Croatian Navy

Croatian Navy
Croatian:Hrvatska ratna mornarica
Emblem of the Croatian Navy
Founded	1991
Country	Croatia
Type	Navy
Size	1,363 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	September 18
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,AdmiralVid Stipetić,ViceadmiralZdravko Kardum,Rear AdmiralJanko Vuković
Insignia
Ensign
Jack

TheCroatian Navy(HRM;Croatian:Hrvatska ratna mornarica,lit. 'Croat war navy') is a branch of theCroatian Armed Forces.It was formed in 1991 from what Croatian forces managed to capture from theYugoslav Navyduring thebreakup of YugoslaviaandCroatian 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.

History

Main article:History of the Croatian Navy

Origins

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 BranimirdefeatedtheVenetiannaval expedition on September 18, 887, the Croatian Navy Day is celebrated yearly on September 18.Croatian fleet was particularly active under dukeDomagojand kingPetar Krešimir IV.Royal Croatian-Dalmatian navy with 12-15 galleys existed underLouis Iin 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.

FirstCroatian flagever hoisted on a naval ship,Pula,October 31st, 1918, with the crews saluting the flag

WhenCroatiawas a part ofAustria-Hungary,itsAdriaticcoast was essentially the only access to sea this Central European state had. A Habsburgarsenaland a naval shipyard were established inKraljevicain 1729, while naval bases, schools, shipyards, headquarters and anaval academywere later set up inPulaandRijeka.Navy's emblem includedCroatian coat of arms.Many highly ranked officers came from Croatia: grand admiralMaximilian Njegovan,ship-of-the-line captainJanko Vuković Podkapelskiand 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.Czech military historian Jindřich Marek points out that "Croats were more often applied to heavy labour asstokersanddeck hands"and were at comparative disadvantage due to their lack of swimming andGerman languageskills.At the end of October 1918, while Austria-Hungary wasfalling apartand the war was drawing to an end,emperor Charleshanded 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 flagwas hoisted on all ships in Pula (including, most notably, the flagshipSMSViribus Unitis) and some inKotor,but theEntentenavies 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 partisansformed a guerillaPartisan Navyconsisting of makeshift vessels in 1942, resisting Italian (and laterGerman)occupationof 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, hadSplitas its HQ and mainly used shipyards inŠibenik,Split, Kraljevica, Rijeka and Pula.

Modern Croatian Navy

In 1991, after the federalYugoslav armed forcessided withSerbianleadership underMiloševićand decided to fight against the democratically elected Croatian government which proclaimedCroatia's independence,ethnically Croat naval officers and rank-and-file led by admiralSveto Leticastarted forming a new Croatian Navy. Usingcoastal artillerybatteries theyforced Yugoslav ships to retreatfrom Croatian territorial waters while in commando actions Croatian forces and shipyard personnelseizednaval 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.

After the war

RTOP-42Dubrovnik

In 2004 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 formerHelsinkiclass missile boats,FNSOuluand FNSKotka,were acquired from Finland. They were renamedVukovarandDubrovnikrespectively (both cities were almost completely destroyed by Serbian and Montenegro shelling 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 onKraljclass 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 AMVarmoured 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 classmissile boatŠibenikhas been overhauled with new turbine engines and radars and is due to remain in service until 2018-2020. TheKraljclassvessels were planned to be extensively modernized at a price of €20 million, but as a result of the recent acquisition ofHelsinkiclassboats 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 firingof the upgraded missiles was conducted from a mobile launcher and fromRTOP-12during 2015 (the first missile firing exercise by the Croatian Navy since 1994)and again fromRTOP-42during 2016.

Purpose

Adriatic Sea

Croatian territorial waters andProtected Ecological Fishery Zone(blue)

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:

1. Deterring the threat to the Republic of Croatia by maintaining high level of competence, training and technical quality of equipment
2. Constant control of the Adriatic Sea and coast-land and monitoring of foreign warships' movement
3. Strengthening of the safety conditions on the Adriatic Sea and preserving the integrity of the maritime borders
4. Implementation of the program "Partnership for Peacein the Mediterranean "

Croatian Navy organization

Organizational structure

The following commands were created to carry out the mission of the Croatian Navy:

Navy Staff

The Navy Command in Split was reshuffled into the Navy Staff in 2013.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.

Navy Flotilla

Main article:Navy Flotilla (Croatia)

NATO Maritime Group 2 (SNMG2) ships with Croatian missile boatsŠibenikandZvonimirduring an exercise

The Navy flotilla handles all tasks regarding anti-ship andanti-submarine warfareas well asminelayingandmine countermeasures,anti-terrorist activities and VIP/residential transport. Flotilla is administratively based inLora naval baseinSplit.Current commander isship-of-the-line captainDamir Dojkić.Today it is accordingly divided into three squadrons:

• Surface Action Squadronincludes 5missile boatsand 3 coastal mobileRBS-15missile launchers, forming the main offensive capability of the Navy. Four missile boats and one mobile missile launcher have successfully fired missiles in live-fire exercises at sea targets as of 2016. TwoCetina-classminelayer-landing ships have also transportedCroatian Armytroops andAMVsto aNATO's "Trident Juncture" exercise in Spain in 2015.
• Mine Countermeasures Squadron,currently with one mine-hunter (LM-51), twoREMUSautonomous underwater vehicles.
• Support Squadron with various tugs and other vessels.
• Naval infantrycompany atPloče

Coast guard

Main article:Croatian Coast Guard

Croatian Air ForcePilatus PC-9are operationally attached toCroatian Coast Guardfor maritime patrol duties

The Coast Guard, founded in 2007, deals with peacetime duties, e.g. environment protection,fishingcontrol, control oftankers,ballast waters,anti-terroristactivities, combating narcotics andtrafficking of peopleetc.The Coast Guard's mission is to protect sovereign rights and carry out Croatia's jurisdiction in theEcological and Fisheries Protection Zone,thecontinental shelfand thehigh seas.It also monitors vessels in the Croatianterritorial waters.It provided training shipBŠ-72Andrija MohorovičićtoEU'sOperation Triton,rescuing migrantsoff the coast ofSicilyin 2015. Its current commander isship-of-the-line captainIvo Raffanelli. It consists of two squadrons:

• 1st Coast Guard Squadron, based in Split with two former YugoslavMirnaclass patrol boatsand other vessels
• 2nd Coast Guard Squadron, based inPulahandles Coast Guard tasks in northern Adriatic with two Mirna-class patrol boats and other vessels.

FourAir ForceMil Mi-171shhelicopters (based at Divulje airfield near Split) and twoPilatus PC-9planes (based atZemunik Air Base) are operationally attached to the Coast Guard for maritime SAR and navy support and maritime patrol duties, respectively.

Sea Surveillance Battalion

The Sea Surveillance Battalion operates four Enhanced Peregrine naval radar posts atLastovo,Dugi Otok,MljetandVisand 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.

Split naval base

The Split naval base's task is to manage theLora Naval Basein 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.

Ranks

Commissioned officer ranks

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
	Admiral flote		Admiral		Viceadmiral		Kontraadmiral		Komodor		Kapetan bojnog broda		Kapetan fregate		Kapetan korvete		Poručnik bojnog broda		Poručnik fregate			Poručnik korvete

Other ranks

The rank insignia ofnon-commissioned officersandenlisted personnel.

NATO code	OR-9						OR-8		OR-7		OR-6						OR-5						OR-4				OR-3		OR-2						OR-1
Croatian Navy																																			No insignia
	Časnički namjesnik						Stožerni narednik		Nadnarednik		Narednik						Desetnik						Skupnik				Razvodnik		Pozornik						Mornar

Vessels

Main article:List of active Croatian Navy ships

RTOP-11Kralj Petar Krešimir IV

RTOP-21Šibenik

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 Navyduring theCroatian War of Independencein 1991. Most of those have been extensively overhauled or modernized (such asŠibenik(RTOP-21),extensively overhauled in 1991 to match theKraljclass), especially after the navy introducedRBS-15B missiles in its service instead of SovietP-20sthat used to be standard Yugoslav equipment. However, out of five missile boats, main combatant vessels, onlyŠibenikserved 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 boatsRTOP-41Vukovarand RTOP-42Dubrovnik(built in 1985/6) were purchased fromFinlandin 2008, while a small minehunter LM-51Korčulawas built in 2006.

Krešimirunderwent an extensive overhaul and engine replacement in 2014 whileZvonimir,being built during international armsembargoagainst 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 fourMirnaclasspatrol 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 boatsin 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 inBrodosplitshipyard, 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 April 24, 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.They will be armed with a Turkish made 30 mmAselsan SMASHstabilizedremote weapon stationand two 12.7mm heavy machine guns along with a MANPADS launcher.The order was placed withBrodosplitin 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.The first prototype ship, OOB-31 "Omiš" was commissioned by the Croatian Navy on 7 December 2018.Four additional ships are under construction at Brodosplit shipyard as of November 2020.

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.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.

Coastal and other equipment

• 14 radars (4AN/FPS-117+ 10 others) -SeanetworkItalyUnited States
• 3MOLMobileanti-ship missilelaunchers equipped withRBS-15CroatiaSweden
• 47RBS-15Mark 1 anti-ship missiles
• 2R-2Mswimmer delivery vehicle
• 2REMUSautonomous underwater vehicles

• 
  M90 mine
• 
  R-2M SDV
• 
  MOLanti-ship missilesystem

Naval education

Croatia has a long history of naval education and training. Between 1857 and 1918 anAustro-Hungarian naval academywas located inRijekawith NCO training school in Šibenik. Royal Yugoslav Navy founded a three-year naval academy inGruž(Dubrovnik) in 1923 (later joined by navalstaff collegein 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 Academyin 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 Universityas 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 engineeringandseamanship.

Future projects

External images
New patrol boat (project OOB 39/42) under constructionin Brodosplit Shipyard, October 2016.
A digital modelof a project OOB 39/42 patrol boat as envisaged by the designer, Brodarski institut. It's bearingracing stripesofCroatian Coast Guard.

• Overhaul of existing 2Kraljclassfast attack craft,including new engines. Cost of program - 70 millionCroatian Kuna- the project has been initiated with the complete overhaul of one of the vessels (RTOP-11).
• Overhaul and upgrade of existingHelsinkiclass fast attack craft by 2020 for interception duties.
• Overhaul of training shipAndrija Mohorovičićby 2024.
• FiveOmišclasspatrol boatsfor Coast Guard. Cost of program is estimated at 380 millionCroatian Kuna.First ship was laid down in September 2015 and delivered in 2018. Four other ships are ordered and being constructed at Brodosplit shipyard.
• Following an endorsement by theRoyal Norwegian Navy,the Strategic Defence Review has announced that the salvage shipFaust Vrančićwill be upgraded by 2020 to make it an effective platform for conducting various ecological operations.

Gallery

• 
  RBS-15 anti-ship missile launchers
• 
  AK-630 gatling gun
• 
  Bofors 57 mm/70 Mk1 gun
• 
  SAKO 23mm guns
• 
  MK-44 torpedo
• 
  Landing craftandminelayerKrka
• 
  BŠ-72Andrija Mohorovičić
• 
  Salvage shipFaust Vrančić

See also

• List of admirals of Croatia
• Commander of the Croatian Navy

External links

• Croatian MoD
• Krka accident, in Croatian
• Croatian Armed Forces Long Term Development Plan 2006-2015
• Live fire exercise,mobile coastal missile launcher (June 2015)