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{{Infobox military person<br />
|honorific_prefix = [[Admiral (Sri Lanka)|Admiral]] [[Deshamanya]]<br />
|name=Basil Gunasekara<br />
|birth_date= {{birth date and age|1929|05|07|df=y}}<ref name="chart"/><br />
|birth_place=Katana, [[Ceylon]] <br />
|death_place=<br />
|placeofburial= <br />
|placeofburial_label= Place of burial<br />
|image=<br />
|caption=Admiral Basil Gunasekara<br />
|nickname=<br />
|servicenumber = NRX 0032<ref name="chart">{{cite news|title=Travis Sinniah to have shortest tenure?|url=http://www.srilankamirror.com/news/5106-travis-sinniah-to-have-shortest-tenure|accessdate=25 October 2017|agency=Sri Lanka Mirror|publisher=srilankamirror.com|date=29 September 2022}}</ref><br />
|allegiance= [[Sri Lanka]]<br />
|serviceyears= 1950-1979 <br />
|rank=[[Admiral (Sri Lanka)|Admiral]] <br />
|branch=[[File:Naval Ensign of Sri Lanka.svg|25px]] [[Sri Lanka Navy]] <br />
|commands= [[Commander of the Navy (Sri Lanka)|Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy]] <br />
|unit=<br />
|battles= [[1971 JVP Insurrection (Sri Lanka)|1971 Insurrection]], <br />[[Sri Lankan Civil War]]<br />
|awards=<br />
|laterwork= [[Chairman]], State Development and Construction Corporation, <br /> [[General Manager]], Ceylon Match Company <br />
}}<br />
[[Admiral (Sri Lanka)|Admiral]] [[Deshamanya]] '''D. Basil Gunasekara''' (born 7 May 1929) was the [[Commander of the Navy (Sri Lanka)|Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy]] from 1973 to 1979.<br />
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==Early life and education==<br />
Born to a planter in Katana, Gunasekara 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 [[Royal College, Colombo]] where he was a senior cadet of the Royal College Cadet Contingent, a champion athlete and played Cricket for Royal College.<br />
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==Naval career==<br />
Gunasekara first joined the [[Ceylon Police Force]] as a [[Police Inspector|Sub-Inspector of Police]] on the recommendation of [[Sri Lanka Police#Ranks|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]] to the executive branch 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 (59)|HMS ''Newfoundland'']], [[flagship]] of the [[Royal Navy]]'s [[Eastern Fleet|East Indies Fleet]]. <br />
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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 riots in Sri Lanka|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 [[Anti-submarine warfare|ASW]] at [[RNAS Portland (HMS Osprey)|HMS ''Osprey'']] in [[Portland Harbour|Portland]]. Making [[Lieutenant Commander]] in 1962 and attended [[Defence Services Staff College]], [[Wellington Cantonment|Wellington]] in 1963. He served as an extra [[Aide-de-camp|ADC]] to [[Governor General]] in 1965.<br />
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From 1964 to 1970, he served 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 [[SLNS Gajabahu|HMRCy ''Gajabahu'']] the [[flagship]] 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 (Sri Lanka)|1971 JVP Insurrection]], when naval personnel were deployed for shore duty to help the army and police in suppressing it. In 1972, he became the first Sri Lankan officer to attend the [[National Defence College, India|National Defence College]], [[New Delhi]].<br />
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In 1973 he was appointed as [[Commander of the Navy (Sri Lanka)|Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy]], promoted to [[rear admiral]] and would hold the post for six years retiring in 1979, with the rank of [[vice admiral]]. During this time his [[flag lieutenant]] was [[Lieutenant]] (later [[Admiral of the Fleet]]) [[Wasantha Karannagoda]], who later became the Commander of the Navy. <br />
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==Honors==<br />
During his long career in the navy, he received the [[Republic of Sri Lanka Armed Services Medal]], [[Sri Lanka Navy 25th Anniversary Medal]], [[Ceylon Armed Services Long Service Medal]] and clasp, and the [[Ceylon Armed Services Inauguration Medal]]. He was awarded the title of [[Deshamanya]] by the Sri Lankan government and in 2007 he was promoted to the rank of [[Admiral]] along with 9 other former service commanders.<ref name="promo">[http://sundaytimes.lk/071111/News/news00022.html Former service chiefs promoted]</ref><br />
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<div class="center"><br />
[[File:Republic of Sri Lanka Armed Services ribbon bar.svg|110px]]<br />
[[File:Sri Lanka Navy 25th Anniversary Medal ribbon bar.svg|110px]]<br />
[[File:Ceylon Armed Services Long Service Medal ribbon bar.svg|110px]]<br />
[[File:Ceylon Armed Services Inauguration Medal ribbon bar.svg|110px]]<br />
</div><br />
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==Later life==<br />
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. He was the president of the Association of Flag Rank Officers (ARFRO).<br />
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==Family==<br />
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 Gunasekara joined the navy and went on to achieve the rank of [[commander]] before retiring after 20 years of service.<br />
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==See also==<br />
*[[Sri Lanka Navy]]<br />
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==References==<br />
{{reflist}}<br />
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==External links==<br />
*[http://www.navy.lk Sri Lanka Navy]<br />
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20071116104129/http://www.navy.lk/index.php?id=36 Admiral D.B. Goonesekara, ndc, psc - Sri Lanka Navy]<br />
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20110604200244/http://www.dailynews.lk/2006/12/02/spice01.asp Basil Gunasekara: First post-war Commander of the Navy]<br />
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{{s-start}}<br />
{{s-mil}}<br />
{{succession box <br />
| title=[[Commander of the Navy (Sri Lanka)|Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy]]<br />
| before=[[D. V. Hunter]]<br />
| after=[[Henry Perera]]<br />
| years= 1973-1979 }}<br />
{{s-end}}<br />
<br />
{{Commanders of the Sri Lankan Navy}}<br />
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<br />
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gunasekara, Basil}}<br />
[[Category:1929 births]]<br />
[[Category:Commanders of the Navy (Sri Lanka)]]<br />
[[Category:Deshamanya]]<br />
[[Category:Sri Lankan admirals]]<br />
[[Category:Alumni of Mahinda College]]<br />
[[Category:Alumni of Royal College, Colombo]]<br />
[[Category:Graduates of the Royal Naval College, Greenwich]]<br />
[[Category:National Defence College, India alumni]]<br />
[[Category:Living people]]<br />
[[Category:Sinhalese military personnel]]<br />
[[Category:Sinhalese police officers]]</div>Bot