Romanian Naval Forces
Encyclopedia
The Romanian Navy is the navy
branch of the Romanian Armed Forces
; it operates in the Black Sea
and on the Danube
.
and Moldavia
, Alexander John Cuza
, the ruling Domnitor
of the Romanian Principalities
, decided on the 22nd of October 1860 by order no. 173 to unify the navies into a single flotilla. The navy was French-trained and organized. Officers were initially sent to Brest Naval Training Centre
in France
, as the Military School in Bucharest
did not have a naval section. The first Commander-in-chief of the navy was Colonel Nicolae Steriade. The base was first established in 1861 at Izmail
, but it was later relocated in 1864 at Brăila
and in 1867 at Galați
. The equipment was modest at best, with 3 ships from Wallachia and 3 from Moldavia, manned by 275 sailors. The main goal of the navy was to organize, train and expand this small force.
The first seamen's training school was established in 1872 at Galați for officers, petty officers and sailors. The first acquisition of the Romanian Navy was the steamboat "Prințul Nicolae Conache Vogoride". The ship was purchased in 1861 and was later transformed into a warship at Meyer naval shipyard in Linz
, being christened "România" when it was launched at Galați harbor. In 1867, the royal yacht "Ștefan cel Mare" (Stephen the Great) entered service, followed by "Fulgerul" (The Lightning) gunboat in 1874 and the "Rândunica" (The Swallow) spar torpedo
boat in 1875. These ships represented the Romanian Flotilla during the War of Independence
.
, the name used in Romanian historiography to refer to the 1877-1878 Russo-Turkish war, the Romanian Navy sailed under Russian flag. The main task of the Romanian Flotilla Corps was to transport Russian troops, equipment and supplies across the Danube and to protect the bridges across the river by using mine barrages in key points. The main success of the war was the sinking of the Turkish river monitor "Seyfî" near Măcin by a group of spar torpedo boats including "Rândunica" and the Russian Carevitch and Ksenya crafts. Another notable success was the sinking of the Turkish river monitor "Podgoriçe" (Podgorica
) by the Romanian coastal artillery on the 7th of November 1877.
After the war, the navy transported the Romanian troops back across the Danube. The small, but successful navy had demonstrated the need for a strong Danube flotilla in order to secure the southern border of Romania. Three rearmament plans were implemented: during 1883-1885, 1886-1888 and 1906-1908. These plans mainly concentrated on the Danube flotilla. In 1898, the "Flotilla Corps", as it was know until then, was organized in two sections: the Danube fleet and the Black Sea fleet. The riverine base was at Galați, while the maritime base was at Constanța
, which was now part of Romania.
, two naval rearmament programs were proposed for the Black Sea flotilla. The 1899 program called for six coastal battleship
s, four destroyer
s and twelve torpedo boat
s. None of these ships were ever built. The 1912 naval program envisioned six 3,500-ton light cruisers, twelve 1,500-ton destroyers and a submarine. Four destroyers (and allegedly a submarine) were actually ordered from Italy
, but they were not delivered as the Italian Navy
requisitioned them in 1914. The largest Romanian Black Sea ship was the old cruiser Elisabeta
, laid down in 1888. The protected cruiser had guarded the mouths of the river Danube
during the Second Balkan War
, but she was disarmed when World War I
began. Her armament was emplaced on the bank of the Danube River to protect against possible attacks by Austro-Hungarian river monitors, and she remained in Sulina
for the duration of the war. The Romanian Black Sea squadron also had four old gunboats from the 1880s, which were of limited value, and three old Năluca-class torpedo boats, built in France
. The Romanian Navy had to rely on the armed merchant ships of the state merchant marine, known as SMR (Serviciul Maritim Român). The steam liners Regele Carol I, România, Împăratul Traian and Dacia were converted into auxiliary cruisers.
The Danube Flotilla was more modern, and consisted of four river monitors
(Lascăr Catargiu, Mihail Kogălniceanu, Ion C. Brătianu and Alexandru Lahovari) and eight British-built torpedo boats. The four river monitors were built in Italy during 1907-1907 and assembled at Galați
. They were armed with three 12-cm cannons each. The British torpedo boats from the Căpitan Nicolae Lascăr Bogdan class were built during 1906-1907 and weighed 50 tons each. There were also approximately six older gunboats used for border patrol, minelayers and other auxiliary ships used for transport or supply. The Romanian Navy had a secondary role during World War I and only had light losses. The river monitors participated in the defense of Tutrakan
and later secured the flank of the Romanian and Russian defenders in Dobrudja. The main success of the war was the mining of an Austro-Hungarian river monitor.
took possession over three Austro-Hungarian river monitors (renamed after the newly incorporated territories of Ardeal, Basarabia and Bucovina) and purchased in 1921 four Italian patrol boats. These ships, together with the ones already in service, made Romania's Danube flotilla the most powerful riverine fleet in the world until World War II
.
The main focus of the Romanian Navy during the interwar period was the Black Sea
fleet. In 1920, two of the initial four destroyers ordered from Italy
were received. These ships from Mărăști class
were renamed Mărășești and Mărăști. Four gunboats were purchased from the French Navy
: Stihi, Dumitrescu, Lepri and Ghiculescu. Another gunboat of the same class was bought for spares. Seven torpedo boats were received as war reparations from Austro-Hungaria. The torpedo boat Fulgerul however was lost during the trip to Romania when she capsized and sank in the Bosphorus in 1922. Năluca, Sborul and Smeul, three of these old torpedo boats, will later see service in World War II. In 1926, two additional destroyers were ordered from Italy: Regele Ferdinand and Regina Maria of the Regele Ferdinand class destroyer
, together with the Romanian Navy's first submarine, Delfinul, and the submarine depot ship Constanța. These ships were commissioned between 1930 and 1936.
In 1936, a new rearmament program was proposed. The new plan envisioned a cruiser, four destroyers, three submarines, four minelayers and twelve motor torpedo boats. A number of these warships would have been built under license in Romania at Galați, where a new dry dock was developed. However, the navy had a low priority within the Romanian Army. As a result, only the Romanian-built minelayer Amiral Murgescu and three British-built motor torpedo boats (received in February 1940 and designated: Viforul, Vijelia and Viscolul) were received before the Second World War. Another nine British motor torpedo boats were to be built under license at Galați, but this plan was canceled after Romania joined the Axis
. The river monitors from the Danube squadron were modernized between 1937 and 1943 at Galați.
The expansion of the Romanian Navy during the interwar period required more training facilities and ships. The first step towards this issue was taken in 1920, when a naval college was founded at Constanța. In 1938, the sail ship Mircea
was built in Hamburg
by the Blohm & Voss shipyard as a training vessel for the Romanian Navy. The SMR (Serviciul Maritim Român, the Romanian state merchant marine) was also endowed with a number of new ships: the steamer Oituz, the ex-German freighters Ardeal, Peleș, Alba Iulia and Suceava (all of them commissioned between 1932-1933), the passenger liners Basarabia and Transilvania (bought from Germany in 1938) and four new freighters from Italy just before the start of the Second World War: Balcic, Cavarna, Mangalia and Sulina. In 1940, the SMR had 17 merchant ships with a total of over 72,000 tons of shipping.
), three motor torpedo boats, one minelayer, three auxiliary minelayers, fifteen small auxiliary vessels and twenty seaplanes. The Mărăști class
destroyers were obsolete warships that had seen service with the Italian Navy during World War I as Sparviero and Nibbio. The destroyer Mărăști (ex-Sparviero) had a cracked shaft and could not exceed the speed of 24 knots. As a result, Mărăști never ventured far from the coast. Delfinul, the only Axis submarine present in the Black Sea
in 1941, was obsolete and mechanically unreliable. In comparison, the Soviet Black Sea Fleet
had a battleship, three medium cruisers, three light cruisers, three flotilla leaders, eight modern destroyers, five old destroyers, two large torpedo boats, 47 submarines and many other auxiliary and small vessels. The overwhelming superiority of the Soviet Navy
forced the Royal Romanian Navy to conduct mainly defensive operations throughout the entire war and its warships rarely hazarded further east than Cape Sarych.
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. The Romanian-built minelayer Amiral Murgescu and the three auxiliary minelayers of the Romanian Navy played an important role in the defence of Constanța in 1941 and later in securing the merchant convoy routes to the Bosporus
and the supply routes to Odessa
and Sevastopol
. Mines were the main cause of Soviet submarine losses in the Black Sea naval war. During World War II, the Royal Romanian Navy received two submarines built at Galați
and a number of small other vessels. The two submarines, Rechinul and Marsuinul, were received however too late in the war to see significant action, as after 1941 there were very few available targets.
The Royal Romanian Navy was involved in the evacuation of Axis forces from Crimea in 1944. The Romanian naval commander, Rear Admiral Horia Macellariu
, was awarded the German Ritterkreuz after Operation 60,000, the contingency plan for the evacuation of Crimea
. Until King Michael's Coup
, the Romanian Navy retreated behind the protection of the coastal mine barrages and anti-aircraft defences of Constanța as the Soviet Air Force
began to launch heavy air attacks. On the capitulation of Romania in August 1944, the German warships were ordered to leave Romanian harbours. However, when the Soviet minesweeper T-410 Vzryv, accompanied by the Romanian minelayer Amiral Murgescu, was sunk by a German submarine, the Soviet Navy accused the Royal Romanian Navy of betrayal and seized all vessels using this excuse on the 5th of September 1944. By this late stage of the war, only two destroyers (Regina Maria and Mărășești), two gunboats (Dumitrescu and Ghiculescu), one minelayer (Amiral Murgescu) and three motor torpedo boats were still operational. The rest of the warships were in repairs after the evacuation of Crimea and the Soviet air attacks of the last couple of months or had been relegated to training duties. The Soviet Navy moved all Romanian warships to Caucasian
ports. They were not return until after the war. The older vessels were received in September 1945, while the more modern ones (such as the Regele Ferdinand class) were kept by the Soviet Black Sea Fleet until early 1950s. A number of warships were never returned.
The largest Romanian warship loss of the entire war was the accidental sinking of the gunboat Lepri. The gunboat ran into a Romanian mine laid by the auxiliary minelayer Aurora near Sulina
in January 1941, when hostilities between the Soviet Union and the Axis had not begun. While the Royal Romanian Navy had light losses throughout the war, the state merchant navy was practically non-existent by late 1944: every ship of the SMR was sunk or damaged by the Soviet Navy and Air Force because of the light Romanian and German forces in the Black Sea that were unable to provide adequate protection.
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 rifle
s, PM md. 64
light machine gun
s, Md. 66
machine gun
s, 60/82/120mm mortar
s, 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 the KFOR mission "Joint Enterprise" in 2008-09.
frigates, one "Mărășești
" class frigate, four corvettes (two Tetal-I and two Tetal-II), three Tarantul-I
missile corvettes, three Osa class
torpedo boats, one minelayer, four minesweepers, three "Mihail Kogălniceanu" 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 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.
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...
branch of the Romanian Armed Forces
Romanian Armed Forces
The Land Forces, Air Force and Naval Forces of Romania are collectively known as the Romanian Armed Forces...
; it operates in the Black Sea
Black Sea
The Black Sea is bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and the Aegean seas and various straits. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects that sea to the Aegean...
and on the Danube
Danube
The Danube is a river in the Central Europe and the Europe's second longest river after the Volga. It is classified as an international waterway....
.
History
Development of the Romanian Navy
The Romanian Navy has been founded in 1860 as a river flotilla on the Danube. After the unification of WallachiaWallachia
Wallachia or Walachia is a historical and geographical region of Romania. It is situated north of the Danube and south of the Southern Carpathians...
and Moldavia
Moldavia
Moldavia is a geographic and historical region and former principality in Eastern Europe, corresponding to the territory between the Eastern Carpathians and the Dniester river...
, Alexander John Cuza
Alexander John Cuza
Alexander John Cuza was a Moldavian-born Romanian politician who ruled as the first Domnitor of the United Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia between 1859 and 1866.-Early life:...
, the ruling Domnitor
Domnitor
Domnitor was the official title of the ruler of the United Principalities of Wallachia and Moldavia between 1859 and 1866....
of the Romanian Principalities
United Principalities
The United Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia, also known as the Romanian Principalities, was the official name of Romania following the 1859 election of Alexandru Ioan Cuza as prince or domnitor of both territories...
, decided on the 22nd of October 1860 by order no. 173 to unify the navies into a single flotilla. The navy was French-trained and organized. Officers were initially sent to Brest Naval Training Centre
Brest Naval Training Centre
The Brest Naval Training Centre is one of the main training centres for the French Navy...
in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, as the Military School in Bucharest
Bucharest
Bucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River....
did not have a naval section. The first Commander-in-chief of the navy was Colonel Nicolae Steriade. The base was first established in 1861 at Izmail
Izmail
Izmail is a historic town near the Danube river in the Odessa Oblast of south-western Ukraine. Serving as the administrative center of the Izmail Raion , the city itself is also designated as a separate raion within the oblast....
, but it was later relocated in 1864 at Brăila
Braila
Brăila is a city in Muntenia, eastern Romania, a port on the Danube and the capital of Brăila County, in the close vicinity of Galaţi.According to the 2002 Romanian census there were 216,292 people living within the city of Brăila, making it the 10th most populous city in Romania.-History:A...
and in 1867 at Galați
Galati
Galați is a city and municipality in Romania, the capital of Galați County. Located in the historical region of Moldavia, in the close vicinity of Brăila, Galați is the largest port and sea port on the Danube River and the second largest Romanian port....
. The equipment was modest at best, with 3 ships from Wallachia and 3 from Moldavia, manned by 275 sailors. The main goal of the navy was to organize, train and expand this small force.
The first seamen's training school was established in 1872 at Galați for officers, petty officers and sailors. The first acquisition of the Romanian Navy was the steamboat "Prințul Nicolae Conache Vogoride". The ship was purchased in 1861 and was later transformed into a warship at Meyer naval shipyard in Linz
Linz
Linz is the third-largest city of Austria and capital of the state of Upper Austria . It is located in the north centre of Austria, approximately south of the Czech border, on both sides of the river Danube. The population of the city is , and that of the Greater Linz conurbation is about...
, being christened "România" when it was launched at Galați harbor. In 1867, the royal yacht "Ștefan cel Mare" (Stephen the Great) entered service, followed by "Fulgerul" (The Lightning) gunboat in 1874 and the "Rândunica" (The Swallow) spar torpedo
Spar torpedo
A spar torpedo is a weapon consisting of a bomb placed at the end of a long pole, or spar, and attached to a boat. The weapon is used by running the end of the spar into the enemy ship. Spar torpedoes were often equipped with a barbed spear at the end, so it would stick to wooden hulls...
boat in 1875. These ships represented the Romanian Flotilla during the War of Independence
Romanian War of Independence
The Romanian War of Independence is the name used in Romanian historiography to refer to the 1877-1878 Russo-Turkish war, following which Romania, fighting on the Russian side, gained independence from the Ottoman Empire...
.
Romanian Navy during the War of Independence
During the War of IndependenceRomanian War of Independence
The Romanian War of Independence is the name used in Romanian historiography to refer to the 1877-1878 Russo-Turkish war, following which Romania, fighting on the Russian side, gained independence from the Ottoman Empire...
, the name used in Romanian historiography to refer to the 1877-1878 Russo-Turkish war, the Romanian Navy sailed under Russian flag. The main task of the Romanian Flotilla Corps was to transport Russian troops, equipment and supplies across the Danube and to protect the bridges across the river by using mine barrages in key points. The main success of the war was the sinking of the Turkish river monitor "Seyfî" near Măcin by a group of spar torpedo boats including "Rândunica" and the Russian Carevitch and Ksenya crafts. Another notable success was the sinking of the Turkish river monitor "Podgoriçe" (Podgorica
Podgorica
Podgorica , is the capital and largest city of Montenegro.Podgorica's favourable position at the confluence of the Ribnica and Morača rivers and the meeting point of the fertile Zeta Plain and Bjelopavlići Valley has encouraged settlement...
) by the Romanian coastal artillery on the 7th of November 1877.
After the war, the navy transported the Romanian troops back across the Danube. The small, but successful navy had demonstrated the need for a strong Danube flotilla in order to secure the southern border of Romania. Three rearmament plans were implemented: during 1883-1885, 1886-1888 and 1906-1908. These plans mainly concentrated on the Danube flotilla. In 1898, the "Flotilla Corps", as it was know until then, was organized in two sections: the Danube fleet and the Black Sea fleet. The riverine base was at Galați, while the maritime base was at Constanța
Constanta
Constanța is the oldest extant city in Romania, founded around 600 BC. The city is located in the Dobruja region of Romania, on the Black Sea coast. It is the capital of Constanța County and the largest city in the region....
, which was now part of Romania.
Romanian Navy during World War I
After the War of IndependenceRomanian War of Independence
The Romanian War of Independence is the name used in Romanian historiography to refer to the 1877-1878 Russo-Turkish war, following which Romania, fighting on the Russian side, gained independence from the Ottoman Empire...
, two naval rearmament programs were proposed for the Black Sea flotilla. The 1899 program called for six coastal battleship
Battleship
A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of heavy caliber guns. Battleships were larger, better armed and armored than cruisers and destroyers. As the largest armed ships in a fleet, battleships were used to attain command of the sea and represented the apex of a...
s, four destroyer
Destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...
s and twelve torpedo boat
Torpedo boat
A torpedo boat is a relatively small and fast naval vessel designed to carry torpedoes into battle. The first designs rammed enemy ships with explosive spar torpedoes, and later designs launched self-propelled Whitehead torpedoes. They were created to counter battleships and other large, slow and...
s. None of these ships were ever built. The 1912 naval program envisioned six 3,500-ton light cruisers, twelve 1,500-ton destroyers and a submarine. Four destroyers (and allegedly a submarine) were actually ordered from Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, but they were not delivered as the Italian Navy
Italian Navy
Italian Navy may refer to:* Pre-unitarian navies of the Italian states* Regia Marina, the Royal Navy of the Kingdom of Italy * Italian Navy , the navy of the Italian Republic...
requisitioned them in 1914. The largest Romanian Black Sea ship was the old cruiser Elisabeta
NMS Elisabeta
NMS Elisabeta was a small protected cruiser built by Armstrong for Romania in the 1880s. Serving mainly as a training ship, she represented Romania at the opening of the Kiel Canal in 1895...
, laid down in 1888. The protected cruiser had guarded the mouths of the river Danube
Danube
The Danube is a river in the Central Europe and the Europe's second longest river after the Volga. It is classified as an international waterway....
during the Second Balkan War
Second Balkan War
The Second Balkan War was a conflict which broke out when Bulgaria, dissatisfied with its share of the spoils of the First Balkan War, attacked its former allies, Serbia and Greece, on 29 June 1913. Bulgaria had a prewar agreement about the division of region of Macedonia...
, but she was disarmed when World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
began. Her armament was emplaced on the bank of the Danube River to protect against possible attacks by Austro-Hungarian river monitors, and she remained in Sulina
Sulina
Sulina is a town and free port in Tulcea County, Romania, at the mouth of the Sulina branch of the Danube. It is the easternmost point of Romania and of the continental European Union.-History:...
for the duration of the war. The Romanian Black Sea squadron also had four old gunboats from the 1880s, which were of limited value, and three old Năluca-class torpedo boats, built in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. The Romanian Navy had to rely on the armed merchant ships of the state merchant marine, known as SMR (Serviciul Maritim Român). The steam liners Regele Carol I, România, Împăratul Traian and Dacia were converted into auxiliary cruisers.
The Danube Flotilla was more modern, and consisted of four river monitors
River monitor
River monitors were heavily armored, and normally mounted the largest guns of all riverine warships. The name originated from the US Navy's Brown Water Navy's USS Monitor, which made her first appearance in the American Civil War, and being distinguished by a single revolving turret.On 18 December...
(Lascăr Catargiu, Mihail Kogălniceanu, Ion C. Brătianu and Alexandru Lahovari) and eight British-built torpedo boats. The four river monitors were built in Italy during 1907-1907 and assembled at Galați
Galati
Galați is a city and municipality in Romania, the capital of Galați County. Located in the historical region of Moldavia, in the close vicinity of Brăila, Galați is the largest port and sea port on the Danube River and the second largest Romanian port....
. They were armed with three 12-cm cannons each. The British torpedo boats from the Căpitan Nicolae Lascăr Bogdan class were built during 1906-1907 and weighed 50 tons each. There were also approximately six older gunboats used for border patrol, minelayers and other auxiliary ships used for transport or supply. The Romanian Navy had a secondary role during World War I and only had light losses. The river monitors participated in the defense of Tutrakan
Tutrakan
Tutrakan is a town in northeastern Bulgaria, an administrative centre of the homonymous municipality, part of Silistra Province. It is situated on the right bank of the Danube opposite the Romanian town of Olteniţa , in the very west of Southern Dobruja, 58 km east of Rousse and 62 km...
and later secured the flank of the Romanian and Russian defenders in Dobrudja. The main success of the war was the mining of an Austro-Hungarian river monitor.
Romanian Navy during the interwar period
Following the end of World War I, the Kingdom of RomaniaKingdom of Romania
The Kingdom of Romania was the Romanian state based on a form of parliamentary monarchy between 13 March 1881 and 30 December 1947, specified by the first three Constitutions of Romania...
took possession over three Austro-Hungarian river monitors (renamed after the newly incorporated territories of Ardeal, Basarabia and Bucovina) and purchased in 1921 four Italian patrol boats. These ships, together with the ones already in service, made Romania's Danube flotilla the most powerful riverine fleet in the world until World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
The main focus of the Romanian Navy during the interwar period was the Black Sea
Black Sea
The Black Sea is bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and the Aegean seas and various straits. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects that sea to the Aegean...
fleet. In 1920, two of the initial four destroyers ordered from Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
were received. These ships from Mărăști class
Marasti class destroyer
The Mărăști class were a group of destroyers built in Italy for the Romanian Navy. The ships fought in both world wars but for different owners and had a complex history.-History:...
were renamed Mărășești and Mărăști. Four gunboats were purchased from the French Navy
French Navy
The French Navy, officially the Marine nationale and often called La Royale is the maritime arm of the French military. It includes a full range of fighting vessels, from patrol boats to a nuclear powered aircraft carrier and 10 nuclear-powered submarines, four of which are capable of launching...
: Stihi, Dumitrescu, Lepri and Ghiculescu. Another gunboat of the same class was bought for spares. Seven torpedo boats were received as war reparations from Austro-Hungaria. The torpedo boat Fulgerul however was lost during the trip to Romania when she capsized and sank in the Bosphorus in 1922. Năluca, Sborul and Smeul, three of these old torpedo boats, will later see service in World War II. In 1926, two additional destroyers were ordered from Italy: Regele Ferdinand and Regina Maria of the Regele Ferdinand class destroyer
Regele Ferdinand class destroyer
The Regele Ferdinand Class was two destroyers built in Italy for the Romanian Navy, which fought in World War II.-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...
, together with the Romanian Navy's first submarine, Delfinul, and the submarine depot ship Constanța. These ships were commissioned between 1930 and 1936.
In 1936, a new rearmament program was proposed. The new plan envisioned a cruiser, four destroyers, three submarines, four minelayers and twelve motor torpedo boats. A number of these warships would have been built under license in Romania at Galați, where a new dry dock was developed. However, the navy had a low priority within the Romanian Army. As a result, only the Romanian-built minelayer Amiral Murgescu and three British-built motor torpedo boats (received in February 1940 and designated: Viforul, Vijelia and Viscolul) were received before the Second World War. Another nine British motor torpedo boats were to be built under license at Galați, but this plan was canceled after Romania joined the Axis
Axis Powers
The Axis powers , also known as the Axis alliance, Axis nations, Axis countries, or just the Axis, was an alignment of great powers during the mid-20th century that fought World War II against the Allies. It began in 1936 with treaties of friendship between Germany and Italy and between Germany and...
. The river monitors from the Danube squadron were modernized between 1937 and 1943 at Galați.
The expansion of the Romanian Navy during the interwar period required more training facilities and ships. The first step towards this issue was taken in 1920, when a naval college was founded at Constanța. In 1938, the sail ship Mircea
Mircea (ship)
The Mircea is a three masted barque, built in 1938 in Hamburg by the Blohm & Voss shipyard as a training vessel for the Romanian Navy. Her design is based on the successful plans of the Gorch Fock; the last of a series of four sister ships. The ship is named after the Wallachian Prince Mircea the...
was built in Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
by the Blohm & Voss shipyard as a training vessel for the Romanian Navy. The SMR (Serviciul Maritim Român, the Romanian state merchant marine) was also endowed with a number of new ships: the steamer Oituz, the ex-German freighters Ardeal, Peleș, Alba Iulia and Suceava (all of them commissioned between 1932-1933), the passenger liners Basarabia and Transilvania (bought from Germany in 1938) and four new freighters from Italy just before the start of the Second World War: Balcic, Cavarna, Mangalia and Sulina. In 1940, the SMR had 17 merchant ships with a total of over 72,000 tons of shipping.
Romanian Navy during World War II
In 1941, The Royal Romanian Navy had four destroyers (Mărășești, Mărăști, Regele Ferdinand and Regina Maria), three gunboats, one submarine (DelfinulNMS Dolphin
NMS Dolphin, is a Romanian submarine that served in the Black Sea during the Second World War. It was the first submarine bought by the Romanian Navy...
), three motor torpedo boats, one minelayer, three auxiliary minelayers, fifteen small auxiliary vessels and twenty seaplanes. The Mărăști class
Marasti class destroyer
The Mărăști class were a group of destroyers built in Italy for the Romanian Navy. The ships fought in both world wars but for different owners and had a complex history.-History:...
destroyers were obsolete warships that had seen service with the Italian Navy during World War I as Sparviero and Nibbio. The destroyer Mărăști (ex-Sparviero) had a cracked shaft and could not exceed the speed of 24 knots. As a result, Mărăști never ventured far from the coast. Delfinul, the only Axis submarine present in the Black Sea
Black Sea
The Black Sea is bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and the Aegean seas and various straits. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects that sea to the Aegean...
in 1941, was obsolete and mechanically unreliable. In comparison, the Soviet Black Sea Fleet
Black Sea Fleet
The Black Sea Fleet is a large operational-strategic sub-unit of the Russian Navy, operating in the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea since the late 18th century. It is based in various harbors of the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov....
had a battleship, three medium cruisers, three light cruisers, three flotilla leaders, eight modern destroyers, five old destroyers, two large torpedo boats, 47 submarines and many other auxiliary and small vessels. The overwhelming superiority of the Soviet Navy
Soviet Navy
The Soviet Navy was the naval arm of the Soviet Armed Forces. Often referred to as the Red Fleet, the Soviet Navy would have played an instrumental role in a Warsaw Pact war with NATO, where it would have attempted to prevent naval convoys from bringing reinforcements across the Atlantic Ocean...
forced the Royal Romanian Navy to conduct mainly defensive operations throughout the entire war and its warships rarely hazarded further east than Cape Sarych.
The two Regele Ferdinand class destroyers were the most powerful surface units available to the Axis powers
Axis Powers
The Axis powers , also known as the Axis alliance, Axis nations, Axis countries, or just the Axis, was an alignment of great powers during the mid-20th century that fought World War II against the Allies. It began in 1936 with treaties of friendship between Germany and Italy and between Germany and...
during the naval war in the Black Sea
Black Sea Campaigns (1941-44)
The Black Sea Campaigns are the operations of the Axis and Soviet naval forces in the Black Sea and its coastal regions during World War II between 1941 and 1944, including in support of the land forces, and non-combat operations....
but were mostly used for convoy escort. The Romanian-built minelayer Amiral Murgescu and the three auxiliary minelayers of the Romanian Navy played an important role in the defence of Constanța in 1941 and later in securing the merchant convoy routes to the Bosporus
Bosporus
The Bosphorus or Bosporus , also known as the Istanbul Strait , is a strait that forms part of the boundary between Europe and Asia. It is one of the Turkish Straits, along with the Dardanelles...
and the supply routes to Odessa
Odessa
Odessa or Odesa is the administrative center of the Odessa Oblast located in southern Ukraine. The city is a major seaport located on the northwest shore of the Black Sea and the fourth largest city in Ukraine with a population of 1,029,000 .The predecessor of Odessa, a small Tatar settlement,...
and Sevastopol
Sevastopol
Sevastopol is a city on rights of administrative division of Ukraine, located on the Black Sea coast of the Crimea peninsula. It has a population of 342,451 . Sevastopol is the second largest port in Ukraine, after the Port of Odessa....
. Mines were the main cause of Soviet submarine losses in the Black Sea naval war. During World War II, the Royal Romanian Navy received two submarines built at Galați
Galati
Galați is a city and municipality in Romania, the capital of Galați County. Located in the historical region of Moldavia, in the close vicinity of Brăila, Galați is the largest port and sea port on the Danube River and the second largest Romanian port....
and a number of small other vessels. The two submarines, Rechinul and Marsuinul, were received however too late in the war to see significant action, as after 1941 there were very few available targets.
The Royal Romanian Navy was involved in the evacuation of Axis forces from Crimea in 1944. The Romanian naval commander, Rear Admiral Horia Macellariu
Horia Macellariu
Horia Macellariu was a Romanian Counter Admiral, commander of the Romanian Naval Forces during World War II.-Awards:* Iron Cross 2nd and 1st Class* Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross...
, was awarded the German Ritterkreuz after Operation 60,000, the contingency plan for the evacuation of Crimea
Crimea
Crimea , or the Autonomous Republic of Crimea , is a sub-national unit, an autonomous republic, of Ukraine. It is located on the northern coast of the Black Sea, occupying a peninsula of the same name...
. Until King Michael's Coup
King Michael's Coup
King Michael's Coup refers to the coup d'etat led by King Michael of Romania in 1944 against the pro-Nazi Romanian faction of Ion Antonescu, after the Axis front in Northeastern Romania collapsed under the Soviet offensive.-The coup:...
, the Romanian Navy retreated behind the protection of the coastal mine barrages and anti-aircraft defences of Constanța as the Soviet Air Force
Soviet Air Force
The Soviet Air Force, officially known in Russian as Военно-воздушные силы or Voenno-Vozdushnye Sily and often abbreviated VVS was the official designation of one of the air forces of the Soviet Union. The other was the Soviet Air Defence Forces...
began to launch heavy air attacks. On the capitulation of Romania in August 1944, the German warships were ordered to leave Romanian harbours. However, when the Soviet minesweeper T-410 Vzryv, accompanied by the Romanian minelayer Amiral Murgescu, was sunk by a German submarine, the Soviet Navy accused the Royal Romanian Navy of betrayal and seized all vessels using this excuse on the 5th of September 1944. By this late stage of the war, only two destroyers (Regina Maria and Mărășești), two gunboats (Dumitrescu and Ghiculescu), one minelayer (Amiral Murgescu) and three motor torpedo boats were still operational. The rest of the warships were in repairs after the evacuation of Crimea and the Soviet air attacks of the last couple of months or had been relegated to training duties. The Soviet Navy moved all Romanian warships to Caucasian
Caucasus
The Caucasus, also Caucas or Caucasia , is a geopolitical region at the border of Europe and Asia, and situated between the Black and the Caspian sea...
ports. They were not return until after the war. The older vessels were received in September 1945, while the more modern ones (such as the Regele Ferdinand class) were kept by the Soviet Black Sea Fleet until early 1950s. A number of warships were never returned.
The largest Romanian warship loss of the entire war was the accidental sinking of the gunboat Lepri. The gunboat ran into a Romanian mine laid by the auxiliary minelayer Aurora near Sulina
Sulina
Sulina is a town and free port in Tulcea County, Romania, at the mouth of the Sulina branch of the Danube. It is the easternmost point of Romania and of the continental European Union.-History:...
in January 1941, when hostilities between the Soviet Union and the Axis had not begun. While the Royal Romanian Navy had light losses throughout the war, the state merchant navy was practically non-existent by late 1944: every ship of the SMR was sunk or damaged by the Soviet Navy and Air Force because of the light Romanian and German forces in the Black Sea that were unable to provide adequate protection.
Organisation
This is the current structure of the Romanian Navy:- Fleet Command
- 56 Frigate Flotilla (MărășeștiMarasesti (frigate)Mărășești is a frigate currently serving with the Romanian Navy, named after Mărășești, the site of a Romanian victory in World War I. Mărășești served as the flagship of the navy between 1985 and 2004, when Regele Ferdinand became the new flagship...
, Regele Ferdinand and Regina Maria.) - 150 Missile Fast Patrol Boat Squadron (Tarantul-ITarantul class corvetteThe Project 1241.1 Molniya are a class of Soviet missile corvettes. They have the NATO reporting name Tarantul...
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 Kogălniceanu classMihail Kogălniceanu class river monitorThe Mihail Kogălniceanu class river monitor is a class of riverine patrol boats in service with the Romanian Naval Forces. Three ships of this class are currently in service with the Romanian Navy.-Ships:...
and Brutar-II class) - 88 River Patrol Boat Squadron (VB 76 class)
- 67 Gunboat Squadron (Mihail Kogălniceanu class
- 56 Frigate Flotilla (Mărășești
- "Mircea cel Bătrân" Naval AcademyMircea cel Batrân Naval AcademyThe Mircea cel Bătrân Naval Academy is a higher education institution based in the Black Sea port of Constanţa that trains officers for the Romanian Naval Forces, as well as maritime officers and engineers for the merchant marine.-History:...
- "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
Bases
As of 2011, the naval bases are in:- ConstanțaConstantaConstanța is the oldest extant city in Romania, founded around 600 BC. The city is located in the Dobruja region of Romania, on the Black Sea coast. It is the capital of Constanța County and the largest city in the region....
- home of the frigate flotilla. - MangaliaMangaliaMangalia , is a city and a port on the coast of the Black Sea in the south-east of Constanţa County, Romania.The municipality of Mangalia also administers several summer time seaside resorts: Cap Aurora, Jupiter, Neptun, Olimp, Saturn, Venus.-History:...
- home of the corvette squadron. - TulceaTulceaTulcea is a city in Dobrogea, Romania. It is the administrative center of Tulcea county, and has a population of 92,379 as of 2007. One village, Tudor Vladimirescu, is administered by the city.- History :...
- home of the Smârdan (Brutar-II) class river patrol monitors. - BrăilaBrailaBrăila is a city in Muntenia, eastern Romania, a port on the Danube and the capital of Brăila County, in the close vicinity of Galaţi.According to the 2002 Romanian census there were 216,292 people living within the city of Brăila, making it the 10th most populous city in Romania.-History:A...
- home of the Mihail Kogălniceanu class river patrol monitorsMihail Kogălniceanu class river monitorThe Mihail Kogălniceanu class river monitor is a class of riverine patrol boats in service with the Romanian Naval Forces. Three ships of this class are currently in service with the Romanian Navy.-Ships:...
and the VB 141 class small river patrol monitors.
Naval infantry
The 307th Marine Battalion ('Batalionul 307 Infanterie Marină') is the costal defence unit of the Romanian Navy. The unitwas formed in the mid 1970s for the defence of the Danube Delta
Danube Delta
The Danube Delta is the second largest river delta in Europe, after the Volga Delta, and is the best preserved on the continent. The greater part of the Danube Delta lies in Romania , while its northern part, on the left bank of the Chilia arm, is situated in Ukraine . The approximate surface is...
and Romanian Black Sea
Black Sea
The Black Sea is bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and the Aegean seas and various straits. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects that sea to the Aegean...
shore. It was initially located at 2 Mai
2 Mai
2 Mai is a village in Limanu commune, Constanţa County, Romania, and a small resort on the shore of the Black Sea, between Mangalia and Vama Veche....
village near Mangalia
Mangalia
Mangalia , is a city and a port on the coast of the Black Sea in the south-east of Constanţa County, Romania.The municipality of Mangalia also administers several summer time seaside resorts: Cap Aurora, Jupiter, Neptun, Olimp, Saturn, Venus.-History:...
, but since 1975 the Marine Battalion was moved to Babadag
Babadag
Babadag is a town in Tulcea county, Romania, located on a small lake formed by the Taiţa river, in the densely wooded highlands of northern Dobruja. Its name means "the mountain of the father" in Turkish...
, Tulcea County
Tulcea County
Tulcea is a county of Romania, in the historical region Dobruja, with the capital city at Tulcea.-Demographics:In 2002, Tulcea County had a population of 256,492...
. "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
Military base
A military base is a facility directly owned and operated by or for the military or one of its branches that shelters military equipment and personnel, and facilitates training and operations. In general, a military base provides accommodations for one or more units, but it may also be used as a...
is near the largest military training range in Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
.
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
Pusca Automata model 1986
The Puşcă Automată model 1986 is the standard assault rifle used by the Romanian Military Forces and manufactured in Cugir, Romania by firm RomArm S.A. located in Bucharest, Romania...
assault rifle
Assault rifle
An assault rifle is a selective fire rifle that uses an intermediate cartridge and a detachable magazine. Assault rifles are the standard infantry weapons in most modern armies...
s, PM md. 64
RPK
The RPK is a 7.62x39mm light machine gun of Soviet design, developed by Mikhail Kalashnikov in the late 1950s, parallel with the AKM assault/battle rifle...
light machine gun
Light machine gun
A light machine gun is a machine gun designed to be employed by an individual soldier, with or without an assistant, as an infantry support weapon. Light machine guns are often used as squad automatic weapons.-Characteristics:...
s, Md. 66
PK machine gun
The PK is a 7.62 mm general-purpose machine gun designed in the Soviet Union and currently in production in Russia. The PK machine gun was introduced in the 1960s and replaced the SGM and RPD machine guns in Soviet service...
machine gun
Machine gun
A machine gun is a fully automatic mounted or portable firearm, usually designed to fire rounds in quick succession from an ammunition belt or large-capacity magazine, typically at a rate of several hundred rounds per minute....
s, 60/82/120mm mortar
Mortar
Mortar has several meanings:* Mortar , material used in masonry to fill the gaps between blocks and bind them together.* Mortar fires shells at a much lower velocity and higher ballistic arc than other ordnance....
s, AG-7
RPG-7
The RPG-7 is a widely-produced, portable, unguided, shoulder-launched, anti-tank rocket-propelled grenade launcher. Originally the RPG-7 and its predecessor, the RPG-2, were designed by the Soviet Union, and now manufactured by the Bazalt company...
and AG-9
SPG-9
The SPG-9 Kopye is a Russian tripod-mounted man-portable, 73 millimetre calibre recoilless gun developed by the Soviet Union. It fires fin-stabilised, rocket-assisted HE and HEAT projectiles similar to those fired by the 73 mm 2A28 Grom low pressure gun of the BMP-1 vehicle...
launchers, 76mm Md. 82 mountain howitzers
Mountain gun
Mountain guns are artillery pieces designed for use in mountain warfare and areas where usual wheeled transport is not possible. They are similar to infantry support guns, and are generally capable of being broken down into smaller loads .Due to their ability to be broken down into smaller...
, 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
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
and Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
that were organized locally or abroad. Also, two companies from this unit have participated in the KFOR mission "Joint Enterprise" in 2008-09.
Fleet composition
The Romanian Navy is organized in one Frigate Flotilla and one Riverine Flotilla. Equipment includes two Type 22Type 22 frigate
The Type 22 Broadsword class is a class of frigate built for the British Royal Navy. Fourteen of the class were built in total, with production divided into three batches. With the decommissioning of HMS Cornwall on 30 June 2011, the final Type 22 of the Royal Navy was retired from service...
frigates, one "Mărășești
Romanian frigate Mărăşeşti
Mărășești is a frigate currently serving with the Romanian Navy, named after Mărășești, the site of a Romanian victory in World War I. Mărășești served as the flagship of the navy between 1985 and 2004, when Regele Ferdinand became the new flagship...
" class frigate, four corvettes (two Tetal-I and two Tetal-II), three Tarantul-I
Tarantul class corvette
The Project 1241.1 Molniya are a class of Soviet missile corvettes. They have the NATO reporting name Tarantul...
missile corvettes, three Osa class
Osa class missile boat
The 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...
torpedo boats, one minelayer, four minesweepers, three "Mihail Kogălniceanu" class river patrol monitors
Mihail Kogălniceanu class river monitor
The Mihail Kogălniceanu class river monitor is a class of riverine patrol boats in service with the Romanian Naval Forces. Three ships of this class are currently in service with the Romanian Navy.-Ships:...
, 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 Constanţa
Constanta
Constanța is the oldest extant city in Romania, founded around 600 BC. The city is located in the Dobruja region of Romania, on the Black Sea coast. It is the capital of Constanța County and the largest city in the region....
. The current chief of the Romanian Navy, succeeding Vice Admiral
Vice Admiral
Vice admiral is a senior naval rank of a three-star flag officer, which is equivalent to lieutenant general in the other uniformed services. A vice admiral is typically senior to a rear admiral and junior to an admiral...
Dorin Dănilă
Dorin Danila
Viceamiral Dorin Dănilă was the Chief of the Romanian Naval Forces Staff from 3 November 2006 to 3 July 2010, when he was promoted to the rank of Vice Admiral and discharged from active duty.-Studies:...
on 3 July 2010, is Vice Admiral
Vice Admiral
Vice admiral is a senior naval rank of a three-star flag officer, which is equivalent to lieutenant general in the other uniformed services. A vice admiral is typically senior to a rear admiral and junior to an admiral...
Aurel Popa.
The Romanian Naval Forces ordered three IAR 330 Puma Naval
IAR 330
|-See also:-External links:*...
helicopters, with the last one being commissioned in December 2008. The helicopters are in a similar configuration to those of the Romanian Air Force
Romanian Air Force
The Romanian Air Force is the air force branch of the Romanian Armed Forces. It has an air force headquarters, an operational command, four air bases and an air defense brigade...
, 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
Search and rescue
Search and rescue is the search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger.The general field of search and rescue includes many specialty sub-fields, mostly based upon terrain considerations...
, medevac
MEDEVAC
Medical evacuation, often termed Medevac or Medivac, is the timely and efficient movement and en route care provided by medical personnel to the wounded being evacuated from the battlefield or to injured patients being evacuated from the scene of an accident to receiving medical facilities using...
and maritime surveillance missions.
See also
- Admiral Petre Bărbuneanu class frigateAdmiral Petre Barbuneanu class frigateThe Admiral Petre Bărbuneanu class corvette is a class of corvettes in service with the Romanian Naval Forces. Only two corvettes out of a total of four are still in service....
(demoted to corvette) - Mărăşti class destroyerMarasti class destroyerThe Mărăști class were a group of destroyers built in Italy for the Romanian Navy. The ships fought in both world wars but for different owners and had a complex history.-History:...