Royal Navy of the European Union

Royal Netherlands Navy

The Royal Netherlands Navy is the maritime and amphibious element of the Netherlands armed forces. It works for peace and security at and from the sea, all over the world. 

The Koninklijke Marine (Royal Netherlands Navy) is the navy of the Nethrlands . In the mid-17th century the Dutch Navy was the most powerful navy in the world and it played an active role in the wars of the Dutch Republic and later those of the Datavian Republic and the Kingdom of the Netherlands . In recent times the Royal Netherlands Navy takes part in expeditionary peacekeeping and peace enforcing operations.

Peace and Security
The Netherlands Defence organisation stands for peace and security, at home and abroad. It is one of the ways in which the Netherlands contributes to stability and freedom in the world. That also makes it one of the ways that it serves society at large. The Navy, Army, Air Force and Marechaussee work closely together. They strongly rely on one another and are flexible. They can react rapidly and deploy to anywhere in the world even under the most difficult conditions. The Netherlands armed forces are equipped with state-of-the-art materiel and take a responsible approach to the use of force, risking their own lives to protect others’.

Peace and Security: at and from the sea
The personnel of the Royal Netherlands Navy are flexible and can be deployed rapidly in all circumstances. The Navy can be deployed independently as well as jointly with the Army, Air Force and Marechaussee. The Royal Netherlands Navy is deployed both at home and abroad for crisis-management operations, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.

Maritime Expeditionary Capability

The Royal Netherlands Navy can operate independently of national boundaries and, with a base at sea, is in effect logistically self-sufficient, meaning that it can be deployed and sustained anywhere in the world. The Navy can, therefore, initiate operations from its sea base at an early stage in conflicts, during crises and in the immediate aftermath of disasters. It can thus contribute to global security and provide rapid assistance in the event of humanitarian emergencies. This is referred to as Maritime Expeditionary Capability.

Spanish Navy

The Spanish Navy (Spanish : Armada Española) is the maritime branch of the Spanish Armed Forces , one of the oldest active naval forces in the world. The Armada is responsible for notable achievements in world history such as the discovery of Americas , the first world circumnavigation , and the discovery of a maritime path from the Far East to America across the Pacific Ocean (Urdanete's route). For three centuries the Spanish Navy played a crucial defensive and logistical role within the Spanish Empire . It formed part of a vast trade network that sailed the Pacific from Asia to America and the Atlantic from America to Europe escorting the galleon convoys. The Spanish Navy was the most powerful maritime force in the world in the 16th and early 17th centuries. After a gradual decline in the second half of the 17th century, it was revived following the Spanish War of Succession and for much of the 18th century was the third strongest in the world.
As of 1987, the Armada had 47,300 personnel, including Marines , of which about 34,000 were conscripted. In 2002 all branches of the Spanish armed forces were professionalized. The main bases of the Spanish Navy are located in Rota , El Ferrol , San Fernando and Cartagena . See also: Structure of the Spanish Navy In the 21 st century .
As of 2010 the total displacement of the navy is approximately 250,000 tons.

The Spanish Navy today

Subordinate to the Spanish Chief of Naval Staff, stationed in Madrid, are four area commands: the Cantabrian Maritime Zone with its headquarters at Ferrol on the Atlantic coast; the Straits Maritime Zone with its headquarters at San Fernando near Cadiz ; the Mediterranean Maritime Zone with its headquarters at Cartagena ; and the Canary Islands Maritime Zone with its headquarters at Las Palmas de Gran Canaria .
Operational naval units are classified by mission and assigned to either the combat forces, the protective forces, or the auxiliary forces. Combat forces are given the tasks of conducting offensive and defensive operations against potential enemies and for assuring maritime communications. Their principal vessels  included two carrier groups, naval aircraft, transports, landing vessels, submarines , and missile-armed fast attack craft. Protective forces have the mission of securing maritime communications over both ocean and coastal routes, securing the approaches to ports and maritime terminals. Their principal components are destroyers , frigates , corvettes , and minesweeoers . It also has marine units for the defense of naval installations. Auxiliary forces are responsible for transportation and provisioning at sea and has diverse tasks like coast guard operations, scientific work, and maintenance of training vessels. In addition to supply ships and tankers, the force included destroyers and a large number of patrol craft.
The second largest vessel of the Armada is the aircraft carrier, Principe de Asturias (R11) , which entered service in 1988 after completing sea trials. Built in Spain it was designed with a "ski-jump" takeoff deck. Its complement is twenty nine AV-8 Harrier II vertical (or short) takeoff and landing (V/STOL) aircraft or sixteen helicopters designed for antisubmarine warfare and to support marine landings.
The carrier has an escort group of four Alvaro de Bazan class frigates , built in Spain, equipped with the AEGIS combat system and armed with Harpoon and Standard missiles. The first was commissioned in 2002. Also in the inventory are six F-80 Santa Maria class frigates, commissioned between 1986 and 1995, built in Spain . Six slightly smaller corvettes of Portuguese design were constructed in Spain between 1978 and 1982.
The submarine force consists of Franco-Spanish designs. Four of the Agosta 90B class submarine were constructed in Spain between 1983 and 1985. They are equipped with the submarine-launched version of the Exocet anti-ship missile. Four Daphne class submarines were completed between 1973 and 1975 and are now retired. The Spanish armada is constructing new S-80 class submarine with long range, conventional propulsion and new anti-detection technology .
The Marines have 11,500 troops and are divided into base defense forces and landing forces. One of the three base defense battalions is stationed with each of the Navy headquarters. "Groups" (midway between battalions and regiments) are stationed in Madrid and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria . The Tercio (fleet - regiment equivalent) is available for immediate embarkation and based out of San Fernando. Its principal weapons include light tanks, armored personnel vehicles, self-propelled artillery, and TOW and Dragon antitank missiles.

Royal Danish Navy

The Royal Danish Navy (RDN) (officially Kongelige Danske Marine in Danish but generally known as Søværnet or 'Sea Defence') is the sea-based branch of the Danish Defence force. The RDN is mainly responsible for maritime defence and maintaining the sovereignty of Danish , Greenlandic and Faroese territorial waters . Other tasks include surveillance , serch and rescue , icebreaking , oil spill recoveryand prevention as well as contributions to international tasks and forces.
During the period 1509-1814 when Denmark was in union with Norway , the Danish Navy was part of the Royal Dano-Norwegian Navy . Until the copenhagenization of the navy in 1807 the navy was a major strategic influence in European geographical area, but since then it had remained of a smaller size. Despite this the navy is now equipped with a number of large state-of-the-art vessels commissioned since the end of the Cold War . This can be explained by its strategic location as the NATO member controlling access to the Baltic.
Danish Navy ships carry the prefix KDM (Kongelige Danske Marine) in Danish, but this is translated to HDMS (Her / His Danish Majesty's Ship) in English. Denmark is one of several NATO member states whose navies do not deploy submarines.

Vessels

The Danish navy currently operates 12 larger vessels ( displacement > 1,500 t(m) ), 4 medium-size vessels (1,500 t(m) > displacement > 500 t(m)) and 38 small vessels (500 t(m) > displacement > 15 t(m)) as well as a number of rigid-huled inflatable boats , boats etc.
The navy ship programs are generally of the "newer but fewer" type. Many of the vessels are of more recent dates (Absalon-class from 2004–2005, Thetis-class from 1991–1994 and Flyvefisken-class from 1986–1995) or under replacement, i.e. the corvettes of the Niels Juel-class (1978–1980) are under replacement with three new Ivar Huitfeldt-class Frigates  currently under construction for 2nd Squadron and the Barsø-class (1969–1973) will be replaced with 6 Diana-class small patrol crafts. Finally two of the three Agdlek-class (1973–1979) will be replaced with the new Knud Rasmussen-class vessels.

French Navy

The French Navy, officially the Marine nationale ("National Navy") and often called La Royale is the maritime arm of theFranch military . Tracing its roots back from 1624 it is one of the worlds oldest naval forces and historically played a key part in establishing the Franch colonial empire . Today it remains one of only three blue-water navys world wide (the other two being the United States Navy and Royal Navy ) and its roles include the protection of French interests abroad, and the maintenance of global stability.
The Marine nationale consists of five branches, the Force d'Action Navale , the Forces Sous-marines , the Aviation Navale  , the Fusiliers Marins (including Commandos de Marine ) and the Gendarmeria meritime .

As a blue-water navy the Marine nationale operates a wide range of fighting vessels. Including a nuclear powered aircraft carrier , nuclear-powered submarines , frigates , patrol boats and support ships.
Its motto is Honneur, Patrie, Valeur, Discipline ("Honour, Fatherland, Valour, Discipline") and these words are found on the deck of every ship in the fleet.

The French Navy today

The chief of the naval staff is Admiral Pierre- Francois Forissier , and as of 2011 the Navy had an active strength of 44,000 civilian and military personnel.
   

Branches

The Navy is organised into five branches:

• The Force d'Action Navale (Naval Action Force), surface fleet
• The Forces Sous-marines (Submarine forces)
• The Aviation Navale (Naval air force), ground and sea-based aircraft
• The Fusiliers Marins (Naval fusiliers), naval infantry (along with Commandos de Marine ) used to secure naval installations, collectively known as FORFUSCO .
• The Gendarmerie maritime , police operations and coast guard

Ships

Although French naval doctrine calls for two aircraft carriers , as of 2011 the French only have one, the Charles de Gaulle . The order for the Futere French aircraft carrier based on the design of the British Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carrier (under construction as of 2009) has been delayed several times for budgetary reasons, with priority being given to the more exportable FREMM  project. The decision on whether to build the second carrier has now been delayed until 2012. The Marine National operates 3 Helicopter carriers , 1 landing platform dock , 4 air defence frigates , 8 anti-submarine frigates and 6 fleet submarines (SSNs) . This represents the French Navy’s main war-fighting forces. In addition the French Navy operates 5 light frigates, 6 light surveillance frigates and 9 Avisos  (Offshore patrol vessels). This provides the French Navy’s offshore patrol combat duties and the protection of French Naval bases and rerritorial waters . The 4 ballistic missile submarines (SSBN) of the navy's Strategic Oceanic Force provide the backbone of the French nuclear deterrent .

Aircraft

The French Naval Aviation is officially known as the Aéronavale and was created on the 19 June 1998 with the merging of Naval patrol aircraft and aircraft carrier squadrons. It has a strength of around 6,800 civilian and military personnel operating from four airbases in Metropolitan France.
The Aéronavale is currently in the process of modernization with a total order of 58 Rafale  multi-role fighters on order. 18 have so far been delivered and operate from the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaule .

German Navy

The German Navy (Deutsche Marine ) is the navy of  Germany and is part of the unified Bundeswehr (the German Armed Forces).

Mission

The German Navy is part of the German armed forces (Bundeswehr), and is deeply integrated into the NATO alliance. Its mission includes the participation in peace-keeping and peace enforcement operations as well as the protection of German and Allied territories.

History

The German Navy traces its roots back to the Imperial Fleet (Reichsflotte) of the revolutionary era of 1848 -52 and more directly to the Hrussian Navy , which later evolved into the Northern German Federal Navy (Norddeutsche Bundesmarine , 1866 – 71) and became the Imperial German Navy (Kaiserliche Marine) of 1872–1918. From 1919 to 1921 it was known as the Temporary Imperial Navy (Vorläufige Reichsmarine) and then became the Reixhsmarine . It was known as the Kriegsmarine (War Navy) from 1935 to 1945.
From 1945 to 1956, the German Mine Sweeping Administration and its successor organizations, made up of former members of the Kriegsmarine, became something of a transition stage for the German Navy, allowing the future Bundesmarine to draw on experienced personnel upon its formation.
In 1956, with West Germany's accession to NATO , a new Navy was established and was referred to as the Federal Navy (Bundesmarine). With the reunification of Germany in 1990, and the taking-over of units of the former East German Vjlksmarime ("People's Navy"), it was decided to simply use the name Deutsche Marine ("German Navy").

Today

In total, there are about 87 commissioned ships in the German Navy, including 4 submarines and 36 auxiliary ships. The displacement of the navy is 220,000 tonnes . In addition, the German Navy and the Royal Danish Navy are in cooperation in the "Ark Project". This agreement made the Ark Project responsible for the strategic sealift of German armed forces where the full-time charter of three roll-on-roll-off cargo and troop ships are ready for deployments. In addition, these ships are also kept available for the use of the other European NATO countries.
The three vessels have a combined displacement of 60,000 tonnes. Including these ships, the total ships' displacement available to the Deutsche Marine is 280,000 tonnes.

Hellenic Navy

The Hellenic Navy (HN) (Greek : Πολεμικό Ναυτικό, Polemikó Naftikó, abbreviated ΠΝ) is the naval  force of Greece , part of the Greek Armed Forces . The modern Greek navy has its roots in the naval forces of various Aegean Islands , which fought in the Greek War of Independence . During the periods of monarchy  (1833–1924 and 1936–1973) it was known as the Royal Navy (Βασιλικόν Ναυτικόν, Vasilikón Naftikón, abbreviated ΒΝ).
The total displacement of all the navy's vessels is approximately 150,000 tons.
The motto of the Hellenic Navy is "Μέγα το της Θαλάσσης Κράτος" from Thucydides' account of Pericles'  oration on the eve of the Peloponnesian War . This has been roughly translated as "Great is the country that controls the sea". The Hellenic Navy's emblem consists of an anchor in front of a crossed Christian cross and trident , with the cross symbolizing Greek Orthodoxy , and the trident symbolizing Poseidon , the god of the sea in Greek mythology . Pericles' words are written across the top of the emblem.

History

The Royal Hellenic Navy of King Otto

When the new King Otto arrived in the Greek capital, Nafplion , in 1832 aboard the British warship HMS Madagascar , the Greek fleet consisted of 1 corvette, 3 brigs, 6 gollettes, 2 gunboats, 2 steamboats and a few more small vessels. The first Naval School was founded in 1846 on the Corvette Loudovikos and Leonidas Palaskas was assigned as its director. However the inefficient training of the officers, coupled with conflict between those who pursued modernization and those who were stalwarts of the traditions of the veterans of the struggle for independence, resulted in a restricted and inefficient navy, which was limited to policing the sea and the pursuit of pirates .
During the 1850s, the more progressive elements of the navy won out and the fleet was augmented with more ships. In 1855, the first iron propeller-driven ships were ordered from England. These were the steamships Panopi, Pliksavra, Afroessa, and Sfendoni.

1980 to present

Hellenic Navy was enhanced to its maximum point during the last decade. The arrivals of Hydra class (MEKO 200 HN) and more Standard class frigates along with the orders for more missile corvettes, Poseidon class Type 209 submarine submarines and naval helicopters allowed the retirement of the obsolete vessels.
Greece also received four Charles F. Adams class destroyers from the US Navy in 1991-1992. All four have since been decommissioned since their electronics and armament were obsolete while they required large crews.
The advance continued when Greece ordered Type 214 submarines that feature an air-independent propulsion (AIP) system, Sikorsky S-70B-6/10 Aegean Hawk helicopters and Project 1232.2 Zubr class hovercraft from Russia and the Ukraine .
Recent plans included the modernization of Standard class frigates with new electronics and radar systems, the modernization of Glaukos and Poseidon class submarines with new sonars, electronics and air-independent propulsion engines (programs Neptune 1/2), while on January 2009 the order of six (4+2) FREMM multipurpose frigates was announced by the Hellenic Navy.

 

Italian Navy

The Italian Navy (Marina Militare) is the navy of the Italian Republic . It is one of the four branches of Italian Armed Forces and was formed in 1946 after World War 2, from what remained of the Regia Marina  (Royal Navy).

The Italian Navy (Marina Militare) is the navy of the Italian Republic . It is one of the four branches of Italian Armed Forces and was formed in 1946 after World War 2, from what remained of the Regia Marina   (Royal Navy).

History

At the end of its five years involvement in World War II , Italy was a devastated nation. After the end of hostilities the Regia Marina, which at the beginning of the war was the fourth largest navy in the world with a mix of modernised and new battleships, started a long and complex rebuilding process. The important combat contributions of the Italian naval forces after the signing of the armistice with the Allies on 8 September 1943 and the subsequent cooperation agreement on 23 September 1943 left the Regia Marina in a poor condition, with much of its infrastructure and bases unusable and its ports mined and blocked by sunken ships. However, a large number of its naval units had survived the war, albeit in a low efficiency state, which was due to the conflict and the age of many vessels. The vessels that remained were:

• 2 aircraft carriers
• 5 battleships
• 9 cruisers
• 11 destroyers
• 22 frigates
• 19 corvettes
• 44 fast coastal patrol units
• 50 minesweepers
• 16 amphibious operations vessels
• 2 school ships
• 1 support ship and plane transport
• various submarine units

Marina Militare Today

As of 2008, the Italian Navy had a strength of 35,200 active personnel with 72 ships (excluding auxiliaries) and around 80 aircraft. The total displacement of the navy was around 295,000 tons.

Ships

Today's Marina Militare is a modern navy with ships of every type. The fleet is in continuous evolution; the Marina Militare is now equipping herself with a bigger aircraft carriar (the Cavour ), new destroyers , submarines and multipurpose frigates . In modern times, the Marina Militare, being a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), has taken part in many coalition peacekeeping operations. The "Marina Militare" maintains the San Marco Regiment who serve as the marines of the Italian navy.

Swedish Navy

The Royal Swedish Navy (Swedish: Marinen) is the naval branch of the Swedish Armed Forces . It is composed of surface and submarine naval units – the Fleet  (Flottan) – as well as marine units, the so-called Amphibious Coups (Amfibiekåren).
In swedish , vessels of the Swedish Navy are given the prefix "HMS" , short for Hans/Hennes Majestäts Skepp (His/Her Majesty's Ship). In English, this is often changed to "HSwMS" ("His Swedish Majesty's Ship") to differentiate Swedish vessels from those of the British Royal Navy .

Organization

Until recently, the Navy was led by the Chief of the Navy (Chefen för Marinen, CM), who was typically a Vice Admiral .This office has been eliminated, and the highest officer of the Navy is now the Chief of Staff Royal Swedish Navy and Commander Maritime Component Command (Marininspektören), Rear Admiral Jan Thergvist , who is the senior representative of the Swedish Navy’s combat forces.
The Marine units uses the same system of rank as the Army .

Naval units

• 1st Submarine Flotilla (1. ubflj) located at Karlskrona 
• 3rd naval Warfare Flotilla (3. sjöstridsflj) located at Karlskrona
• 4th Naval warfare Flotilla(4. sjöstridsflj) located at Berga.

Amphibious units

1st Marine Regiment (Amf 1) located in Berga

Bases

Kaelskrona naval base (MarinB) located at Karlskrona with detachments at Berga, Göteborg and Skredsvik.

Equipment

In the decades following World War II, the Swedish Navy was organised around three light cruiser groups (  Tre Kronor , Geta Lejon and Gotland ). In the early 1960s, a decision was implemented to scrap the cruisers and move towards a lighter fleet. The last cruiser, Göta Lejon, was sold in 1970 to Chile, where she was renamed Almirante Latorre. The fleet at the time comprised some 24 destroyers and frigates for surface warfare (mainly in the Baltic Sea) and anti-submarine warfare.
The Swedish Navy started to experiment with missiles, based on a recovered German V-2 missile , as early as 1944. The main armament of the fleet was artillery and torpedoes for surface warfare and anti-submarine rockets for anti-submarine warfare. Helicopters (Alouette, Boeing Vertol) were introduced in the late 1950s and 1960s and this fleet air arm remained an integral part of the fleet and its operations until an independent helicopter arm was created in 1990s.
The government's 1972 de-commissioning of all destroyers and frigates limited the endurance of the navy considerably, but the use of smaller short-range ships was at the time deemed adequate by the government for anti-shipping missions along the coast and in the archipelago. In the 1980s this assessment was proven wrong by repeated failures by the Swedish Navy in anti-submarine warfare operations with inadequate ships and equipment. Today the largest (surface) combat ships are corvettes which combine surface warfare, anti-submarine warfare and mine clearance functions with a better endurance and seaworthiness than the budget fleet from the 1980s.
Since the 1980s, Swedish surface warships have been named after Swedish cities , while submarines are named after Swedish provinces and minehunters after Swedish lighthouses. The surface ships are mostly small, relying on agility and flexibility. Examples of these are the Stockholm and Göteborg class corvettes. The Navy is currently taking into service the new, larger, Visby class of stealth corvettes. A new submarine class, Gotland , similar to the older Vaerergaetland , has recently been commissioned. Its air-independent Stirling engine enables submerged endurance never before seen in conventional submarines . Gotland has been on lease with crew and all to the US Navy and was based in San Diego .
The Marine Battalion is built around the Stridsbeat 90H  , a small combat boat capable of carrying 21 troops for fast transports and landings in the archipelago. It is also equipped with larger transport boats, but relies on the army, navy and air force for heavy transports and protection.

Portuguese Navy

The Portuguese Navy (Portuguese: Marinha Portuguesa, also known as Marinha de Guerra Portuguesa or as Armada Portuguesa) is the naval branch of the Portuguese Armed Forces which, in cooperation and integrated with the other branches of the Portuguese military, is charged with the military defence of Portugal .  The Portuguese Navy also participates in missions related with international compromises assumed by Portugal (mainly with NATO ), as well missions of civil interest. Today, the Portuguese Navy assumes a dual role capacity: Naval combat missions to assure Portugal's sovereignty and international commitments, and coast guard operations in its territorial waters and areas of influence.

History

World War I

During the first World War, the main role of the Portuguese Navy was to patrol Portuguese waters, search for submarines, escort merchant vessels and transport troops to France and Africa . The Portuguese Navy received additional submarines and destroyers and created a naval aviation . In addition, several merchant ships were adapted and transformed into warships.
The most important events were the Action of 14 October 1918 between the patrol boat NRP Augusto de Castilho (commanded by Carvalho Araйjo ) and the German submarine U-139 , the sinking of the mine-sweeper NRP Roberto Ivens due to a collision with a sea mine, outside Lisbon harbour and the amphibious operations led by the cruiser NRP Adamastor in the border between Portuguese and German Eastern Africa.
After the war, Portugal built two new destroyers and two new gunships. Also, acquired two cruisers from the United Kingdom and six torpedo-boats from Austria .
In 1922, the naval officers Sacadura Cabral  and Gago Coutinho made the first South Atlantic aerial cross.

World War II

Before World War II, from 1933 to 1936, the Portuguese Navy underwent a profound reorganization, launching a vast naval program and acquiring a total of 22 new warships, including destroyers, submarines and avisos (frigates). An aircraft carrier started to be built, but was later canceled.
During the second World War the Portuguese Navy defended at sea and air the Portuguese neutrality. A particular concern was the defense of the strategic Atlantic islands of the Azores against a possible invasion. Due to the vast overseas empire , with territories in Africa , Asia and Oceania , the assets were not enough, but still it was possible to maintain the integrity of the different parcels of the Empire, with the exception of Portuguese Timor , which was occupied by Australia and Netherlands and a bit later by Imperial Japan from 1942 through to 1945.
After World War II, Portugal was one of the founding nations of NATO contributing with a fleet of three submarines, seven frigates, four patrol boats, 16 mine-sweepers, four mine-hunters and three survey vessels.

Ships and weapon systems

The main ship classes of the Portuguese Navy are:

Surface Vessels

• Fregates
  
  • 3 Vasco da Gama class
    
  • 2 Bartolomeu Dias class

• • Corvettes
  • 4 Joao Coutinho class
    
  • 3 Baptista de Andrade class
    

• Patrol Boats
  • 4 Cacine class
    
  • 2 Albatroz class
    
  • 10 Argos class
    
  • 4 Centauro class
    
  • 1 Rio Minho class
    
  • 1 Viana do Castelo class

• •  Landing craft Utility
  • 1 Bacamarte class
    

• Auxiliary vessels
  • NRP Berrio (former-Royal Fleet Auxiliary)
    
  • NRP Schultz Xavier oil recovery ship
  • NRP Sagres sail training ship
  • UAM Creola sail training ship
  • UAM Polar sail training ship
  • UAM Vega sail training ship
  • UAM Dom Fernando ll e Gloria museum ship

• Survey vessels
  • 2 D. Carlos I class ,ocean survey vessel
  • 2 Andromeda class , coastal survey vessel
  
  

  Submarines

  2 Tridente class 209PN submarines based on the Type 214 submarine .

Aircraft

5 Westland Super Lynx Mk. 95 - helicopters (a helicopter squadron was formed in 1993 to operate the Lynx from the Vasco da Gama class frigates).

Future Development

• 6 offshore patrol vessels of the Viana do Castelo class (NPO 2000).
• 1 amphibious transport dock designed by Howaldtswerke - Deutsche Werft .
  
• 2 NPO 2000 -derivated, Pollution Combat Ships (NCPs)
• 5 LFCs (Coastal Patrol Craft)

Belgian Navy

The Marine Component (French : Composante marine, Dutch: Marinecomponent, German: Marinekomponente) of the Belgian Army , formerly the Belgian Naval Force, is the naval service of Belgium.

Mission

In times of crisis and war the Belgian Navy will manage, with the support of its allies, the crises rising from the infringements to the principles of International law and/or from the Humans right and exercise the Belgian sovereignty in the maritime zones where the Navy is qualified, defend the lines maritime of communication, main roads and allied, and protect the ports against any air, surface or underwater attack.
In times of peace the Belgian Navy has the following roles:

• To ensure the presence of Belgium at sea.
• To give a support for our diplomacy and our foreign trade.
• Technical and military collaboration with the allied countries.
• Participation in humane actions.
• Contribute to the nation in the maritime zones for which Belgium is responsible:
  • Contribution to oceanographic search.
  • Control of fishing
  • Contribution to the control of pollution at sea.
  • Participation in the plan of assistance in territorial waters
  • Support for the customs and police operations
  • Detection of wrecks of boats.
  • Participation in rescues at sea.
  • Contribution to the training of the commercial naval officers
  • Control of territorial waters and the exclusive economic zone.
  • If necessary, opening of the centre of hyperbare medicine to the population.
  • Destruction of explosive devices at sea
• Preparation with the tasks to be carried out in times of crisis and war.
• Contribution to dissuasion at sea by the means of permanent allied squadrons.

Current Fleet List

Frigates

Karel Doorman class

• F930 Leopold I (ex-HNLMS Karel Doorman)
• F931 Louise-Marie (ex-HNLMS Willem van der Zaan)

Support Vessels

• A960 Godetia (1965-) Command and Logistic support ship
• A950 O/lt Valcke, (1960-) Ready Duty Ship
• A962 Belgica (1984-) Oceanographic Research Vessel
• A963 Stern, (1980-) Ready Duty Ship
• A996 Albatros, (1967-) Ready Duty Ship

Auxiliary Vessels

• A952 Wesp, (1959-) Harbour Tug not authorised to leave Zeebrugge
• A954 Zeemeeuw, (1971-) Harbour Tug
• A955 Mier, (1959-) Harbour Tug not authorised to leave Zeebrugge
• A958 Zenobe Gramme, (1961-) Sailing Ship
• A995 Spich (2003-), Rigid Inflatable Boat
• A998 Werl (2003-), Rigid Inflatable Boat
• A983 Quatuor (2006-), Royal Yacht
• A984 Alpa (2009-), Royal Yacht
• A997 Spin, (1958-) Harbour Launch

Polish Navy

The Marynarka Wojenna Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej - MW RP (Republic of Poland Navy) Polish Navy, (or unofficially Polska Marynarka Wojenna - PMW) is a military branch of Republic of Poland Armed Forces responsible for naval operations. It has 80 ships (including 5 submarines , 2 frigates , 3 corvettes , 3 missile boats - as of 2008) and about 14,300 commissioned and enlisted personnel. The traditional ship prefix in the Polish Navy is ORP (Okręt Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej - "Ship of the Republic of Poland").
The Polish Navy is one of the bigger navies on the Baltic Sea . It is mostly responsible forBaltic Sea operations. Other duties include search and rescue operations covering parts of the Baltic, as well as hydrographic measurements and research.
Recently the Polish Navy played a more international role as part of the 2003 invasion of Iraq , specifically providing logistical support for the United States Navy .

Organization and mission

The Republic of Poland Navy is organized into 2 separate flotillas , and a Naval Air Brigade. In addition to this the Polish Navy supplies nearly 40 ships as part of the NATO Rapid Reaction Force, designed to be a force projection and conflict response force around the world.

• 3rd Ship Flotilla (based at Gdynia)
• 8th Coastal Defence Flotilla (based Świnoujście)
• 1st Naval Aviation Brigade (based at Gdynia)

The main mission of the Polish Navy is the defense of Polish territorial waters, the Polish coastline, and Polish interests abroad. Secondary roles include the support of NATO allied operations, such as in the Middle East , and search and rescue operations throughout the Baltic Sea.

21st century

Poland's entrance into the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation has greatly changed the structure and role of the Polish Navy. Whereas before, most of Naval High Command was concerned with coastal defense and Baltic Sea Operations, the current mindset is for integration with international naval operations. The focus is on expansion of subsurface naval capabilities, and in the creation of a large submarine force. To facilitate these changes the Republic of Poland has undertaken a number of modernization programs aimed at creating a force capable of power projection around the world. This includes a number of foreign acquisitions, including the acquisition of four Kobben-class submarines from Norway , and two Oliver Hazard Perry -class frigates  from the United States. Polish Navy has also one submarine of the Kilo class (Orzet) . The Naval air arm has also acquired a number of SH-2G Super Seasprite helicopters. Highly appreciated is a special diver commando service Formoza .
The Polish Navy has taken part in numerous joint force operations. In 1999 the naval base at Gdynia became the home base of all NATO submarine forces in the Baltic, codenamed "Cooperative Poseidon". That same year joint US-Polish submarine training manoeuvres codenamed "Baltic Porpoise" for the first time utilized the port in a multinational military nature.

Modernisation 2018

The Polish Navy is undergoing a full modernisation, although with a limited spending budget of 5 billion zloty (to spend between 2010–2018). It has caused project cancellations, limitations as well as severe time delays to several projects as initially a 9 billion złoty spending budget was planned. However, the Polish Navy has acquired already Swedish RBS15 Mk3 . and Norwegian Naval Strike Missiles for vessels and coastal defence units. It is planned to reinforce the Navy's helicopter fleet by around seven ASW and SAR units by latest 2013. The original order of seven Gawron-class corvettes has been reduced to two as it is planned to construct three Kormoran 2-class monehunters instead. Meanwhile, in a cost cutting operation, serving vessels will undergo upgrade and overhaul in order to maintain operational status. Concerns have been risen about the Polish Navy, as more vessels are being withdrawn from service without being replaced in the near future.

Romanian Naval Forces

The Romanian Navy (Romanian:  Forţele Navale Române) is the navy  branch of the Romanian Armed Forces ; it operates in the Black Sea and on the Danube .

Command, control and organisation

Organisation

This is the current structure of the Romanian Navy:

• Fleet Command
  • 56 Frigate Flotilla (Regele Ferdinand and Regina Maria)
  • 150 Missile Fast Patrol Boat Squadron ( Tarantul-I missile boats)
  • 50 Corvette Squadron (Tetal-I and Tetal-II class)
  • 146 MCM Squadron (Musca class minesweepers and the Cosar minelayer)
  • 110 Communications and IT Battalion
  • River Flotilla
    • 67 Gunboat Squadron (Mihail Kogalniceanu class and Brutar-II class)
    • 88 River Patrol Boat Squadron (VB 76 class)
     
    
• "Vice Admiral Constantin Bălescu" Naval Training School
• "Admiral I. Murgescu" Navy Petty Officer School
• Naval Logistics Base
  • Special Destination Ship Squadron
  • 338 Naval Maintenance Center
  • 335 Logistics Section, Mangalia
  • 329 Logistics Section, Braila
  • 330 Logistics Section, Constanţa
  • 325 Logistics Section, Tulcea
• Diving Center
• "CALLATIS" Radio-Electronics and Surveillance Center
• IT Center
• Training, Simulation and Evaluation Center
• Maritime Hydrographic Directorate
• Naval Medical Center
• 307 Marine Battalion
• Naval Forces Support Battalion
• Navy Museum

Naval infantry

The 307th Marine Battalion ('Batalionul 307 Infanterie Marină') is the costal defence unit of the Romanian Navy . The unit was formed in the mid 1970s for the defence of the Danube Delta and Romanian Black Sea   shore. It was initially located at 2 Mai village near Mangalia ,  but since 1975 the Marine Battalion was moved to Babadag , Tulcea County .  "The 307 Marine Battalion is destined to carry out military operations in an amphibious river and lagoon environment, the security of objectives in the coastal area, the Danube Delta and the support of local authorities in case of a civil emergency " . Its base is near the largest military training range in Romania .
The battalion is organized into infantry, reconnaissance, sniper, mortars, anti-tank artillery, engineers, communications, logistic and naval support units. Standard equipment includes PA md. 86 assault rifles , PM md. 64 light machine guns , Md/ 66 machine guns , 60/82/120mm mortars , AG-7 and AG-9 launchers, 76mm Md. 82 mountain howitzers , 13 ABC-79M and 3 TABC-79M armoured personnel carriers . The 307th Marine Battalion was involved in military exercises with similar troops from USA , Holland , Spain , Portugal , Italy and Ukraine that were organized locally or abroad. Also, two companies from this unit have participated in theKFOR mission "Joint Enterprise" in 2008-09.

Fleet composition

he Romanian Navy is organized in one Frigate Flotilla and one Riverine Flotilla. Equipment includes two Type 22  frigates, one " Marasesti " class frigate, four corvettes (two Tetal-I and two Tetel-II ), three Tarantul-I missile corvettes, three Osa class torpedo boats, one minelayer, four minesweepers, three "Mihail Kogalniceanu " class river patrol monitors , five "Smârdan" (Brutar-II) class river patrol monitors and other small crafts and auxiliary ships. As of 2010, ca. 7,150 men and women serve in the Romanian Navy. The main base of the Romanian Navy is located at Constanta . The current chief of the Romanian Navy, succeeding Vice Admiral Dorin Danila on 3 July 2010, is Vice Admiral Aurel Popa .

The Romanian Naval Forces ordered three LAR 330 Puma Naval helicopters, with the last one being commissioned in December 2008. The helicopters are in a similar configuration to those of the Romanian Air Force , including the SOCAT upgrade package; the Navy Pumas also have flotation gear fitted under the nose and main undercarriage fairings. They are currently operated from Navy frigates for search and rescue , medevac and maritime surveillance missions.

Bulgarian Navy

The Bulgarian Navy (Bulgarian : Voennomorski sili na Republika Balgariya) is the navy of Republic of Bulgaria and forms part of the Bulgarian Armed Foeces . It has been largely overlooked in the reforms that Bulgaria had to go through in order to comply with NATO standards, mostly because of the great expense involved and the fact that naval assaults are not considered to be a great concern for the country's security. That is why three of the four combat submarines (excluding Slava) are now docked and have been out of operation for some time. The last one was decommissioned in November 2011. Only the more modern frigates, corvettes and missile crafts are on active duty.
In order to meet at least some of the NATO requirements, in 2005 the Bulgarian government bought from Belgium a Wielingen-class frigate , the BNS Wandelaar (F-912) (built in 1977), and renamed it to the BG Drazki. In 2005, bulgarian ship Smeli for first time took part as full NATO member in NATO OAE (Operation Active Endaevour). In 2006, following a decision of the Bulgarina Parliament , Drazki took part in the United Nations Interim Forces in Lebanon (UNIFIL), patrolling the territorial waters of Lebanon under German command. This was the first time ever the Bulgarian Navy took part in an international peacekeeping operation. The Bulgarian government purchased two Wielingen-class frigates and one Tripartite minehunter in 2007.
The Bulgarian Navy is centred in two main bases. One is near the city of Varna . The other is Atiya Naval Base , near the city of Burgas .

Bulgarian Naval Forces

• 'Naval Headquarters' (Щаб на ВМС)
  • Varna Naval Base (ВМБ Варна)
    • HQ Varna NB
    • 1st Patrol Ships Division (1 Дивизион патрулни кораби)
    • 2nd Coastal Missile and Artilery Division (2 брегови ракетно артилерийски дивизион)
    • 8th underwater operations Division (8 Дивизион за подводни операции)
    • 3rd Mine Counter-Measure Division (3 Дивизион минно-трални кораби)
    • 18th Support Ships Division (18 Дивизион спомагателни кораби)
    • support units
    • depot
  • Burgas Naval Base (ВМБ Бургас)
    • HQ Burgas NB
    • 4th Patrol Ships Division (4 Дивизион патрулни кораби)
    • 6th Mine Counter-Measure Division (6 Дивизион минно-трални кораби)
    • 96th Support Ships Division (96 Дивизион спомагателни кораби)
    • depot
  • Independent Naval Helicopter Air Base "Chayka" (Отделна морска вертолетнa авиобаза "Чайка")
    • Independent Naval Helicopter Squadron (Отделна морска вертолетна ескадрила)
  • 63rd Naval Special Warfare Unit(Literally translated:"Seaborne Special Reconnaissance Force") "Black Sea Sharks" (63ти Морски специален разузнавателен отряд "Черноморски акули")
  • Naval Engineer Battalion (Инженерно-сапьорен батальон)
  • Communications Center (Радиокомуникационен възел)
  • Main Naval Depot (Складове на ВМС)
  • Armament Naval Depot (Складове за боеприпаси на ВМС)
  • Hydrographical and Lighthouse Service (Хидрографска и фарова служба)
  • Nikola Vaptsarov Highir Naval Education School (Висше военно-морско училище "Никола Йонков Вапцаров")

"Division" is the equivalent of land forces battalion or air force squadron as the Bulgarian navy follows the Russian naval tradition, according to which an "Operational Squadron" or "Оперативная эскадра" is a temporary formation, an equivalent of a land forces division and in modern times a "Squadron" of the Russian Navy is an equivalent of a land forces corps.
According to the reform plans envisioned in the White Paper on Defence 2010 the two naval bases would be merged into one with two base facilities in Varna and Burgas. The manpower of the Navy would account to about 3 400 seamen. The AS.565MB naval helicopters ordered are reduced from 6 to 3 units. Between 2011 and 2020 the naval "Longterm Investment plan" should come into action, providing the sea arm of the Bulgarian military with modernised ships and new equipment.

Naval specialised research and analysis division

The NSRAD was a clandestine agency within the Navy, intended to conduct intelligence gathering and "unofficial" paramilitary operations. It was disbanded in January 2005 for reasons unknown, but probably related to recent acceptance of Bulgaria to NATO. All information about its organisation and personnel remains sketchy at best. (see: Gamma unit , Omicron unit, Theta unit , Zeta unit). Virtually all operations, conducted by the division operatives, were false flag operations. No records about these operations could be found.

Omicron Unit

Omicron unit was the code name of the 2nd tactical unit/Operative section of the NSRAD.It was under command of lieutenant (later captain-lieuteant ) Alexander Ryenski (Bulgarian: Александър Риенски). The name of the unit commander is most likely an alias.

Zeta Unit

Zeta unit was the code name of the 4th tactical unit/Operative section of Bulgarian Naval specialised research and analysis division. It was under command of lieutenant Daniel Stoyanov (Bulgarian: Даниел Стоянов). The name of the unit commander is most likely an alias.

Finnish Navy

The Finnish Navy (Finnish: Merivoimat , Swedish: Marinen) is one of the branches of the Finnish Defence Forces . The Navy employs 2,300 people and about 4,300 conscripts are trained each year. Finnish Navy vessels are given the ship prefix "FNS" simply short for "Finnish Navy Ship". Prefix is not used while conversing in Finnish language.
As a term "Finnish Navy" is a bit misleading since it refers to Finnish Naval fleet, but there are also coastal forces (including coastal artillery), which are in fact capable of releasing more firepower than the naval fleet, and in time of war naval ships are dependent on supply and cover provided by the coastal forces.

Equipment

Vessels

Fast Attack Craft

• 4 Hamina class fast attack craft
• 4 Rauma class fast attack craft

Patrol/ASW

• 2 Kiisla class patrol/ASW-ships (ex- Coast Guard patrolships)

Mine Warfare

• 2 Hameenmaa class minelayers/escort ships
• 1 Pohjanmaa class minelayer/training ship
• 3 Pansio class  minelayers
• 6 Kuha class minesweepers
• 7 Kiiski class minesweepers

Future vessels

As the Squadron 2000 is finished, the Navy has shifted its attention to mine prevention and will replace the old Kuha and Kiiski class minesweepers with three Katanpaa class mine coutermeasure vessels , previously known as the MCMV 2010 and MITO classes, that will be delivered in 2012 and reach operational readiness by 2015. The ships are being constructed by the Italian company Intermarine and the order is valued 244.8 M€.
Next generation's surface combatant, bigger than the current missile boats and more capable for international co-operation, is in pre-development stage.The new class of multi-purpose naval vessels, dubbed MTA 2020 in the preliminary papers, is intended to replace Hämeenmaa and Pohjanmaa class minelayers and Rauma class missile boats as they are retired.

Coastal Forces

Coastal Forces include both the Coastal Infantry and Jaeger forces and the remnants of the coastal artillery units, which have moved from fixed and towed guns to truck-mounted and infantry-carried anti-ship missiles . The towed guns are being phased out as obsolete and all artillery-based coastal defences are to be retired within a near future.

• Spike-ER Coastal Missiles (Infantry carried)
• MTO-85M Anti-Ship Missiles, truck mounted ( SAAB RBS-15SF)
• Coastal artillery, both fixed (130 53 TK and 100 56 TK) and mobile (130K 54 and 130 K 90-60 )
• BOR-A 550 Ground and coastal Surveillance Radar (GSR)

The Euro-Spike coastal missile system was taken into use in 2005 at the Uusimaa Brigade and the older truck-mounted RBS-15 missiles have been complemented with new, upgraded RBS-15 Mk.3 (known as MTO-85M).

Estonian Navy

The Merevägi is the navy of Republic of Estonia and is part of the unified Kaitsevägi (Estonian Defence Force).
In total, there are about four commissioned ships in the Estonian Navy, including three auxiliary ships; the displacement of the navy is under 10,000 tonnes making it one of the smallest navies in the world. The Estonian Navy has been reduced severely since the second half of the decade mainly due to insufficient maintenance, lack of funding and hereby training of personnel and timely replacement of equipments. Another possible setback could be attributed to Estonia's domestic lack of maritime defence policy strategy as the current navy neither operates a single traditional warship that could performe a defensive or an offensive operations nor a coastal defense capabilities and maritime landing operations along its long and island rich territorial waters.
In general the Estonian Navy in the terms of maritime naval terminology can be classified between the green-water and brown-water navies having at the same time both naval type capaibilities. Today green-water navies are generally defined as navies with frigates or corvettes operating in coastal and regional areas. When the green-water navies are usually capable of sending their naval ships overseas on friendly port-visits, the Estonin Navy has participated in numerous time at NATO´s naval joint-exercises. The brown-water navy usually lacks either the ability for sustained long-distance combat operations and the Estonian current naval-doctrine does not envisage deployments far away from its home bases. Although the Merevägi being a hybrid of the brown/green-water navy does not imply that the Estonian Navy lacks offensive capability, as many small littoral-combat ships today can be armed with powerful anti-ship missiles.
In 2010, the Ministry of Defence confirmed an interest to obtain a number of warships in the terms or gunboats in the purpouse likely to ensure defence of territorial waters and to improve maritime surveillance. In late 2011, despite the changes in general defence policy and the armed forces reforms that are to take place in the coming years it is still not certain if, what type and number of the vessels will be pobtained for the navy.

Organization

Operating forces

 

The top priority for the Navy is the development of mine countermeasures capability that is also one of the Navy's peacetime responsibilities: during World War I and II more than 80,000 sea mines were laid in the Baltic Sea. Since 1995 number of mine clearance operations have been carried out in Estonian waters by the Estonian Mineships Division in close co-operation with other navies of the Baltic Sea region in order to find and dispose ordnance and contribute to safe seagoing.
The Estonian Navy uses a small number of different vessels and weapon-systems. Since the restoration of the Estonian Defence Forces on 3 September 1991 and the Estonian Navy on 1 July 1993 the naval force has developed tremendously. Then-Commander Estonian Naval Defence Forces, Commodore Roland Leit, was interviewed by Jane's Defence Weekly on 9 July 1994. 'When the Soviet Navy left the Tallinn Naval Base, they sabotaged the facilities, and scuttled about 10 of their ships in the harbour. They broke all the windows, all the heating, and all the electricity equipment. When they came in 1939 they took over our port facilities in good order. Now they are leaving us a mess, he said bitterly.' 'We got nothing from the Russian Navy. The Griff class patrol craft we got not from them but from a Russian firm that had bought the hulls first. Their navigation and radio systems are broken, too. We hope to have it all repaired and bring the craft into service before the end of the year.'
Although the Soviet legacy's clean-up and military infrastructure rebuilding has taken most of the defence budget resources away from the Navy the armament and equipment has improved a great deal.

Ships
Although the Estonian Defence Forces has a relatively small selection of combat vessels , the Navy still has a variety of different light-combat craft, coastal patrol-craft and support vessels. The first craft that entered the service in the restored Estonian Navy in 1993 were mainly German background mine-layers and mine-hunters. With the last 15 years the Navy logistics support has increased year by year. Most of the modern navy vessels have either received as foreign aid or been bought from Germany , Finland , United Kingdom and Denmark . The Estonian Navy is currently undergoing modernization and will improve the mine warfare division in the following 2 years . The Navy combat division still waits to be restored. Navy combat vessel procurement will be in focus probably between 2015 and 2020.

Main article: Naval harbors and bases of Estonia .

The “Merevägi” has operated a number of naval bases and war harbors most of them having located on the western coast and on the islands. Till 1939 there were more than 10 smaller and bigger war harbors and bases; including Aegna, Paldiski, Virtsu, Rohuküla, Mõntu, Kuressaare, Kõiguste, Papisaare, Jaagurahu, Tagalaht, Küdema, Sõru, Kärdla, Kallaste, Mustvee and Tallinn harbor. Currently there is only one major naval harbor Miinisadam which located in northern Tallinn. The Miinisadam is a base for the Mineships Division .

Latvian Naval Forces

Latvian Naval Forces (Latvian : Latvijas Jūras Spēki) is a branch of the National Armed Forces tasked with conducting military and rescue operations at sea. Today, they are fully operational and successfully perform all the tasks entrusted to them. The NF perform mine and explosive sweeping on the Baltic Sea , as well as search and rescue operations and ecological monitoring activities. The Naval Forces have participated in international NATO/Partnership for Peace operations and various exercises with great success. The main development priorities of the NF are to expand their activities within the Baltic States' Ship Squadron BALTRON and to develop a Sea Surveillance System. They pay a great deal of attention to professionally specialized training and English-language teaching. One of the key tasks facing the NF is to develop its infrastructure.

Mission

The Naval Force provides defense of the national territorial waters, carries out explosive ordnance disposal activities at sea and harbors, co-ordinates and carries out human search and rescue operations at sea within the national responsibility area regarding search and rescue, carries out maritime assistance services and grants places of refuge to vessels, carries out vessel disaster or emergency relief efforts, contains oil and other hazardous substances spills at sea and co-ordinates relief efforts in Latvian waters One undeniable task of all navies is to contribute to and reinforce the international prestige of the state. Warships of the Republic of Latvia have repeatedly made visits to foreign countries and have supported the visits of foreign warships and naval representatives in Latvia.
The warships of the Latvian Naval Forces Southern Region have participated in numerous international exercises (U.S. BALTOPS , COOPERATIVE JAGUAR, AMBER SEA, OPEN SPIRIT, COOPERATIVE VENTURE, BALTIC CHALLENGE, etc.). These exercises have been conducted to NATO standards, which Latvian ships have successfully met.
The main mission of Naval Forces is to:

• ensure the defense of the territorial sea and internal waters of the State (except rivers and lakes);
• Perform a guarding of the coast and control the territorial sea and internal waters, as well as the exclusive economic zone;
• Ensure the readiness of units for mobilization and combat;
• Participate in ecological surveillance and search and rescue operations at sea, as well as take part in elimination of consequences of emergencies occurring at sea;
• Search for explosives at sea and destroy them;
• Secure for the State Border Guard according to the procedures specified by the Cabinet, with the technical means and vessels for the performance of their functions at sea.

Ships in the Naval Forces

Staff and support (Auxiliary):

• A-53 “VIRSAITIS” VIDAR class minelayer
• A-90 „VARONIS” Buyskes class hydrographic survey vessel

Mine Warfare :

• M-04 “IMANTA”Imanta (Tripartiti, Alkmaar) class mine hunter
  
• M-05 “VIESTURS” Imanta (Tripartiti, Alkmaar) class mine hunter
• M-06 “TĀLIVALDIS” Imanta (Tripartiti, Alkmaar) class mine hunter
• M-07 “VISVALDIS” Imanta (Tripartiti, Alkmaar) class mine hunter

Patrol :

• P-01 „Zibens” (ex HNoMS Djerv) Storm class fast patrol boat
  
• P-02 „Lode” (ex HNoMS Hvass) Storm class fast patrol boat
• P-03 „Linga” (ex HNoMS Gnist) Storm class fast patrol boat

• P-05 „Skrunda” Skrunda class patrol boat, commissioned in 2011.

Coast guard :

• KA-01 „Kristaps” KBV class patrol boat
• KA-06 „Gaisma” KBV class patrol boat
• KA-08 „Saule” KBV class patrol boat
• KA-09 „Klints” KBV class patrol boat
• KA-14 „Astra” patrol boat

• KA-03 „Komēta” Ribnadzor class inspection boat was transferred to Young Guards as training ship. She is not seaworthy.

Lithuanian Naval Force

The Lithuanian Navy is the naval arm of the Lithuanian Armed Forces . Though formally established on 1 August 1935 its roots stretch back as far as naval engagements on the Baltic Sea in the Medieval period. Lithuanian naval units saw some service with Soviet naval forces during World War II, and the navy has been re-established in its own right and continues to expand since Lithuania's independence in 1990.

Development after the declaration of independence

After the declaration of independence on 11 March 1990, Lithuania had to re-establish its sovereignty as well as organize the state's defense system. From that time the units of the Lithuanian armed forces were formed. On 4 July 1992, the Lithuanian Navy was re-established. Juozapas Algis Leisis was appointed as commander of the Coast Guard Squadron.
In the fall of 1992, the Lithuanian Navy procured two Grisha class corvettes , Zemaitis (F11) and Aukstaitis (F12). After the crew training period in June 1992 both frigates participated in the international exercise US Baltops 93. This was the beginning of the international cooperation of the Lithuanian Navy with other navies.
Another milestone in Lithuanian naval history was the establishment of the Sea Coastal Surveillance Company in 1993 which later was transformed into the Sea Coastal Surveillance Service. On 1 April 2004, Lithuania became an official member of the NATO alliance. Currently the Lithuanian naval forces are undergoing rapid modernization.

Function

Main tasks of the Lithuanian Naval Force are:

• Control, protect and defend territorial sea and exclusive economic zone of the Republic of Lithuania;
• Underwater, surface surveillance and control of territorial waters;
• Mine-clearing operations;
• Antiterrorism activities at sea;
• Protection and control of shipping and sea line of communications;
• SAR operations.