”.
Captains of Naval Officer’s School:
- Capt. LCDR Adam Mohuczy (October 1st 1922 – October 6th 1924)
- Capt. Witold Panasiewicz (October 6th1924 – October 15th 1925)
- Capt. Czesław Petelenz (October 15th 1925 – November 10th 1926)
- Capt. LCDR Stefan Frankowski (November 23rd 1926 – October 18th 1928)
Naval Cadets’ School (1928)
Novelization of training structure within Polish army caused a change in the name of Naval Officers’ School into Naval Cadets’ School (Szkoła Podchorążych Marynarki Wojennej (abbr. SPMV)) with majorly reorganized structure within the institution itself. At first it consisted of a formation of two separate faculties: Maritime and Technical. Practical courses were provided on board of battleships ORP “Iskra” and ORP “Wilia” respectively. Later, in 1935, there was created an additional faculty on Administration directed towards maritime administration. In 1938 the school was moved from Toruń to a nearby town of Bydgoszcz. Courses under the new structure were completed by 158 officers, 173 maritime graduates, 23 technical graduates and 12 administrative graduates. At the start of the Second World War in 1939 cadets and officers from Naval Cadets’ School were taking an active part in county’s defense, mainly in land formations. A month earlier, on August 24th, some of the cadets, together with new candidates, who were receiving temporary training in Oksywie, Gdynia, were sent back to Bydgoszcz.
Structure and scientific activity
The PNA is a naval university of a settled position in the Polish higher educational system. The mission of the PNA is to create conditions necessary to provide security for the Poland at sea through disseminating knowledge, conducting research work, educating and developing officer-cadets and civilian students, as well as perfecting professional military, and civilian workers, in the administration and maritime industry. The Academy co-operates with technical and military Polish and European universities, enterprises and international organizations. University authorities:
- Rector-Commandant - Capt. prof. Tomasz Szubrycht,
- Deputy Commandant - Capt. Mariusz Mięsikowski D.Sc.Eng,
- Vice- Rector for Education - Capt. Dariusz Bugajski Ph.D., D.Sc.,
- Vice- Rector for Science - Capt. Tomasz Kniaziewicz Ph.D., D.Sc,
- Chancellor - Bogusław Bąk D.Sc. Eng.
The PNA educates the officers of navy and civilian specialists on four faculties:
- the Faculty of Navigation and Naval Weapons,
- the Faculty of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering,
- the Faculty of Command and Naval Operations, and
- the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences.[2][3][4][5]
The major part of the activity of the Polish Naval Academy is conducting the research in the following areas:
- naval strategy;
- naval operational art and naval military tactics;
- international law and international security;
- law of the sea;
- maritime navigation and hydrography;
- navigation automation and integration;
- modern deep-sea and diving techniques;
- material engineering and shock resistance of ship structures;
- automation of shipboard command control systems;
- anti-submarine weapons;
- physical fields and echo ranging;
- electronic warfare and ship antimissile defense;
- exploitation of ship, weapons and shipboard systems;
- operational and tactical employment of maritime rescue forces.[1]
Civilian studies
The university offers both undergraduate and 28 post-graduate courses in the Polish and English language. The PNA offers courses which focus on practical skills and competence. The PNA students acquire both, practical and social skills with the aid of a broad range of simulators, training simulators, multimedia rooms, and dedicated training courses developed in collaboration with a career adviser and the Academic Career Office. Some of their offered courses are:
- Homeland Security,
- International Relations,
- Maritime Security,
- National Security,
- Hydrography and Navigation,
- Automatics and Robotics,
- Mechanical Engineering and Machine Building,
- Mechatronics,
- Military Pedagogy,
- Information Systems in Security,
- Space and Satellite Technologies (intercollegiate course run in cooperation of Gdańsk University of Technology and Maritime Academy of Gdynia).
The PNA provides the opportunity to obtain a doctoral degree (including attendance in doctoral studies) in the field of:
- Technical sciences (geodesy and cartography),
- Technical sciences (construction and exploitation of machinery),
- Social sciences in the area of security science(military science).[2]
Military studies and the recruitment process
Military studies are conducted in five areas of study:
- Navigation,
- Informatics,
- Mechanical Engineering,
- Mechatronics,
- Information Systems in Security.
Attending professional defense programs students are trained to serve as commissioned officers in the Polish Armed Forces, mostly in the Navy. The recruitment process for military studies is in the form of competition. In addition to the results obtained on the end-of high school examinations, physical fitness test results as well as interviews are taken into account.
References
- ^ a b amw.gdynia.pl
- ^ a b "Polish Naval Academy in Gdynia". Studies in Poland. Retrieved 28 April 2015.
- ^ "About Academy". Eunaweb. Retrieved 28 April 2015.
- ^ "Polish Naval Academy (PNA)". Chemsea. Retrieved 28 April 2015.
- ^ "Polish Naval Academy". Go Poland. Retrieved 28 April 2015.