Somali Navy
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The Somali Navy ( so, Ciidamada Badda Soomaaliyeed, ar, القوات البحرية الصومالية ''Al-Quwwat al-Bahriyah as-Sumaliyah'') is the
naval warfare Naval warfare is combat in and on the sea, the ocean, or any other battlespace involving a major body of water such as a large lake or wide river. Mankind has fought battles on the sea for more than 3,000 years. Even in the interior of large la ...
service branch of the
Somali Armed Forces The Somali Armed Forces are the military forces of the Federal Republic of Somalia. Headed by the president as commander-in-chief, they are constitutionally mandated to ensure the nation's sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity. Ch ...
. During the post-independence period, the Somali Navy mostly did
maritime patrol {{Unreferenced, date=March 2008 Maritime patrol is the task of monitoring areas of water. Generally conducted by military and law enforcement agencies, maritime patrol is usually aimed at identifying human activities. Maritime patrol refers to ac ...
s so as to prevent ships illegally infringing on the nation's maritime borders. The Somali Navy and
Somali Air Force "Lean Together" , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = , equipment = , equipment_l ...
also regularly collaborated. In addition, the Somali Navy carried out
Search and Rescue Search and rescue (SAR) 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, typically determined by the type of terrain the search ...
(SAR) missions.


History

The Somali Navy was founded in 1964 with the help of Soviet military advisers. It had its bases in
Berbera Berbera (; so, Barbara, ar, بربرة) is the capital of the Sahil region of Somaliland and is the main sea port of the country. Berbera is a coastal city and was the former capital of the British Somaliland protectorate before Hargeisa. It ...
, on the
Gulf of Aden The Gulf of Aden ( ar, خليج عدن, so, Gacanka Cadmeed 𐒅𐒖𐒐𐒕𐒌 𐒋𐒖𐒆𐒗𐒒) is a deepwater gulf of the Indian Ocean between Yemen to the north, the Arabian Sea to the east, Djibouti to the west, and the Guardafui Channe ...
and
Kismayo Kismayo ( so, Kismaayo, Maay Maay, Maay: ''Kismanyy'', ar, كيسمايو, ; it, Chisimaio) is a port city in the southern Lower Juba (Jubbada Hoose) province of Somalia. It is the commercial capital of the autonomous Jubaland region. The cit ...
on the
Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or ~19.8% of the water on Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by th ...
near the border with
Kenya ) , national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...
. It also operated a radar facility in
Merca Merca ( so, Marka, Maay Maay, Maay: ''Marky'', ar, مركة) is a historic port city in the southern Lower Shebelle province of Somalia. It is located approximately to the southwest of the nation's capital Mogadishu. Merca is the traditional home ...
. Its inventory consisted of Soviet-made patrol craft. In 1977,
Siad Barre Mohamed Siad Barre ( so, Maxamed Siyaad Barre, Osmanya script: ; ar, محمد سياد بري; c. 1910 – 2 January 1995) was a Somali head of state and general who served as the 3rd president of the Somali Democratic Republic from 1969 to 199 ...
terminated the Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation with Moscow and expelled all Soviet military advisers from Somalia due to their intervention in the
Ogaden War The Ogaden War, or the Ethio-Somali War (, am, የኢትዮጵያ ሶማሊያ ጦርነት, ye’ītiyop’iya somalīya t’orineti), was a military conflict fought between Somalia and Ethiopia from July 1977 to March 1978 over the Ethiopi ...
. In 1990 the naval inventory included two Soviet Osa-II missile-armed fast attack craft, four Soviet Mol PFT torpedo-armed fast attack craft, and several patrol craft. The navy also possessed a Soviet
Polnocny-class landing ship The Polnocny (or Polnochny)-class ships are amphibious warfare vessels. They were designed in Poland, in cooperation with the Soviet Navy and were built in Poland between 1967 and 2002. They now serve in several different navies, and some ha ...
capable of carrying five tanks and 120 soldiers, and four smaller landing craft. The Navy dissolved as Barre's regime fell in 1990–91; there are reports that some vessels took refuge in
Aden Aden ( ar, عدن ' Yemeni: ) is a city, and since 2015, the temporary capital of Yemen, near the eastern approach to the Red Sea (the Gulf of Aden), some east of the strait Bab-el-Mandeb. Its population is approximately 800,000 people. ...
.


Re-establishment

In June 2009, the Somali navy was re-established with a new commander appointed: Admiral Farah Omar Ahmed. Up to 500 naval personnel were training in Mogadishu, with their training expected to finish in December 2009. They were reported as the first batch of a 5000 strong navy force. Admiral Farrah Ahmed Omaar told a
New Yorker New Yorker or ''variant'' primarily refers to: * A resident of the State of New York ** Demographics of New York (state) * A resident of New York City ** List of people from New York City * ''The New Yorker'', a magazine founded in 1925 * ''The New ...
reporter in December 2009 that the navy was 'practically nothing' at the time, though five hundred new recruits were in training. It was said by Admiral Omar that the recruits were being paid $60 per month. A Somali delegation visiting Turkey in August 2011 submitted a request for two search-and-rescue
ship A ship is a large watercraft that travels the world's oceans and other sufficiently deep waterways, carrying cargo or passengers, or in support of specialized missions, such as defense, research, and fishing. Ships are generally distinguished ...
s and six
coast guard A coast guard or coastguard is a maritime security organization of a particular country. The term embraces wide range of responsibilities in different countries, from being a heavily armed military force with customs and security duties to ...
boat A boat is a watercraft of a large range of types and sizes, but generally smaller than a ship, which is distinguished by its larger size, shape, cargo or passenger capacity, or its ability to carry boats. Small boats are typically found on inl ...
s. Worth some 250 million euros, if approved, the request might have turned the new Somali navy into a stronger naval force, capable of curbing piracy and protecting its coastline. In August 2011 a Transitional Federal Government-Puntland cooperative agreement called for the creation of a Somali Marine Force. On 30 June 2012, the
United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (The Middle East). It is located at th ...
announced a contribution of $1 million toward enhancing Somalia's naval security. Boats, equipment and communication gear necessary for the rebuilding of the coast guard would be bought. A central operations naval command was also planned to be set up in Mogadishu. On 23 January 2020, it was announced that the
Turkish Naval Forces 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 establis ...
donated several patrol vessels and amphibious vessels to the Somali Navy as a form of military aid to Somalia and to carry on its commitment to the nations joint task force. In July 2020, it was reported that China and the Somali Navy were planning to Conduct joint naval patrols in the waters including
Somaliland Somaliland,; ar, صوماليلاند ', ' officially the Republic of Somaliland,, ar, جمهورية صوماليلاند, link=no ''Jumhūrīyat Ṣūmālīlānd'' is a ''de facto'' sovereign state in the Horn of Africa, still conside ...
’s coast.


Ships and equipment


Current equipment


Inventory circa 1970s

The following was the Somali Navy's major equipment:


Ranks and uniform

Somali Navy personnel wear camouflage uniforms but with black shoulder boards to identify them as Navy men. They also wear black berets to identify them as such, their service uniform is white, and they traditionally wear black ties alongside a white blazer, shirt, trousers, belts and if their rank allows, golden laces on their dress uniforms and black laces on their regular service dress and black gorget patches with more golden ornate design for flag officers and black formal shoes, however in more recent years, a high collar variant is worn by more junior officers who graduate from Camp TURKSOM's Navy Academy, also Rear Admirals and Commodore Admirals may have a red stripe at the bottom of their shoulder boards (similarly to those in the
Yemeni Navy The Yemeni Navy and Coastal Defence Forces is the maritime component of the armed forces of Yemen. Yemen's navy was created in 1990 when North and South Yemen united. Yemen early on had problems with trying to keep drugs from entering Yemen by ...
) to identify them as staff officers, also the Navy also utilises sleeve rank insignia. There is also khaki uniforms utilised by the Navy with them retaining the black shoulder boards, lace and berets, although officers may wear a peaked cap.


Ranks

;Officers ;Enlisted


See also

*


References

* * {{Navies in Africa , state=collapsed Navies by country Military of Somalia Military units and formations established in 1965