Indian Naval Academy

The Indian Naval Academy is the initial officer training establishment of the Indian Navy and the Indian Coast Guard, located in Ezhimala, Kannur district, Kerala. Situated between Mount Dilli and the Kavvayi backwaters, INA has a 7 kilometre beach front on the Arabian Sea. It conducts basic training for all officers inducted into the Indian Navy and Indian Coast Guard. It is the largest naval academy in Asia.The Naval Academy was established in May 1969, while its Ezhimala campus was inaugurated on 8 January 2009 and the name changed to Indian Naval Academy. It shares the 2452acre site with the naval base depot, INS Zamorin, and the naval hospital, INHS Navjivani.HistoryBackgroundBefore independence, officer cadets of the Royal Indian Navy were trained in the United Kingdom with the Royal Navy. Cadets underwent four years of training in Dartmouth and were commissioned as Sub Lieutenants upon their return. In 1949, the officer training for the Navy began at the interim Joint Services Wing (JSW) of the Armed Forces Academy. The National Defence Academy (NDA) was established in 1954 as the Joint Services academy of the Indian Armed Forces.By 1968, the Navy realised that the NDA could not keep up with its expanding staffing requirements. It also needed additional space and facilities to impart advanced maritime skills to officers and sailors. In May 1969, the Indian Naval Academy was established in Cochin to consolidate facilities for naval training.