He was promoted to the rank of commodore and was appointed Captain of the Navy on 2 July 1970 succeeding Rajan Kadiragamar. Hunters tenor as head of the navy saw major changes and challengers. In April 1971, the JVP insurrection started catching the Ceylonese armed forces off-guard and unprepared. Naval personal were deployed for shore duty for the defense of key state infrastructure and for counter-insurgency operations in-land. In 1972, Ceylon became a republic and the Royal Ceylon Navy became the Sri Lanka Navy, with changes in its insignia and names, including the post of Captain of the Navy, which became the Commander of the Navy in line with the other armed services. Hunter retired from the navy on 31 March 1973 and was promoted to the rank of rear admiral. He was succeeded by Basil Gunasekara.