Polish Naval Academy swears in 114 cadets as an intake of 185 begins officer training

The Polish Naval Academy of the Heroes of Westerplatte in Gdynia held its military oath ceremony on 19 September, with 114 first-year officer cadets serving in voluntary basic military service taking the oath on the academy's parade ground. The full intake starting at the academy this year numbers 185. It is the group that will enter service while the Polish Navy takes delivery of new frigates, a submarine rescue ship and, later, new submarines.

Kamil Kusier executive editor 21.09.2026, 09:24 Reading time: 4 min

Naval Academy cadets in navy uniforms and berets hold rifles with bayonets in formation on a parade square before a building — fot. Krzysztof Miłosz / Akademia Marynarki Wojennej

In brief

The Polish Naval Academy in Gdynia swore in 114 first-year cadets on 19 September, out of an intake of 185 people. The Polish Naval Academy admitted 162 soldiers to five-year master's studies and 23 to a twelve-month officer course. Academy rector-commandant Rear Admiral (lower half) Tomasz Szubrycht named 30 September as the start of the academic year. Officer course graduates will be commissioned in a year and students in five years, as the Polish Navy receives ships from the Miecznik, Ratownik and Orka programmes.

Two routes to a commission

The intake is split between two very different paths. Of the 185, 162 have been admitted to five-year master's degree programmes and 23 to a twelve-month officer course. Among those who completed basic training, 64 had previously served in other military units and had already taken the oath there, so they did not repeat it in Gdynia.

Rear Admiral Prof. Tomasz Szubrycht, Rector-Commandant of the academy, compared the two routes to a sporting contest. In his account, the officer course candidates are sprinters, expected to become officers after twelve months of intensive training, while the master's students are long-distance runners.

Rear Admiral Prof. Tomasz Szubrycht said that taking the oath marks the beginning of the road to the rank of second lieutenant in the Polish Navy, that the end of basic training and the candidates' cruise ahead of them are only the warm-up, that the real start comes on 30 September and that the finish line is commissioning.

Training at Ustka and the road ahead

The cadets completed their basic training at the Polish Navy Training Centre in Ustka. Rear Admiral Prof. Tomasz Szubrycht thanked the centre's commandant for the conditions provided during training and reminded the cadets that the words of the oath bind them for life. The next stage is the candidates' cruise, followed by the start of the academic year.

The ceremony was commanded by Commander Sławomir Dorotyn, Vice-Rector for Military Affairs, who reported to the Rector-Commandant before the national flag was raised and the national anthem played. Navy chaplains gave a blessing to the cadets after the oath.

A message from the defence ministry

A letter from Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defence Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz was read by Prof. Leszek Wieczorek, Deputy Director of the Ministry of National Defence's Department of Military Education. It said that the first weeks of training demand not only physical fitness but also teamwork and a readiness to build the attitude of a future officer, and that the academy holds a particular place in the military education system because it trains the people who will shape Poland's maritime security.

Prof. Leszek Wieczorek described the oath as one of the first moments in which a soldier feels the weight and meaning of the uniform, and said the words of the oath become a personal commitment that will accompany the cadets through their studies, training and future service.

The ceremony was also attended by Rear Admiral Andrzej Ogrodnik, Commander of the 3rd Ship Flotilla, the formation in which many of the academy's graduates begin their careers. Officer Cadet Hubert Czecholiński spoke on behalf of the newly sworn-in cadets.

Cadets singled out

The oath on the colours was taken by cadets recognised for their conduct during basic training: Officer Cadet Wiktoria Mazurek, Officer Cadet Jakub Gruszewski, Officer Cadet Szymon Kreft and Officer Cadet Bartosz Kukliński. Letters of congratulation for the best results in basic training went to Officer Cadet Szymon Wojciechowski, Officer Cadet Bartosz Kukliński, Officer Cadet Maksym Sawicki, Officer Cadet Maciej Kwidzyński and Officer Cadet Daniel Sobota, whose parents received roses. Bartosz Kukliński appeared on both lists.

The Polish Navy Representative Band played the Hymn to the Baltic and the Representative Song of the Polish Armed Forces, and the ceremony closed with a march past led by the Polish Navy Representative Company.

An intake timed to the fleet's renewal

The timing of this intake lines up with the Polish Navy's shipbuilding programmes. Officer course graduates are due to be commissioned in a year and master's students in five. Over the same period PGZ Stocznia Wojenna is scheduled to hand over the submarine rescue ship Ratownik in the fourth quarter of 2029, construction of the Miecznik frigates is under way, and in June 2026 Poland signed a contract for three A26 submarines under the Orka programme.

New ships bring new posts, new specialisations and new systems that have to be learned from the ground up. Some of the officers who fill them will come from the intake that took the oath in Gdynia on 19 September.

Source: Gazeta Morska · Compiled by: Kamil Kusier