At just 31, he took command of a tiny post‑colonial navy. By the time he retired at 40, he had built a proud service ready for any challenge.
Now, at 89, he has captured that journey in his first memoir, The Admiral’s Reflections, an engaging tale of grit, vision and service.
It crackles with hard truths, a panoramic view of the nation’s formative years, biting wit and leadership lessons.
Thanabalasingam recounts the delicate balancing act he performed between operational demands and political realities.
A recurring theme is the role of the navy as a national institution and what its relationship is with the nation.
In framing his narrative, the Kuala Lumpur-born, Victoria Institution alumnus, weaves in broader lessons on leadership: integrity, humility, patience and courage.
He enriches his storytelling with personal details, from playful bachelor and school day anecdotes to spontaneous escapades with colleagues.
He never shies from humility: he admits mistakes, reflects on personal doubts and shares quiet moments that shaped him.
In early 1955, Thanabalasingam joined the Royal Malayan Navy as a cadet in Singapore.
That December, he was one of nine Malaysians sent to train at the Britannia Royal Naval College in Dartmouth.
A British instructor who struggled with his full name, Thanabalasingam s/o Karalasingam, nicknamed him “Bob.”
It was common then for Malaysian officers abroad to be assigned English names.
The late army chiefs, Ungku Nazaruddin Ungku Mohamed and Abdul Hamid Bidin earned the monikers “Bruno” and “Mickey” respectively at Sandhurst.
Back home, fresh from colonial hangovers, a young Thanabalasingam, fondly known as Thana, rocketed through the ranks.
In 1967, just before his 31st birthday, he earned four promotions in one year, from lieutenant commander to commodore, culminating in his appointment as chief of naval staff (CNS).
He said: “I doubt anything similar has ever happened anywhere else in the world in peace-time.”
His meteoric rise mirrored that of Sulaiman Sujak in the air force, who at 33, leapt from flight lieutenant to become chief of air staff (CAS).
Both the appointments marked a bold era of youthful leadership in defence.
The decision to Malaysianise the top posts followed Singapore’s 1965 separation and the end of the Indonesia–Malaysia Confrontation in 1966.
Army brigadiers Mohd Sany Abdul Ghaffar and Mazlan Mohd Yunus had declined the CNS and CAS roles respectively, citing lack of naval and air expertise.
Thana and Sulaiman stepped in, cementing Malaysian command of both services, at a time when the nation was grappling with internal and external pressures.
From young maverick to maritime icon
Thana faced communist insurgencies in Peninsular Malaysia and Sarawak, and a tense standoff with the Philippines in 1968.
He navigated the tension with the Philippines when President Ferdinand Marcos ordered an air-sea build-up near Sabah.
When two Philippine aircraft buzzed a RMN patrol craft off Sandakan, prime minister Tunku Abdul Rahman, summoned him to an emergency cabinet meeting.
Thana was then acting chief of the defence forces for five days in the absence of military bigwigs who were attending border talks in Thailand.
His calm presence under pressure earned him a reputation for steely resolve.
He also recognised a critical shortfall at sea while patrolling Malaysia’s waters during the spat with Indonesia that began in 1963.
Indonesia’s 12-nautical-mile territorial claim left Malaysia’s three-mile limit dangerously narrow.
Upon his appointment as CNS, Thana pressed for a bigger sea claim with Abdul Razak Hussein, who was the deputy prime minister and defence minister.
His work led to Malaysia extending its territorial waters from three to twelve miles, a change he still recalls with pride.
Under his nine-year leadership, the navy moved its headquarters from Singapore back to Malaysia.
The young supremo oversaw new bases at Lumut and Kuantan, set up the naval academy, and replaced old ships with missile vessels.
Thana said it took close to 10 years before his idea for a naval air wing began to take shape.
“As for the submarines, it took the government about 26 years after my suggestion in 1976, before orders were finally placed for the first submarines,” he recalled.
Beyond hardware, Thana redesigned the RMN ensign in 1968, replacing the British pennant with a distinctly Malaysian emblem.
Through regional upheavals, from Vietnam’s fall to shifting alliances, he kept Malaysia’s sea defences strong and forward‑thinking.
His memoir interweaves these high-stakes episodes with personal reflection, casting history as a living adventure.
Thana turned every challenge into an opportunity, reminding us that true leadership never retires.
A not so happy retirement
When Razak died in London on Jan 14, 1976, and Hussein Onn took over as prime minister, Thana’s career took a different path.
Hussein offered him an ambassadorial post, a one-off assignment that Thana declined, and stepped into civilian life.
Unlike many peers who moved into high-profile directorships or chaired government-linked companies, he found no official roles.
“I was excluded,” he reflected, yet his legacy remained firmly anchored in national defence, sometimes calling out complacency and bad policy.
He did serve Malaysia again at The Hague, arguing the nation’s case over Pulau Batu Puteh at the International Court of Justice.
By contrast, Sulaiman retired at 42 and later held senior roles at Malaysia Airlines, Bank Negara and HSBC.
Admiral to author
The Admiral’s Reflections was born at the urging of the late Professor Syed Hussein Alatas, former vice-chancellor of the University of Malaya.
“He believed my pre-independence service offered a unique window into our nation’s early days,” Thana said.
After a prostate‑cancer diagnosis in 2004, Thana set pen to paper.
He hopes readers glimpse the unity and goodwill of post‑independence Malaysia and reflect on today’s challenges.
“Looking back,” he said, “can help us chart a better course ahead.”
In his foreword, Mohamed Tawfik Ismail, son of former deputy prime minister Dr Ismail Abdul Rahman, calls the book a vital record of Malaysia’s defence founders.
“There is a dearth of recorded history on our armed forces’ diverse founding fathers,” said Tawfik.
He added that Thana’s opus fills that gap and bridges military, political and academic spheres.
More than a memoir, it is a guide for young officers and any reader seeking inspiration.
To purchase the 492-page, The Admiral’s Reflections, contact 019-261 4948.