Introduction
Rear Admiral David Animle Hansen (17 May 1923 – 28 January 2008) was the first Ghanaian to be appointed Chief of Naval Staff of the Ghana Navy.
Education and training
David Hansen trained at the Eaton Hall Officer Cadet School in the United Kingdom.
Career
On the completion of his training, Hansen was commissioned into the Ghana army. When the Ghana Navy was established on July 29, 1959, its first head was D. A. Foreman, a retired British naval officer who had been granted presidential commission as a Ghana naval officer with the rank of Commodore. David Hansen was later transferred from the army to the navy and appointed as the first Ghanaian Chief of Naval Staff of the Ghana Navy. In addition, he served as an aide-de-camp to President Kwame Nkrumah.
Honours
The Ghana Navy ship GNS Hansen was named after him.