Nikola Vaptsarov Naval Academy

Nikola Vaptsarov Naval Academy (NVNA) (Bulgarian: Висше Военноморско Училище "Никола Йонков Вапцаров", ВВМУ) is the oldest technical educational institution in the Republic of Bulgaria. Its history, past and present achievements establish the institution as the most prestigious centre for training maritime (merchant marine and Navy) specialists in the country. Its development over the years resembles a navigable river, into which many tributaries flow, as well as the "prototypes" of the present-day faculties, departments, and vocational colleges constituting the Nikola Vaptsarov Naval Academy.

The foundations of maritime education in this country were laid in the city of Ruse pursuant to Circular order No.7/January 16, 1881 of the Ministry of War of the Principality of Bulgaria. The circular order announced the establishment of a Maritime School, as of January 9, 1881.

Lieutenant commander Alexander Egorovich Konkevich, the founder of the institution, was the "Superintendent" of the Fleet and the Maritime Unit (the official name of the Bulgarian Navy in the 19th century).

Early years (1881–1919)

The Maritime School was entrusted with the task to train machinists and stokers for the Navy of the principality. After 1883, official documents refer to the school as "Machine School", "Technical School", "Machine Class", but it did not change its status and continued to successfully train technical specialists for the Fleet and the Navy. In 1885, graduates of the school fought in the Serbo-Bulgarian War and two of them received awards for their gallantry. Under the influence of the reforms of the Minister of Education Georgi Zhivkov, the last decade of the 19th century is characterized by the development of educational institutions in Bulgaria. This process also affected many aspects of the maritime education. As a result, in 1892 the school was reorganized and renamed Petty officer Naval School which trained boatswains, ratings, artillerymen, miners and machinist mates. That same year the first diploma of the naval Alma mater preserved for posterity was awarded.

In 1893, the first Temporary Course in Naval Sciences for training of line officers was organized in the city of Ruse. Insofar as the Maritime School of 1881 was not only the start of the Naval Academy, but also a prototype of the modern Engineering Faculty and most departments in it. The Temporary Officer Course of 1893 was a prototype of the modern Navigation Faculty, as well as departments in it such as Naval Tactics Department, Navigation and Fleet And Ports Operation. In fact, the organization of the "Temporary Course" marks the beginning of the historical development of the educational structures training navigational specialists in this country.

The course trained officers, graduates of the Military School in Sofia, to acquire naval qualifications, as well as Bulgarian graduates of foreign naval schools who for some reason did not manage to graduate abroad. The participants in the Temporary Officer Course passed and exam and were awarded the qualifications of naval officers.

At the turn of the 20th century, the Sub-officer Maritime School made a new step forward. In 1900 it was headed by lieutenant Todor Solarov. It was during his time in office that the institution was moved to the city of Varna and renamed Engineering School to the Fleet. Todor Solarov justified the need for more thorough training of its graduates, as a result of which in 1904, with an act of the National Parliament, it became the first technical secondary school in the country and the duration of training was extended to six years. In 1906 the school issued the first matriculation certificates. In 1910, the first building specially designed and erected for the needs of the Engineering School to His Majesty's Fleet was built in Varna.

The establishment of the present name

In the period 1919–1920, the officer training course was not only successfully conducted but also the first graduates, pursuant to Decree of the Council of Ministers No. 6/ June 1, 1920, were issued a certificate for completed higher specialized naval education "following the full curriculum of the Maritime Corps in St. Petersburg". Diplomas of higher education were also issued to the participants in the preceding courses. Later the curriculum of this structure was significantly improved. In 1925 and 1928, based on the accumulated experience, two Shipmaster courses were formed, after taking which the trainees, after many years of theoretical and practical training, were issued diplomas for completed higher specialized naval education. Later some of them became prominent members of the Maritime Police Service (the official title under which the Bulgarian Navy existed under the terms of the Treaty of Neuilly-sur-Seine) and "master mariners" at the Bulgarian Commercial Shipping Company (the predecessor of Navigation Maritime Bulgare LTD)

Under the terms of the peace treaty of Neuilly-sur-Seine, in the spring of 1921, His Majesty's navy was disbanded. But a year earlier, the Engineering School was no longer subordinate to the War Ministry and was renamed Marine Engineering School. Practical parts of the training were conducted in the arsenals, on board ships, in electrical engineering classrooms, in telephone exchanges, in radio transmitter rooms, in power plants, in railway depots and workshops, on board the destroyers, in Bozhurishte, in the mines in Pernik and many other places. For a time the school was subordinate to the Ministry of Industry and Labour, and later – to the Ministry of Railways, Communications and Ports. Graduates could continue their studies in all tertiary technical institutions.

Practically, immediately after the end of the First World War, the Steersman School (unit), part of the Maritime Special Schools, was separated and transformed into Fisherman School, which existed until April 1, 1934.

In 1929, the status of the Marine Engineering School was set out in a special law and it was renamed Maritime School. Two years later a Seagoing Department was created, which was tasked with training watch officers for the merchant marine. The officers of the Maritime Police Service were trained partly in the Maritime School in Varna and graduated from the Military School in Sofia. The college in Sofia, which later became a tertiary institution in 1923, issued their diplomas insofar as an officer needs to have college education and under the terms of the Treaty of Neuilly-sur-Seine Bulgaria was allowed to have only one military college.

Present days and activities

A special page in the history of the naval Alma mater is the training of foreign cadets, an objective criteria for the increased international prestige of the educational institution. The beginning was in 1953 when some Czech students and Albanian cadets were admitted. By 1994, a total of 141 foreigners from eleven countries on four continents received their college diplomas from N. Y. Vaptsarov Naval Academy.

In 1954, the school moved into its present facility on 73, Vasil Drumev Street. With a Decree of the Presidium of the National Assembly of 1956, it received the status of higher engineering maritime school and was renamed N. Y. Vaptsarov People's Higher Naval School. In 1960, it was entered in the registers of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to UN, which recognized its diplomas before all ship owners in the world.

In 1968, an additional floor was added to the main building on campus. Since 1991, the school's name has been Nikola Vaptsarov Naval Academy. In 2000, the Naval Academy was entered in IMO's White List as an approved provider of maritime education and training, conforming to the STCW 78/95. In 2001, with a decision of the National Agency for Assessment and Accreditation to the Council of Ministers, it received full accreditation as a university, in accordance with the new Law on Higher Education. In 2000, it received an ISO 9002.4 quality certificate for the discipline "Navigation" from the Lloyd's Register, and in 2004 – ISO 9001-2000 for all disciplines. In September 2007, at the request of the Defence Minister and with an order of the Minister for Education and Science of Republic of Bulgaria, the Professional Petty Officer College to the Nikola Vaptsarov Naval Academy in Varna was founded.

Nowadays, the academy continues to train officers for the Bulgarian Navy and the Merchant Marine according to world-acknowledged standards. Bulgarian Naval officers are prepared for their duty at sea and they take part in many exercises in close cooperation with NATO ships. Graduating officers for the merchant fleet find their professional career as captains and ship power-plant engineers in foreign countries such as the US, England, Japan, France, Germany, Norway, Italy, Greece, Israel, Turkey, Philippines, etc. During their years at the academy, sea-going students and cadets engage in rowing, swimming and sailing training as well as boat steering. They also do double duties in different roles during the practice on board the Navy ships and Merchant vessels. At the end of the educational process they practice as third officer. Additionally, there are series of naval exercises and sailing competitions that sea-going students and cadets can take part in.

Эх сурвалж: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)