Bulgarian Navy
Encyclopedia
Navy
A navy is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake- or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions...
of Republic of Bulgaria and forms part of the Bulgarian Armed Forces
Military of Bulgaria
The Military of Bulgaria, officially the Bulgarian Army represents the Armed Forces of the Republic of Bulgaria. The Commander-in-Chief is the President of Bulgaria . The Ministry of Defence is in charge of political leadership while military command remains in the hands of the General Staff,...
. It has been largely overlooked in the reforms that Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
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 should be decomissioned at 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
Wielingen class frigate
The Wielingen class is a class of four multi-functional frigates built for the Belgian Navy. The ships are named after sandbanks in the North Sea, not far from the Belgian coast, or sea routes. The lead ship is named after the Wielingen sandbank....
frigate
Frigate
A frigate is any of several types of warship, the term having been used for ships of various sizes and roles over the last few centuries.In the 17th century, the term was used for any warship built for speed and maneuverability, the description often used being "frigate-built"...
, 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 Bulgarian 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
Tripartite class minehunter
The Tripartite class is a class of mine warfare vessel used by the navies of Belgium, France and the Netherlands, as well as Pakistan, Indonesia, Latvia, and Bulgaria.-Description:...
minehunter in 2007.
The Bulgarian Navy is centred in two main bases. One is near the city of Varna
Varna
Varna is the largest city and seaside resort on the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast and third-largest in Bulgaria after Sofia and Plovdiv, with a population of 334,870 inhabitants according to Census 2011...
. The other is Atiya Naval Base, near the city of Burgas
Burgas
-History:During the rule of the Ancient Romans, near Burgas, Debeltum was established as a military colony for veterans by Vespasian. In the Middle Ages, a small fortress called Pyrgos was erected where Burgas is today and was most probably used as a watchtower...
.
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 Higher Naval Education School (Висше военно-морско училище "Никола Йонков Вапцаров")
- Varna Naval Base (ВМБ Варна)
"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 flagFalse flag
False flag operations are covert operations designed to deceive the public in such a way that the operations appear as though they are being carried out by other entities. The name is derived from the military concept of flying false colors; that is flying the flag of a country other than one's own...
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 lieutenantLieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
(later captain-lieutenant) 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.Ships
The Bulgarian navy will modernise three of its Wielingen class frigateWielingen class frigate
The Wielingen class is a class of four multi-functional frigates built for the Belgian Navy. The ships are named after sandbanks in the North Sea, not far from the Belgian coast, or sea routes. The lead ship is named after the Wielingen sandbank....
s by 2014, the frigate
Frigate
A frigate is any of several types of warship, the term having been used for ships of various sizes and roles over the last few centuries.In the 17th century, the term was used for any warship built for speed and maneuverability, the description often used being "frigate-built"...
s will be equipped with landing pads, allowing helicopters to land and take off from from the ships' decks.
| Type | Name | Class | Origin | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frigate | Drazki (41) (Дръзки - Daring) | Wielingen Class Wielingen class frigate The Wielingen class is a class of four multi-functional frigates built for the Belgian Navy. The ships are named after sandbanks in the North Sea, not far from the Belgian coast, or sea routes. The lead ship is named after the Wielingen sandbank.... |
ex-Belgian frigate Wandelaar (F912) | |
| Frigate | Verni (42) (Верни - Loyal) | Wielingen Class Wielingen class frigate The Wielingen class is a class of four multi-functional frigates built for the Belgian Navy. The ships are named after sandbanks in the North Sea, not far from the Belgian coast, or sea routes. The lead ship is named after the Wielingen sandbank.... |
ex-Belgian frigate Wielingen (F910) | |
| Frigate | Gordi (43) (Горди - Proud) | Wielingen Class Wielingen class frigate The Wielingen class is a class of four multi-functional frigates built for the Belgian Navy. The ships are named after sandbanks in the North Sea, not far from the Belgian coast, or sea routes. The lead ship is named after the Wielingen sandbank.... |
ex-Belgian frigate Westdiep (F911) | |
| Frigate | Smeli (11) (Смели - Brave) | Koni Class Koni class frigate Koni class is the NATO reporting name for a anti-submarine warfare frigate built by the Soviet Union. They were known in the Soviet Union as Project 1159. 14 were built in Zelenodolsk shipyard between 1975 and 1988. They were originally intended to replace the older Riga class frigates, but were... |
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| ASW Corvette | Reshitelni (13) (Решителни - Intrepid) | Pauk Class | ||
| ASW Corvette | Bodri (14) (Бодри - Vital) | Pauk Class | ||
| Corvette | Mulniya (101) (Мълния - Lightning) | Tarantul Class Tarantul class corvette The Project 1241.1 Molniya are a class of Soviet missile corvettes. They have the NATO reporting name Tarantul... |
||
| Minesweeper | Tsibar Bulgarian minehunter Tsibar Tsibar is a of the Bulgarian Navy. The ship was formerly Myosotis of the Belgian Naval Component. Myosotis keel was laid on 6 July 1987 at Ostend yard of Beliard-Murdoch. She was launched on 4 August 1988 and completed on 14 December 1989. Myosotis was stricken from the Belgian Naval Component in... |
Tripartite Class Tripartite class minehunter The Tripartite class is a class of mine warfare vessel used by the navies of Belgium, France and the Netherlands, as well as Pakistan, Indonesia, Latvia, and Bulgaria.-Description:... |
ex-Myosotis(M922) | |
- 3 Osa class missile boatOsa class missile boatThe Project 205 Tsunami, more commonly known by their NATO reporting name Osa, are a class of missile boats developed for the Soviet Navy in the early 1960s. The Osas are probably the most numerous class of missile boats ever built, with over 400 vessels constructed for both the Soviet Navy and for...
s; - 4 Sonya class minesweeperSonya class minesweeperThe Sonya class were a group of minesweepers built for the Soviet Navy and Soviet allies between 1971 and 1991. The Soviet designation is Project 1265 Yakhont.-Design:...
s; - 2 Polnocny class landing shipPolnocny class landing shipThe Polnocny -class ships are amphibious warfare vessels. They were designed in Poland, in cooperation with the Soviet Navy and were built in Poland between 1967 and 2002. They now serve in several different navies, and some have been converted to civilian use...
s;
Aircraft
The Navy's only aircraft are 7
Mi-14 HazeMil Mi-14
|-See also:-External links:******...
helicopters for anti-submarine patrol, search and rescue, and other naval support tasks. All are not flight worthy and shall be replaced by 3 Eurocopter AS565MB "Panther" naval helicopters.
Equipment
| Type | Origin | Details |
|---|---|---|
| P-15MC Termit P-15 Termit The P-15 Termit is an anti-ship missile developed by the Soviet Union's Raduga design bureau in the 1950s. Its GRAU designation was 4K40, its NATO reporting name was Styx or SS-N-2. In Russian service today it also seems to be called the Rubezh... |
anti-ship missiles | |
| Exocet Exocet The Exocet is a French-built anti-ship missile whose various versions can be launched from surface vessels, submarines, helicopters and fixed wing aircraft. Hundreds were fired in combat during the 1980s.-Etymology:... |
anti-ship missiles | |
| RIM-7 Sea Sparrow RIM-7 Sea Sparrow RIM-7 Sea Sparrow is a US ship-borne short-range anti-aircraft and anti-missile weapon system, primarily intended for defense against anti-ship missiles... |
air defence missiles | |
| SA-N-4 | air defence missiles | |
| SA-N-5 | air defence missiles | |