WALVIS BAY – The Namibian Navy celebrated turning 15 on 7 October by hosting an open day on Saturday to give the Namibian public a rare glimpse of its operations at the coast.
This was much to the delight of young and old who visited the naval base at Walvis Bay to experience first-hand and learn about the operations of the navy, its capabilities and assets.
Enthusiastic youngsters said the visit to the naval base was indeed memorable with some of them even considering to join it in the near future.
Visitors were also treated to a demonstration by the Marines, a unit whose role is to provide naval infantry, amphibious, diving and small boat capability to the navy.
The history of the Namibian Navy started in 1994, when the agreement on naval cooperation between Brazil and Namibia was signed. The agreement provides for the training of both officers and ratings in different fields.
The base was inaugurated in 2012 though its building was completed in 2004. It is officially known as the Naval Base Captain PN Sacharia.
The base has a 200-metre jetty.
The main aim of the navy is to defend Namibia’s territorial waters, conduct naval operations in defence of the Republic of Namibia and conduct operations other than war in support of national interests.