The Cyprus Naval Command ( el, Ναυτική Διοίκηση Κύπρου, tr, Kıbrıs Deniz Kuvvetleri) (also known as the Cyprus Navy or Cypriot Navy) is the armed sea wing of the
Cyprus National Guard
, name2 = National Guard General Staff
, image = Emblem of the Cypriot National Guard.svg
, image_size = 100px
, caption = Emblem of the National Guard of Cyprus
, image2 = Flag of the ...
.
The Cypriot Navy has the primary mission of defending the
maritime border
A maritime boundary is a conceptual division of the Earth's water surface areas using physiographic or geopolitical criteria. As such, it usually bounds areas of exclusive national rights over mineral and biological resources,VLIZ Maritime Boun ...
s of the
Republic of Cyprus
Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is geo ...
, but is currently unable to access the waters around
Northern Cyprus
Northern Cyprus ( tr, Kuzey Kıbrıs), officially the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC; tr, Kuzey Kıbrıs Türk Cumhuriyeti, ''KKTC''), is a ''de facto'' state that comprises the northeastern portion of the Geography of Cyprus, isl ...
, which have been controlled by the
Turkish Navy
The Turkish Naval Forces ( tr, ), or Turkish Navy ( tr, ) is the naval warfare service branch of the Turkish Armed Forces.
The modern naval traditions and customs of the Turkish Navy can be traced back to 10 July 1920, when it was establi ...
since the 1974
Turkish invasion of Cyprus
The Turkish invasion of Cyprus began on 20 July 1974 and progressed in two phases over the following month. Taking place upon a background of Cypriot intercommunal violence, intercommunal violence between Greek Cypriots, Greek and Turkish ...
.
This force does not possess any
capital ship
The capital ships of a navy are its most important warships; they are generally the larger ships when compared to other warships in their respective fleet. A capital ship is generally a leading or a primary ship in a naval fleet.
Strategic im ...
s or other major
warship
A warship or combatant ship is a naval ship that is built and primarily intended for naval warfare. Usually they belong to the armed forces of a state. As well as being armed, warships are designed to withstand damage and are usually faster a ...
s, but is equipped with
patrol boat
A patrol boat (also referred to as a patrol craft, patrol ship, or patrol vessel) is a relatively small naval vessel generally designed for coastal defence, border security, or law enforcement. There are many designs for patrol boats, and the ...
s,
landing craft
Landing craft are small and medium seagoing watercraft, such as boats and barges, used to convey a landing force (infantry and vehicles) from the sea to the shore during an amphibious assault. The term excludes landing ships, which are larger. Pr ...
,
surface-to-surface missile
A surface-to-surface missile (SSM) or ground-to-ground missile (GGM) is a missile designed to be launched from the ground or the sea and strike targets on land or at sea. They may be fired from hand-held or vehicle mounted devices, from fixed ins ...
systems and integrated
radar
Radar is a detection system that uses radio waves to determine the distance (''ranging''), angle, and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, w ...
systems, as well as SEALs-type naval underwater demolitions units.
History
Combat actions of 1964
On 6 August 1964,
Cyprus National Guard
, name2 = National Guard General Staff
, image = Emblem of the Cypriot National Guard.svg
, image_size = 100px
, caption = Emblem of the National Guard of Cyprus
, image2 = Flag of the ...
forces commenced combat action against the
Turkish Cypriot
Turkish Cypriots or Cypriot Turks ( tr, Kıbrıs Türkleri or ''Kıbrıslı Türkler''; el, Τουρκοκύπριοι, Tourkokýprioi) are ethnic Turks originating from Cyprus. Following the Ottoman conquest of the island in 1571, about 30,00 ...
enclave of
Kokkina
Kokkina ( el, Κόκκινα []; tr, Erenköy or ) is a coastal exclave (pene-exclave) of the ''de facto'' Northern Cyprus, and a former Turkish Cypriot enclave in Cyprus. It is surrounded by mountainous territory, with the Morphou Bay on it ...
, in the north-west of Cyprus. This operation was regarded by both
Cyprus
Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is geo ...
and
Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...
as a necessary
interdiction Interdiction is a military term for the act of delaying, disrupting, or destroying enemy forces or supplies en route to the battle area. A distinction is often made between strategic and tactical interdiction. The former refers to operations whose ...
against a threat by Turkish Cypriot
militia
A militia () is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non-professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of r ...
, who were using Kokkina as a
beachhead
A beachhead is a temporary line created when a military unit reaches a landing beach by sea and begins to defend the area as other reinforcements arrive. Once a large enough unit is assembled, the invading force can begin advancing inland. The ...
by which to land supplies and weapons shipped from Turkey. The Cyprus National Guard forces were under the command of General
George Grivas
George may refer to:
People
* George (given name)
* George (surname)
* George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George
* George Washington, First President of the United States
* George W. Bush, 43rd President ...
, with the blessing of Athens. A combined land and sea attack was launched against Kokkina using two Cyprus Navy R-151 Group
patrol boat
A patrol boat (also referred to as a patrol craft, patrol ship, or patrol vessel) is a relatively small naval vessel generally designed for coastal defence, border security, or law enforcement. There are many designs for patrol boats, and the ...
s, the ''
Phaethon
Phaethon (; grc, Φαέθων, Phaéthōn, ), also spelled Phaëthon, was the son of the Oceanid Clymene and the sun-god Helios in Greek mythology.
According to most authors, Phaethon is the son of Helios, and out of desire to have his par ...
'' (''commander - Second Leuthenant Dimitrios Mitsatsos'') and the ''Arion'', manned by Greek navy personnel. Firing 40mm and 20mm shells, the two patrol boats bombarded the enclave for a period of time, in conjunction with land-based 25-pounder
artillery
Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during siege ...
.
[Cyprus, 1955-1973 By Tom Cooper, www.acig.org]
The battle was well underway on 8 August, when the
Turkish Air Force
The Turkish Air Force ( tr, ) is the aerial warfare service branch of the Turkish Armed Forces. The Turkish Air Force can trace its origins back to June 1911 when it was founded by the Ottoman Empire, however, the air force as it is known t ...
commenced its own attack with
fighter aircraft
Fighter aircraft are fixed-wing military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat. In military conflict, the role of fighter aircraft is to establish air superiority of the battlespace. Domination of the airspace above a battlefield ...
, making numerous strafing passes of Greek Cypriot positions. The vessel ''Phaethon'' was struck by rocket fire and burst into flames, forcing the crew to deliberately run it aground near Xeros Harbour. Seven of the crewmembers on ''Phaethon'' were killed and several wounded in the attack, and the ship was unsalvageable and later stricken.
The second R-151 Group patrol boat, ''Arion'', was attacked by the same Turkish fighter jet formations, and was reportedly struck several times by strafing fire, but escaped to Paphos. During the attack on the ''Arion'', a Turkish
F-100 Super Sabre
The North American F-100 Super Sabre is an American supersonic jet fighter aircraft that served with the United States Air Force (USAF) from 1954 to 1971 and with the Air National Guard (ANG) until 1979. The first of the Century Series of ...
, piloted by Captain
Cengiz Topel
Cengiz Topel (September 2, 1934 – August 8, 1964) was a fighter pilot of the Turkish Air Force, who was tortured to death after his plane was shot down while supporting the Turkish army during the 1964 inter-communal conflict "Erenköy Resista ...
, was struck by 40mm anti-aircraft fire and shot down. The pilot ejected over land but was promptly captured and lynched by members of the Cyprus National Guard.
Naval organization in 1970
MTBs flotilla:
* First squadron; base - Boghazi; boats: ''T-4'', ''T-5'', ''T-6''
* Second squadron; base - Kyrenia; boats: ''T-1'', ''T-2'', ''T-3''
* Patrol Boats squadron; base - Boghazi; boats: ''Leventis'', ''Dedalos''
* Four radar stations (range of detection 45 nautical miles)
* Naval stations at Famagusta, Xylophagos, Limassol, Paphos
* Underwater Demolitions Unit (Boghazi naval base)
Cypriot naval vessels from 1964 to 1974
Main armament
*
40 mm Bofors Mark III L60 gun
*
20 mm Oerlikon Mark 10 L70 cannon
* 14,5 mm 2M-5 machine guns
* 450 mm type 45-52 torpedoes
File:Cyboat3.jpg, Cyprus Navy P-4 "Skinhead" class Motor Torpedo Boat
Combat actions of 1974
On 15 July 1974,
EOKA-B
EOKA-B () was a Greek Cypriot paramilitary organisation formed in 1971 by General Georgios Grivas ("Digenis"). It followed an ultra right-wing nationalistic ideology and had the ultimate goal of achieving the ''enosis'' (union) of Cyprus with ...
and elements of the
Cyprus National Guard
, name2 = National Guard General Staff
, image = Emblem of the Cypriot National Guard.svg
, image_size = 100px
, caption = Emblem of the National Guard of Cyprus
, image2 = Flag of the ...
overthrew the legitimate President,
Archbishop Makarios
Makarios III ( el, Μακάριος Γ΄; born Michael Christodoulou Mouskos) (Greek: Μιχαήλ Χριστοδούλου Μούσκος) (13 August 1913 – 3 August 1977) was a Cypriot politician, archbishop and primate who served as ...
and replaced him with
Nikos Sampson
Nikos Sampson (born Nikos Georgiadis, el, Νίκος Γεωργιάδης; 16 December 1935 – 9 May 2001) was the ''de facto'' president of Cyprus who succeeded Archbishop Makarios, appointed as the president of Cyprus by the Greek military ...
. Makarios escaped an initial attempt to capture him at the Archbishiporic in
Nicosia
Nicosia ( ; el, Λευκωσία, Lefkosía ; tr, Lefkoşa ; hy, Նիկոսիա, romanized: ''Nikosia''; Cypriot Arabic: Nikusiya) is the largest city, capital, and seat of government of Cyprus. It is located near the centre of the Mesaor ...
, and fled to
Paphos
Paphos ( el, Πάφος ; tr, Baf) is a coastal city in southwest Cyprus and the capital of Paphos District. In classical antiquity, two locations were called Paphos: Old Paphos, today known as Kouklia, and New Paphos.
The current city of Pap ...
. A naval patrol vessel, ''Leventis'' (pennant number 15) was quickly dispatched to Paphos to begin shelling a radio station there which was being operated by pro-Makarios elements.
[Cyprus 1974 - The Greek coup and the Turkish invasion, Makarios Drousiotis, Hellenic Distribution Agency]
On 20 July 1974, Turkey invaded Cyprus in a surprise-attack, without issuing a
declaration of war
A declaration of war is a formal act by which one state (polity), state announces existing or impending war activity against another. The declaration is a performative speech act (or the signing of a document) by an authorized party of a nationa ...
. A naval force of Turkish vessels was detected by coastal radar at Apostolos Andreas approaching the coast, and a second force of naval vessels was sighted off the coast of Kyrenia during the early hours. The Cyprus National Guard Naval Command quickly ordered its two
motor torpedo boats, ''T-1'' (''commander - Lieutenant Junior Grade Nicolaos Verikios'') and ''T-3'' (''commander - Lieutenant Elefterios Tsomakis''), (based at
Kyrenia
Kyrenia ( el, Κερύνεια ; tr, Girne ) is a city on the northern coast of Cyprus, noted for its historic harbour and castle. It is under the ''de facto'' control of Northern Cyprus.
While there is evidence showing that the wider region ...
) to attack the Turkish flotilla directly. Both vessels were promptly sunk by combined air and sea attack.
The rest of the Cyprus Navy vessels were sunk by their own crews at Naval base "Chrysulis" in Boghazi (14.08.1974). After the conflict, two boats were refloated by Turkish troops and transferred to Golcuk Naval Museum, Turkey (on display with pennant numbers 11 and 12).
Developments from 1975 to 2008
In 1983, the
Navy
A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral zone, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and ...
acquired a single Type 32L Esterel fast patrol craft from France. The vessel has been upgraded, and has heavy
armament
A weapon, arm or armament is any implement or device that can be used to deter, threaten, inflict physical damage, harm, or kill. Weapons are used to increase the efficacy and efficiency of activities such as hunting, crime, law enforcement, s ...
, including two 2-round Mistral-SIMBAD air-defence missile launchers, 1 40mm .70cal OTO-Breda-Bofors AA cannon and 1 20mm .90cal Rheinmetall AA cannon.
[The Naval Institute Guide to Combat Fleets of the World: Their Ships, Aircraft, and Systems By Eric Wertheim Published by Naval Institute Press, 2007 , 9781591149552] Later (circa 2006-2008) 40mm .70cal OTO-Breda-Bofors AA cannon was replaced by 20mm .70cal Oerlikon Mk10 AA cannon.
In 1994,
Cyprus
Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is geo ...
acquired 24 Aerospatiale MM40 Exocet Block-II anti-ship missiles (reportedly initially intended for Iran) from
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
, along with 3 coastal defence batteries.
In 2000, the Cyprus Navy received the ex-
Hellenic Navy
The Hellenic Navy (HN; el, Πολεμικό Ναυτικό, Polemikó Naftikó, War Navy, abbreviated ΠΝ) is the naval force of Greece, part of the Hellenic Armed Forces. The modern Greek navy historically hails from the naval forces of vari ...
patrol boat "''Knossos''", which was renamed "''Kyrenia''", designated ''P02'' and formed the ''Kyrenia'' class. This vessel was Greek made, of the Dilos-class, previously designated P269. This vessel is armed with one single 20mm .70cal Oerlikon Mk10 AA cannon and one 2-round Mistral-SIMBAD air-defence missile launcher.
In 2002, the Cyprus Navy acquired two Rodman 55 fast assault boats for the purpose of serving her
Special Forces
Special forces and special operations forces (SOF) are military units trained to conduct special operations. NATO has defined special operations as "military activities conducted by specially designated, organized, selected, trained and equip ...
units. These fast craft are named "Agathos" and "Panagos".
During 2004-2006, Cyprus took delivery of four FPB 30M type fast
patrol
A patrol is commonly a group of personnel, such as Law enforcement officer, law enforcement officers, military personnel, or Security guard, security personnel, that are assigned to monitor or secure a specific geographic area.
Etymology
Fro ...
craft from
manufacturer
Manufacturing is the creation or production of goods with the help of equipment, labor, machines, tools, and chemical or biological processing or formulation. It is the essence of secondary sector of the economy. The term may refer to a ran ...
Cantierre Navale Vittoria of Italy, of which two were intended for the Navy, and two intended for the Marine Police. These vessels were fitted with single 25mm .80cal KBA OTO-Melara automatic cannons and two single 12.7mm machine guns, equipped with radars and Forward Looking Infra-Red (FLIRs). The Navy pair were issued the pennant numbers ''P03'' and ''P04''.
2011 base disaster
On 11 July 2011, the
Evangelos Florakis Naval Base explosion
On 11 July 2011, at Evangelos Florakis Naval Base, situated at Mari, Larnaca in Cyprus, a large amount of ammunition and military explosives self-detonated, killing 13 people, including the Commander of the Cyprus Navy, Andreas Ioannides, the ba ...
resulted in the destruction of much of the infrastructure of the nation's main naval port and loss of the Commander of Cypriot Navy Captain
Andreas Ioannides. Reconstruction began immediately on the strength of domestic contracts for buildings and structures.
Acquisition of new warships
Following various media reports in 2012 that Cyprus was entertaining offers by Israel and Greece to supply two heavy Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPVs), being far larger and more capable than anything previously operated, it was extensively reported in January 2013 that Cyprus signed an agreement with France to purchase two large, stealthy and well-armed vessels based upon the GOWIND corvette design. This frenzy of media speculation was bolstered by the otherwise sudden and unexplained visit to Cyprus by the L'Adroit, which some sources interpreted as a demonstration of the ship design, to be held at Limassol port from 24 to 26 January 2013. Further unconfirmed reports by the Cyprus media claim to have it on good authority that a US$120 million down payment for the vessels is factored into the 2013 fiscal budget, justified against the financial crisis by emergency defense requirements.
On 14 February 2017 a vessel was presented to Cyprus as a gift from the Sultanate of Oman. It was part of the Royal Omani Navy fleet, but was decommissioned and refitted for use in the waters off Cyprus. The ship was renamed Alasia.
On 15 January 2018 the Cyprus Navy commissioned the Commodore Andreas Ioannides P 61, the ship was built by Israel Shipyards Limited and is based on the Saar 4.5 FAC. The navy has an option for an additional vessel which was exercised as of December 2018.
Structure
Equipment
Vessels
Also 2 Italian-made speedboats Poseidonas 1 and Nireas 1.
Main naval base -
Evangelos Florakis, Mari - Larnaca
Naval stations - Limassol, Pafos
Naval commanders
* September 2000 – 10 July 2002: Captain Nicholas Georgiou (killed in air accident)
* July 2002 – 20 August 2008: Captain Evangelos Valvis
* 20 August 2008 – 11 July 2011: Captain
Andreas Ioannides (
killed in naval base disaster)
* 11 July 2011 – 5 November 2011: Captain George Pitsiakos
* 5 November 2011: Captain Kyriakos Pochanis
* 2019 –:
Rear Admiral
Rear admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, equivalent to a major general and air vice marshal and above that of a commodore and captain, but below that of a vice admiral. It is regarded as a two star "admiral" rank. It is often regarde ...
Charalambos Charalambous
See also
*
Cyprus Joint Rescue Coordination Center
The Cyprus Joint Rescue Coordination Center or JRCC Larnaca (Greek: ) is an independent agency of the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Cyprus and its primary mission is to organize the Cyprus Republic Search and Rescue (SAR) system, to co ...
*
Cyprus Port & Marine Police
The Cyprus Port & Marine Police ( el, Λιμενική και Ναυτική Αστυνομία, tr, Liman ve Deniz Polisi) is the marine police and the civilian Coast Guard wing of the Cyprus Police, and are tasked with the primary mission of ...
*
Evangelos Florakis Naval Base
The Evangelos Florakis Naval Base ( el, Ναυτική Βάση «Ευάγγελος Φλωράκης») is a Cyprus Navy Naval base, base, situated on the island's southern coast adjacent to the Vasilikos Power Station, Vasilikos industrial area ...
*
List of equipment of the Cypriot National Guard
The Cypriot National Guard is a combined arms force and represents the organised air, land and sea capabilities of the Republic of Cyprus. Equipment has in the past, and usually still is, imported from other countries, since the country has on ...
*
Military operations during the Turkish invasion of Cyprus
*
Timeline of the Turkish invasion of Cyprus
This is a timeline of events of the 1974 Cypriot coup d'état and the responding Turkish invasion of Cyprus from 15 July to 16 August 1974.
July 1974
*15 – The Cypriot National Guard and EOKA B, led by the Greek military junta of 1967–7 ...
References
External links
Cyprus Naval Forces in 1964-1974(Russian)
{{Navies in Europe