| Croatian Navy | |
|---|---|
| Hrvatska ratna mornarica | |
 Emblem of the Croatian Navy | |
| Founded | 12 September 1991 |
| Country |  Croatia |
| Type | Navy |
| Size | 1,363[1] 30 vessels |
| Part of | Armed Forces of Croatia |
| H/Q | Lora,Split, Croatia |
| Patron | Saint Nicholas |
| March | Mi smo hrvatski mornari (English:We are Croatian sailors!) |
| Anniversaries | 18 September[a] |
| Engagements | Croatian War of Independence Operation Atalanta Operation Triton |
| Website | https://www.morh.hr/en/ |
| Commanders | |
| Commander |  CommodoreIvo Raffanelli |
| Deputy Commander, Chief of Naval Staff | Ship-of-the-line cpt.Milan Blažević |
| Notable commanders | Fleet AdmiralSveto Letica,Admiral Vid Stipetić,Viceadmiral Zdravko Kardum,Rear AdmiralJanko Vuković |
| Insignia | |
| Ensign |  |
| Jack |  |
TheCroatian Navy (HRM;Croatian:Hrvatska ratna mornarica,lit. 'Croat war navy') is thenaval force branch of theCroatian Armed Forces. It was formed in 1991 from what Croatian forces managed to capture from theYugoslav Navy during thebreakup of Yugoslavia andCroatian War of Independence. In addition to mobile coastalmissile launchers, today it operates 30 vessels, divided into the Navy Flotilla for traditional naval duties, and theCroatian Coast Guard. Five missile boats form the Croatian fleet's main offensive capability.
Since the ninth century, theDuchy of Croatia (laterKingdom) engaged in naval battles, struggling to maintain control over the eastern Adriatic coast and Adriatic merchant routes. Commemorating the first recorded Croat naval victory, when the subjects ofCroatian duke Branimirdefeated theVenetian naval expedition on 18 September, 887, the Croatian Navy Day is celebrated yearly on September 18.[2] Croatian fleet was particularly active under dukeDomagoj and kingPetar Krešimir IV. Royal Croatian-Dalmatian navy with 12-15 galleys existed underLouis I in central Dalmatia in the 14th century. Afterwards Venetian Republic established control over most of Croatian coast until 1797. Modern foundations of Croatian Navy can be traced back toAustro-Hungarian Navy (1797–1918) and Yugoslav Navy (1918–1941, 1942–1991) when Croatia was a constituent part of these states.
WhenCroatia was a part ofAustria-Hungary, itsAdriatic coast was essentially the only access to sea this Central European state had. A Habsburgarsenal and a naval shipyard were established inKraljevica in 1729, while naval bases, schools, shipyards, headquarters and anaval academy were later set up inPula andRijeka. Navy's emblem includedCroatian coat of arms. Many highly ranked officers came from Croatia: grand admiralMaximilian Njegovan, ship-of-the-line captainJanko Vuković Podkapelski and others. In 1885, 44.9% of sailors and NCOs and 10.3% of naval officers came from Croatia,[Note] while in 1910 those shares dropped to 29.8% and 9.8%, respectively.[3] Czech military historian Jindřich Marek points out that "Croats were more often applied to heavy labour asstokers anddeck hands" and were at comparative disadvantage due to their lack of swimming andGerman language skills.[4] At the end of October 1918, while Austria-Hungary wasfalling apart and the war was drawing to an end,emperor Charles handed the Navy over to the ZagrebPeople's Council, which promoted Vuković to the rank of the rear admiral and appointed him as a fleet commander.Croatian flag was hoisted on all ships in Pula (including, most notably, the flagshipSMSViribus Unitis), but theEntente navies soon captured nearly all vessels and divided them among themselves.
Croatian officers and sailors continued to man the newRoyal Yugoslav Navy (1918–1941) until its demise during the Axisinvasion of Yugoslavia. During World War IICroatian partisans formed a guerillaPartisan Navy consisting of makeshift vessels in 1942, resisting Italian (and laterGerman)occupation of theAdriatic. In the later phases of the war, they cooperated closely with theRoyal Navy. After the war, SocialistYugoslav Navy, sprung up from the partisan navy, hadSplit as its HQ and mainly used shipyards inŠibenik, Split, Kraljevica, Rijeka and Pula.
In 1991, after the federalYugoslav armed forces sided withSerbian leadership underMilošević and decided to fight against the democratically elected Croatian government which proclaimedCroatia's independence, ethnically Croat naval officers and rank-and-file led by admiralSveto Letica started forming a new Croatian Navy. Usingcoastal artillery batteries theyforced Yugoslav ships to retreat from Croatian territorial waters while in commando actions Croatian forces and shipyard personnelseized naval equipment and 35 vessels. At least three Yugoslav patrol boats were disabled in action and two minesweepers sunk. The Croatian Navy played an important role during theCroatian War of Independence (1991–1995), especially after acquiring strategically importantRBS-15B missiles.
In 2009 Croatia joined NATO and the Navy was restructured in the process. In addition to that, in 2007 it was reorganized by dividing the personnel and vessels with newly founded Coast Guard, which remained a part of the Navy. Two formerHelsinki class missile boats, FNSOulu and FNSKotka, were acquired from Finland. They were renamedVukovar andDubrovnik respectively (both cities were targets of Serbian aggression during theCroatian war of independence), and entered service in December, 2008. They were acquired along with a considerable amount of spare parts (most notably three MTU engines - to be installed onKralj class vessels) due to a severe shortage of vessels at present. The price of these ships was €9 million and is considered rather symbolic, mostly because it was a part of the offset deal for the previous Croatian acquisition ofPatria AMV armoured vehicles. The ships reached their full operational capability in June, 2009. The 2015 Strategic Defence Review envisages an overhaul and upgrade suitable for 'interception duties' to be completed in 2020. A revised out-of-service date is not known.
TheKončar class missile boatŠibenik has been overhauled with new turbine engines and radars and is due to remain in service until 2018-2020. TheKralj class vessels were planned to be extensively modernized at a price of €20 million, but as a result of the recent acquisition ofHelsinki class boats RTOP-11 has completed a basic overhaul and engine upgrade worth around €5 million. RTOP-12 will also be upgraded to this standard.
The RBS-15 missile system was due to be scrapped but this decision was reversed in 2014 and an upgrade to 20 units will be completed by 2018. Successfullive firing of the upgraded missiles was conducted from a mobile launcher and fromRTOP-12 during 2015 (the first missile firing exercise by the Croatian Navy since 1994)[5] and again fromRTOP-42 during 2016.[6]
The mission of the Croatian Navy (HRM) is to defend the integrity and sovereignty of the Republic of Croatia, to promote and protect its interest in theAdriatic Sea, islands and coast-lands. It carries and organizes the naval defense of the Republic of Croatia. The Croatian Navy fulfils its role by preparing itself and carrying out the following main tasks:
The following commands were created to carry out the mission of the Croatian Navy:[7]
The Navy Command in Split was reshuffled into the Navy Staff in 2013.[8] The Navy Staff is led by aShip-of-the-Line Captain, who apart from being the chief of the Navy Staff also serves as a deputy commander of the Navy. This position is currently held by SotL Capt. Milan Blažević. A Command company is attached to the Navy Staff.
_with_German_oiler_Spessart_(A1442)_and_Croatian_missile_boats_in_the_Adriatic_Sea_2015.JPG)
The Navy flotilla handles all tasks regarding anti-ship andanti-submarine warfare as well asminelaying andmine countermeasures, anti-terrorist activities and VIP/residential transport. Flotilla is administratively based inLora naval base inSplit. Current commander isship-of-the-line captain Damir Dojkić.[9] Today it is accordingly divided into three squadrons:
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The Coast Guard, founded in 2007, deals with peacetime duties, e.g. environment protection,fishing control, control oftankers,ballast waters,anti-terrorist activities, combating narcotics andtrafficking of people etc.[12] The Coast Guard's mission is to protect sovereign rights and carry out Croatia's jurisdiction in theEcological and Fisheries Protection Zone, thecontinental shelf and thehigh seas. It also monitors vessels in the Croatianterritorial waters. It provided training shipBŠ-72Andrija Mohorovičić toEU'sOperation Triton,rescuing migrants off the coast ofSicily in 2015. Its current commander isship-of-the-line captain Ivo Raffanelli. It consists of two squadrons:
FourAir ForceMil Mi-171sh helicopters (based at Divulje airfield near Split) and twoPilatus PC-9 planes (based atZemunik Air Base) are operationally attached to the Coast Guard for maritime SAR and navy support and maritime patrol duties, respectively.
The Sea Surveillance Battalion operates four Enhanced Peregrine naval radar posts atLastovo,Dugi Otok,Mljet andVis and additional nine GEM SC-2050XS naval radar posts at Savudrija, Brijuni, Mali Lošinj, Dugi Otok, Žirje, Vis, Lastovo, Mljet and Molunat. The battalion also operates the navy's signals and communications equipment.
The Split naval base's task is to manage theLora Naval Base in northern part of Split, including "St. Nicholas" naval barracks, and to provide logistic support for the ships and vessels in Pula (Naval Detachment North) andPloče (Naval Detachment South). It also manages Naval Training Center in Split and a medical center specifically designed to treat maritime disease, such asdecompression sickness.
The rank insignia ofcommissioned officers.
| NATO code | OF-10 | OF-9 | OF-8 | OF-7 | OF-6 | OF-5 | OF-4 | OF-3 | OF-2 | OF-1 | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Croatian Navy[13] |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | |||||||||||||
| Admiral flote | Admiral | Viceadmiral | Kontraadmiral | Komodor | Kapetan bojnog broda | Kapetan fregate | Kapetan korvete | Poručnik bojnog broda | Poručnik fregate | Poručnik korvete | ||||||||||||||
The rank insignia ofnon-commissioned officers andenlisted personnel.
| NATO code | OR-9 | OR-8 | OR-7 | OR-6 | OR-5 | OR-4 | OR-3 | OR-2 | OR-1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Croatian Navy[13] |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | No insignia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Časnički namjesnik | Stožerni narednik | Nadnarednik | Narednik | Desetnik | Skupnik | Razvodnik | Pozornik | Mornar | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| External videos | |
|---|---|
 RTOP-12 firing an RBS-15 missile, YouTube video | |
| Navy's live fire exercise, October 2016, YouTube video |
The Croatian Navy operates mostly vessels that were captured from thedisintegratingYugoslav Navy during theCroatian War of Independence in 1991. Most of those have been extensively overhauled or modernized (such asŠibenik (RTOP-21), extensively overhauled in 1991 to match theKralj class), especially after the navy introducedRBS-15B missiles in its service instead of SovietP-20s that used to be standard Yugoslav equipment. However, out of five missile boats, main combatant vessels, onlyŠibenik served under Yugoslav flag. Some ships were captured laid or unfinished in the docks and were finished by Croatians (such asKralj Petar Krešimir IV (RTOP-11) in 1992).Kralj Dmitar Zvonimir (RTOP-12) (commissioned in 2001) asKrešimir's improved design and Cetina-class minelayer-landing ships were built and commissioned in Croatia (1993 and 1995, respectively). TwoHelsinki-class missile boats RTOP-41Vukovar and RTOP-42Dubrovnik (built in 1985/6) were purchased fromFinland in 2008, while a small minehunter LM-51Korčula was built in 2006.
Krešimir underwent an extensive overhaul and engine replacement in 2014 whileZvonimir, being built during international armsembargo against former Yugoslav countries in the 1990s and thus featuring a mix of Russian and western equipment, also underwent an overhaul in 2015.
Navy also operates several armedlanding crafts, while oneschool ship (BŠ-72Andrija Mohorovičić) built in 1972 and onesalvage ship (BS-73Faust Vrančić) built in 1976 are a part of the Coast Guard. Croatian forces also operate about 20 other auxiliary vessels and crafts.
The Coast Guard's backbone are fourMirna class patrol boats built during the early 1980s. Their radar equipment was modernized in 2007 and stern anti-aircraft guns have been replaced with a hoist with semi-rigid-hulled inflatable boats in 2009-2012 to help in their intercepting duties. These aging patrol boats will be replaced in 2016-9 with 5 OOB-39 project ships currently under construction inBrodosplit shipyard, which is the first major modernization of Croatian Navy in a while. Construction of the first out of the projected 5 vessels was scheduled to start in 2007, however the international tender for the construction of 5 vessels was published only on 24 April 2013. The tender called for the acquisition of a total of 5 inshore patrol boats which are to be 43.5 meters long, with a displacement of roughly 220 tons and a maximum sustained speed of at least 28 knots.[14][15] They will be armed with a Turkish made 30 mmAselsan SMASH stabilizedremote weapon station and two 12.7mm heavy machine guns along with a MANPADS launcher.[16] The order was placed withBrodosplit in April 2015 and the keel of the first ship was laid in September of the same year. As projected, the first vessel was to enter service in the beginning of 2017, the second and third in 2017, the fourth in 2018 and the last one in 2019. Units were projected to cost around 10 million euros, respectively.[14] The first prototype ship, OOB-31 "Omiš" was commissioned by the Croatian Navy on 7 December 2018.[17] Four additional ships are under construction at Brodosplit shipyard as of November 2020.[18]
Previously reported plans for the purchase of 2-4offshore patrol vessels (OPV) or corvettes have been cancelled due to budgetary constraints but the 2015 strategic defence review envisages the procurement of a second-hand OPV by 2024. Politicians and military figures continue to discuss construction of a domestic-build OPVs or surface combatants in the post-2020 time period but this is an unfunded project.[19] The Navy commander, rear admiralStipanović, stated in October 2016 that the introduction of a new missile system (replacing the existing RBS-15) will be planned accordingly and executed together with construction of new OPVs.[20]
The Croatian Navy also operates several 11m RIBs (Rigid Inflatable Boat) used by theSpecial Forces Command, specifically for explosive ordinance disposal. The craft were donated by the US military, estimated at $5.1 million, with the Ministry of Defense purchasing one in 2022 for $1.6 million. US Defense Attaché Colonel Scott McLearn stated that Croatia is a "Close NATO partner and ally" and that both armed forces "Have been working closely together for the past 30 years" at a meeting with Croatian officials and press.[21]
| Model | Image | Origin | Type | Quantity | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Radars | |||||
| AN/FPS-117 |  |  United States | L-Band,AESA,3D radar | 4 | Budget approved for modernisation in 2026.[22] |
| Enhanced Peregrine | — | United States | C-band Aaa | 4 | Modernised from the Falcon-2 which was ordered in 1998.[23] |
| GEM SC-2050XS | — |  Italy | Naval surveillance radar posts | 9 | [24][25] |
| Weapons | |||||
| RBS-15B Aaa |  |  Sweden | Anti-ship missile | 47 | RBS-15 MkI, first generation of the family in its surface-to-surface variant.[26] |
| MOL Mobilni obalni lanser |  | Sweden | Anti-ship, mobile coastalTEL | 3 | RBS-15 launcher of the Croatian Navy, based on aTatra truck.[27] |
| M90 |  | — | Naval mine | — | [28] |
| Miscellaneous equipment | |||||
| REMUS |  | United States) | AUV Autonomous underwater vehicles | — | Received from the USA[29] |
| R-2M | 
|  Yugoslavia | Swimmer delivery vehicles | — | [30] |
Croatia has a long history of naval education and training. Between 1857 and 1918 anAustro-Hungarian naval academy was located inRijeka with NCO training school in Šibenik. Royal Yugoslav Navy founded a three-year naval academy inGruž (Dubrovnik) in 1923 (later joined by navalstaff college in 1937) while a school for petty officers was opened inŠibenik. Post-WWII Yugoslav Navy set up a "Maršal Tito" naval academy in Split.
After a distinct Croatian Navy was founded in 1991, naval education went through various reforms and changes. Currently officers to be commissioned into the Croatian Navy receive their undergraduate education atCroatian Military Academy in Zagreb, which also hosts staff colleges and war colleges. A specific naval education and training centre is set up in Lora naval base in Split. Croatian Military Academy andSplit University as of 2016 are in the process of opening a new undergraduate 4-year naval program in Split which is to have two main course tracks:naval engineering andseamanship.[31][20]
| External images | |
|---|---|
 New patrol boat (project OOB 39/42) under construction in Brodosplit Shipyard, October 2016.[32] | |
| A digital model of a project OOB 39/42 patrol boat as envisaged by the designer, Brodarski institut. It's bearingracing stripes ofCroatian Coast Guard. |
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