Bulgarian Navy

Bulgarian Navy Военноморски сили на Република България Voennomorski sili na Republika Balgariya
Ensign of the Bulgarian Navy
Active	13 January 1899–present
Country	Bulgaria
Branch	Bulgarian Armed Forces
Type	Navy
Size	4,100 personnel (2009)
Part of	Ministry of Defence
Garrison/HQ	Varna Atia
Anniversaries	9 August
Engagements	First Balkan War Second Balkan War World War I World War II
Commanders
Current commander	Rear Admiral Rumen Nikolov
Insignia
Naval Ensign
Naval Jack
Coastguard Ensign

The Bulgarian Navy (Bulgarian: Военноморски сили на Република България, Voennomorski sili na Republika Balgariya) is the navy of the Republic of Bulgaria and forms part of the Bulgarian Armed Forces. It has been largely overlooked in the reforms that Bulgaria had to go through in order to comply with NATO standards, mostly because of the great expense involved and the fact that naval assaults are not considered to be a great concern for the country's security. That is why three of the four Romeo-class submarines (excluding Slava) are now docked and have been out of operation for some time. The last one was decommissioned in November 2011.^[1] Only the more modern frigates, corvettes and missile crafts are on active duty.

In order to meet some of the NATO requirements, the Bulgarian government purchased a Wielingen-class frigate from Belgium in 2005. BNS Wandelaar (F-912), built in 1977, was renamed BG Drazki. That same year the Bulgarian ship Smeli took part as a full NATO member for the first time in NATO OAE (Operation Active Endeavour). In 2006, following a decision of the Bulgarian National Assembly, Drazki deployed as part of the United Nations Interim Forces in Lebanon (UNIFIL), patrolling the territorial waters of Lebanon under German command. This was the first time the Bulgarian Navy took part in an international peacekeeping operation. The Bulgarian government purchased two Wielingen-class frigates and one Tripartite-class minehunter in 2007.

The Bulgarian Navy is centred in two main bases. One is near the city of Varna. The other is Atiya Naval Base, near the city of Burgas.

Operational history

First Balkan War

The Bulgarian Navy's first combat action was the 1912 Battle of Kaliakra during the First Balkan War, when the Bulgarian torpedo boat Drazki attacked and crippled and Ottoman cruiser.

Second Balkan War

The Bulgarian Navy scuttled it's four Danube gunboats during the Second Balkan War, probably to avoid capture by the invading Romanian Army.^[2]

World War I

When Bulgaria entered World War I in 1915, it's navy consisted mainly of a French-built torpedo gunboat called Nadezhda and six torpedo boats. It mainly engaged in mine warfare actions in the Black Sea against the Russian Black Sea Fleet and allowed the Germans to station two U-boats at Varna, one of which came under Bulgarian control in 1916 as Podvodnik No. 18. Russian mines sank one Bulgarian torpedo boat and damaged one more during the war.^[3]

World War II

Operation Varna
Part of Black Sea campaigns (1941-44)
Date 7 - 16 October 1941 Location Bulgarian Black Sea coast
Belligerents
Romania Bulgaria	Soviet Union
Strength
Romanian Navy 3 minelayers 3 torpedo boats 2 gunboats Bulgarian Navy 3 torpedo boats	Black Sea Fleet
Casualties and losses
1 minelayer sunk	4 submarines sunk

The Bulgarian Navy received German help after joining the Axis, with five modern Lurrsen type motor torpedo boats and three more formerly Dutch motor torpedo boats supplementing the existing force of four obsolete Drazki-class torpedo boats. Bulgaria saw little naval fighting during the War, its main action being in October 1941.^[4] The so-called Operation Varna consisted in the minelaying of the Bulgarian coast by the Romanian minelayers Amiral Murgescu, Regele Carol I and Dacia, escorted by Romanian 250t-class torpedo boats Năluca, Sborul and Smeul, Romanian gunboats Sublocotenent Ghiculescu and Căpitan Dumitrescu and Bulgarian torpedo boats Drazki, Smeli and Hrabri.^[5] The operation, lasting between 7 and 16 October, was largely successful, as despite the loss of the Romanian minelayer Regele Carol I to a Soviet mine,^[6] the five minefields laid by the Romanian minelayers sank up to 4 Soviet submarines (S-34, L-24, Shch-210 and Shch-211).^[7]

Structure

Project 1241.2E (Pauk-class) corvette Reshitelni

The Bulgarian fleet in Varna

The Wielingen-class frigate ex-Westdiep, now BGS Gordi

• Naval Forces Command, Varna
  • Naval Forces Staff
  • Naval Operations Center
  • Coastal Fundamental System for CIS Support
  • Coastal Information Detachment
  • Independent Electronic Surveillance Detachment
  • Command, Control and Communications Units
  • Naval Base Command
    • Naval Base Staff
    • Naval Base Location Varna
    • Naval Base Location Atia
    • Repair and Maintenance Center
    • Armament and Equipment Storage
    • Ship Divisions
      • 1st Patrol Ships Division
      • 3rd Mine Counter-Measure Division
      • 4th Patrol Ships Division
      • 6th Mine Counter-Measure Division
      • 18th Support Ships Division
      • 96th Support Ships Division
    • 2nd Coastal Anti-Ship Missile and Artillery Battalion
  • Independent Naval Helicopter Air Base "Chayka"
  • 63rd Naval Special Forces Reconnaissance Detachment "Black Sea Sharks"
  • Hydrographical Service of the Naval Forces
  • Equipment Storage Base of the Naval Forces
  • Military Police Company of the Naval Forces Command

A "Division" is the equivalent of land forces battalion or air force squadron as the Bulgarian Navy follows the Russian naval tradition, according to which an "Operational Squadron" or "Оперативная эскадра" is a temporary formation, an equivalent of a land forces division and in modern times a "Squadron" of the Russian Navy is an equivalent of a land forces corps.

According to the reform plans envisioned in the White Paper on Defence 2010, the two naval bases would be merged into one with two base facilities in Varna and Burgas. The manpower of the Navy would account to about 3,400 seamen. The ordered Eurocopter AS565 MB Panther helicopters were reduced from 6 to 3 units. Between 2011 and 2020 the naval "Longterm Investment Plan" should come into action, providing the sea arm of the Bulgarian military with modernised ships and new equipment.

Ships

The Bulgarian Navy will modernise three of its Wielingen-class frigates in the future. The frigates will be equipped with landing pads, allowing helicopters to land and take off from the ships' decks.^[8] The list does not include vessels assigned to the border police.

Name	Type	Class	Origin	Details
1st Patrol Ships Division (Naval Base Location Varna)
Reshitelni (13) (Решителни - Decisive)	ASW Corvette	Pauk	Soviet Union	[9]
Bodri (14) (Бодри - Brisk)	ASW Corvette	Pauk	Soviet Union	[9]
Smeli (11) (Смели - Brave)	Frigate	Koni	Soviet Union	[10]
3rd Mine Counter-Measure Division (Naval Base Location Varna)
Tsibar (32) (Цибър)	Minehunter	Tripartite	Belgium	ex-Belgian Myosotis[11]
Hull numbers 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56	Minesweeper	Olya	Soviet Union	[12]
Iskar (31) (Искър)	Minesweeper	Vanya	Soviet Union	[13]
Dobrotich (33) (Добротич)	Minesweeper	Vanya	Soviet Union	[13]
Captain-lieutenant Kiril Minkov (34)	Minesweeper	Vanya	Soviet Union	[13]
Captain 1st rank Dimitar Paskalev (36)	Minesweeper	Vanya	Soviet Union	[13]
4th Patrol Ships Division (Naval Base Location Atia)
Drazki (41) (Дръзки - Daring)	Frigate	Wielingen	Belgium	ex-Belgian frigate Wandelaar[14]
Verni (42) (Верни - Loyal)	Frigate	Wielingen	Belgium	ex-Belgian frigate Wielingen[14]
Gordi (43) (Горди - Proud)	Frigate	Wielingen	Belgium	ex-Belgian frigate Westdiep[14]
Malniya (101) (Мълния - Lightning)	Corvette	Tarantul	Soviet Union	[15]
6th Mine Counter-Measure Division (Naval Base Location Atia)
Briz (61) (Бриз - Sea breeze)	Minesweeper	Sonya	Soviet Union	[16]
Shkval (62) (Шквал - Squall)	Minesweeper	Sonya	Soviet Union	[16]
Priboi (63) (Прибой - Breaking wave)	Minesweeper	Sonya	Soviet Union	[16]
Hull numbers 65, 66, 67, 68	Minesweeper	Yevgenya	Soviet Union	[17]
18th Support Ships Division (Naval Base Location Varna)
Captain 1st rank Dimitar Dobrev (206)	Degaussing ship	Type 1799 degaussing ship	Poland	[18]
Hull numbers 121, 215, 216	Cutter	Project 160 multi-purpose cutter	Bulgaria	[19]
Hull number 223	Cutter	Project 245 cutter	Bulgaria	[20]
Hull number 231	Cutter	Project 612 survey cutter	Bulgaria	[21]
Balchik (203) (Балчик)	Tanker	Project 650 tanker	Bulgaria	[22]
Proteo (224) (Протео)	Rescue vessel		Italy	ex-Italian А 5310 Proteo[23][24]
Hull number 211	Tugboat		Bulgaria	[25]
96th Support Ships Division (Naval Base Location Atia)
Antares (301) (Антарес)	Landing ship	Polnocny	Poland	[26]
Hull numbers 312, 313	Cutter	Project 160 multi-purpose cutter	Bulgaria	[19]
Hull number 323	Cutter	Project 245 cutter	Bulgaria	[20]
Hull number 331	Cutter	Project 612 survey cutter	Bulgaria	[21]
Akin (303) (Акин)	Tanker	Project 650 tanker	Bulgaria	[22]
Aheloy (321) (Ахелой)	Fireboat	Project 250 fireboat	Bulgaria	[27]
Hull number 410	Tugboat		Bulgaria	[25]
Naval academy "N.Y. Vaptsarov" (Naval Base Location Varna)
Hull number 421	Training vessel		Bulgaria	[28]

Bulgarian Eurocopter AS565 Panther in Paris Air Show

Aircraft

3 Eurocopter AS565 Panther (6 originally ordered, 3 later canceled)

3 Mil Mi-14 (plans for modernisation but currently not in flying condition)

Equipment

Type	Origin	Details
Exocet	France	anti-ship missiles
P-15MC Termit	Soviet Union	anti-ship missiles
RIM-7 Sea Sparrow	United States	surface-to-air missiles
SA-N-4	Soviet Union	surface-to-air missiles
SA-N-5	Soviet Union	surface-to-air missiles

References

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