Basil Gunasekara Admiral Deshamanya D . Basil Gunasekara , ndc , psc , SLN ( 7 May 1929 - ) was the Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy from 1973 to 1979 . Early life & education . Born to a planter in Katana , Asoka was the youngest child of a family of five members . Educated at Mahinda College , Galle where he was a champion athlete and a member of the senior cricket team and then at the prestigious Royal College , Colombo where he was a senior cadet of the Royal College Cadet Contingent , a champion athlete and played Cricket for Royal College . Gunasekara first joined the Ceylon Police Force as a Sub - Inspector of Police on the recommendation of DIG Sydney de Zoysa , Director of Police Training . However he resigned three years later to join the Royal Ceylon Navy as a direct entry Sub Lieutenant in 1951 and received his training at the Royal Naval College , Greenwich followed by specialized training at Portsmouth and Plymouth . On his return to Ceylon he was assigned to HMS " Newfoundland " , flag ship of the Royal Navy ' s East Indies Fleet . Later he graduate from the Defence Services Staff College , Wellington in 1963 and was the first Sri Lankan officer to attend the National Defence College , New Delhi in 1972 . Naval career . Gunasekara ' s first duty station was as training officer in the Naval Training Establishment at HMCyS " Rangalla " in Diyatalawa . In 1955 he was given his first command of a small base at Talai Mannar . During the 1958 communal riots he was sent to command the HMRCyS " Tissa " in Trincomalee which was the home of the Ceylon ' s Naval Fleet . Thereafter he underwent ASW at HMS " Osprey " in Portland . Making Lieutenant Commander in 1962 and he was an extra ADC to Governor General in 1965 . From 1964 to 1970 as a staff officer at the Naval Headquarters in Colombo before taking up command as the command of shore establishments in Colombo and Jaffna . In 1970 Commander Gunasekara was appointed Captain of HMRCy " Gajabahu " the flag ship of the Royal Ceylon Navy . He became Chief of Staff of the Navy in 1971 and played a major role in during 1971 JVP Insurrection , when naval personal were deployed for shore duty to help the Army and Police in suppressing it . In 1973 he was appointed as Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy , promoted to Rear Admiral and would hold the post for three years retiring in 1979 , with the rank of Vice Admiral . During this time his Flag Lieutenant was Lieutenant ( later Vice Admiral ) Wasantha Karannagoda , who is the current Commander of the Navy . During his long career in the Navy he received the Ceylon Armed Services Long Service Medal and clasp , President ' s Inauguration Medal and the Sri Lanka Navy 25th Anniversary Medal . In 2007 he was promoted to the rank of Admiral along with 9 other former service commanders . Later life . After retirement , he served as General Manager of Ceylon Match Company for 12 years and Chairman , State Development and Construction Corporation for seven years . He was awarded the title of Deshamanya by the President of Sri Lanka for his services rendered to the country . At present he is the President of the Association of Flag rank Officers ( ARFRO ) . Family . Admiral Gunasekara married Clara Nagahawatte , a daughter of a former Mayor of Galle , E . D . Nagahawatta in 1953 and they have four children Sriyanga , Piyal , Kapila and Ranil . Piyal joined the navy and went on to achieve the rank of Commander before retiring after 20 years of service .