[1] Hunter enlisted in the newly formed Ceylon Naval Volunteer Force (CNVF) as a signalman/gunner in the first intake of sailor on 21 October 1938.
Hunter served in all ships of the CNVF and commanded the MFV 185 as it sallied to Akyab taking part in the Burma campaign from 1944 to 1945.
Hunter was promoted to the rank of commodore and was appointed Captain of the Navy on 2 July 1970 succeeding Rajan Kadiragamar.
In April 1971, the JVP insurrection started catching the Ceylonese armed forces off-guard and unprepared.
Naval personnel were deployed for shore duty for the defense of key state infrastructure and for counter-insurgency operations in-land.