Romanian Naval Forces

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Romanian Naval Forces
Forţele Navale Române
The coat of arms and the flag
Founded22 October 1860 as the Flotilla Corps
CountryRomania
Part ofRomanian Armed Forces
Command HQStatul Major al Forţelor NavaleBucharest
Commanders
Commander-in-Chief of the Romanian Naval Forces StaffVice Admiral Aurel Popa
Insignia
Roundel
Naval jack
Military colors

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.

History

Following the end of World War I and the re-purchase of two Mărăşti class destroyers from Italy, the Romanian Government decided to order two more modern destroyers from the Pattison Yard in Naples. The design was based on the British Shakespeare class destroyer leaders, and the two ships became the Regele Ferdinand class destroyers. The guns were supplied by Bofors and the fire control equipment by Siemens.

During World War II, the Royal Romanian Navy (active in Black Sea campaigns (1941–1944)) consisted of four destroyers (two Mărăşti-class, two Regele Ferdinand-class), six fleet torpedo boats, three submarines (Delfinul/The Dolphin, Rechinul/The Shark and Marsuinul/The Sea Hog), five midget submarines (CB class),[3] two minelayers and seven motor torpedo boats.

The two Regele Ferdinand class destroyers were the most powerful surface units available to the Axis powers during the naval war in the Black Sea but were mostly used for convoy escort and in 1944 were used in the evacuation of the Crimea by the Axis. On the capitulation of Romania in August 1944, the two ships were incorporated into the Soviet Black Sea Fleet as the Likhoy (Лихой, ex Ferdinand) and the Letuchiy (Летучий, ex Maria). They were returned in 1951 and served under the numbers D21 and D22 with the Romanian Naval Forces of the Romanian People's Republic until the end of the 1950s.

Current status

Regele Ferdinand frigate is the current flagship of the Romanian Navy.

The Romanian Navy includes three frigates: Mărăşeşti, Regele Ferdinand and Regina Maria. Mărăşeşti used to be the flagship of the Romanian Navy since 1985 until 2004 when Regele Ferdinand (formerly HMS Coventry) became the new flagship. The navy also contains 4 large corvettes as its main force, along with many auxiliary ships and fluvial patrol boats.[4][5]

IAR 330 Puma Naval helicopter

After the restructuring of the Romanian Armed Forces (planned for 2007), ca. 6,800 men and women serve in the Romanian Navy. The main base of the Romanian Navy is located at Constanţa. The current chief of the Romanian Navy, succeeding Vice Admiral Dorin Dănilă on 3 July 2010, is Vice Admiral Aurel Popa.

The Romanian Naval Forces ordered three IAR 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.

The 307th Marine Battalion ('Batalionul 307 Infanterie Marină') is the light infantry/reconnaissance unit of the Romanian Navy.[citation needed] It is located in Babadag, Tulcea County, and it was formed in the mid 1970s for the defence of the Danube Delta and Romanian Black Sea shore. "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."[6] Its base is near the largest military training range in Romania.

File:307 bat..jpg
307th Marine Battalion Insignia

Fleet

Sea Fleet

Mărășești frigate, the former flagship.
Amiral Petre Bărbuneanu (F-260) corvette
Zborul (F-188) and Pescăruşul (F-189) missile corvettes of the Tarantul-I class
Ion C. Brătianu (F-46) river monitor
4K51 Rubezh anti-ship missile launching system at Capu Midia firing range.

Frigates (FFG)

Corvettes (FS)

Missile corvettes (PSO)

  • Zborul (Tarantul-I) class large missile boats:
    • Zborul (F-188)
    • Pescăruşul (F-189)
    • Lăstunul (F-190)

Fast Attack Crafts

  • Năluca (Epitrop) (Romanian-built variant of the Osa class) class torpedo boats:
    • Smeul (F-202)
    • Vijelia (F-204)
    • Vulcanul (F-209)

Mine Warfare

  • Vice-Amiral Ioan Murgescu (Cosar) class minelayers:
    • Vice-Amiral Ioan Murgescu (F-271)
  • Lt. Remus Lepri (Musca) Class Minesweepers:
    • Lt. Remus Lepri (F-24)
    • Lt. Lupu Dinescu (F-25)
    • Lt. Dimitrie Nicolescu (F-29)
    • SLt. Alexandru Axente (F-30)

Auxiliary Ships

  • Vice-Amiral Ioan Murgescu (Cosar) Class MCM Command/Support:
    • Vice-Amiral Constantin Balescu (F-274)
  • Logistic Support Training Ship "Constanta" (F-281)
  • salvage and rescue ships – 5
  • the "Emil Racoviţă" electronic surveillance ship
  • Special Ships Division – 9
  • the Training ship "Mircea"

Decommissioned ships

River Fleet

  • VB 76 class small river patrol monitors – 18

Land equipment

Anti-ship missiles

  • P-20M mobile launching systems;

Ranks and insignia

See also

References

External links