The Albanian Naval Force ( sq, Forca Detare të Republikës së Shqipërisë) is the

naval A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions. It inclu ...

branch of the Albanian military. Their name was changed from the Albanian Naval Defense Forces in 2010. The Naval Force is headquartered in

Durrës Durrës ( , ; sq-definite, Durrësi) is the second most populous city of the Republic of Albania and seat of Durrës County and Durrës Municipality. It is located on a flat plain along the Albanian Adriatic Sea Coast between the mouths of ...

, and operates multiple bases, including Kepi i Palit base in Durrës, and

Pashaliman Orikum or Pashaliman is a town and a former municipality in Vlorë County, southwestern Albania. At the 2015 local government reform it became a subdivision of the municipality Vlorë. It was named after the ancient city Oricum, which was located ...

Vlorë Vlorë ( , ; sq-definite, Vlora) is the third most populous city of the Republic of Albania and seat of Vlorë County and Vlorë Municipality. Located in southwestern Albania, Vlorë sprawls on the Bay of Vlorë and is surrounded by the foo ...

. The vessels of the Albanian Naval Force are mostly patrol craft and support craft. The Naval Force operates four large Damen Stan Type 4207

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, three of which were built in Albania. Some of the Naval Force's vessels were purchased from, or donated by Italy, the United States, China, or the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...

. Most former Soviet or Chinese boats have been retired from service; only one Soviet-built

minesweeper A minesweeper is a small warship designed to remove or detonate naval mines. Using various mechanisms intended to counter the threat posed by naval mines, minesweepers keep waterways clear for safe shipping. History The earliest known usage of ...

remains in service. The Naval Force performs mainly duties, based on the concept of "one Force, two Missions." The legal framework has been updated in order to facilitate these missions and EU-

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two N ...

integration. The Naval Force is also responsible for aids to navigation, including

lighthouse A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid, for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Lighthouses m ...

History

Early history

The history of the Albanian navy dates back to the General Command of Military Powers in 1925, following the creation of the Albanian Republic. Earlier efforts to create an Albanian naval force following Albanian independence in 1912 failed due to the start of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

. In this period Albania possessed few naval vessels. Following the establishment of the Albanian Kingdom by

King Zog King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the t ...

in 1928, the navy was reformed into the Royal Albanian Navy. Following the

Italian invasion of Albania The Italian invasion of Albania (April 7–12, 1939) was a brief military campaign which was launched by the Kingdom of Italy against the Albanian Kingdom in 1939. The conflict was a result of the imperialistic policies of the Italian prime m ...

and

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, the

Albanian Armed Forces The Albanian Armed Forces ( sq, Forcat e Armatosura të Republikës së Shqipërisë (FARSH)) are the military of Albania and were formed after the declaration of independence in 1912. Today, it consists of the General Staff, the Albanian Land ...

were abolished and many ships were destroyed in the harbors of Albania.

During the Socialist Era

The early history of the

People's Socialist Republic of Albania The People's Socialist Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika Popullore Socialiste e Shqipërisë, links=no) was the Marxist–Leninist one party state that existed in Albania from 1946 to 1992 (the official name of the country was the People's R ...

saw Albania recovering from the result of Italian occupation and World War II. In 1945, a shipyard was built in

to repair Albania's remaining ships. In the mid-1950s Albania began to modernize and expand its navy. In 1954, a

torpedo boat A torpedo boat is a relatively small and fast naval ship designed to carry torpedoes into battle. The first designs were steam-powered craft dedicated to ramming enemy ships with explosive spar torpedoes. Later evolutions launched variants of ...

unit and the associated facility was established on Sazan Island, off the coast of Durrës. A

submarine A submarine (or sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability. The term is also sometimes used historically or colloquially to refer to remotely op ...

unit was established in 1958. A naval academy was opened in

in 1961. Until 1996 Albania had more than 145 vessels in service. 45 of them were small, fast Chinese Type 25 Huchuan-class PHT torpedo boats, carrying two/four

torpedo A modern torpedo is an underwater ranged weapon launched above or below the water surface, self-propelled towards a target, and with an explosive warhead designed to detonate either on contact with or in proximity to the target. Historically, ...

es, and some Shanghai-class coastal

anti-submarine An anti-submarine weapon (ASW) is any one of a number of devices that are intended to act against a submarine and its crew, to destroy (sink) the vessel or reduce its capability as a weapon of war. In its simplest sense, an anti-submarine weapo ...

(ASW) patrol craft. The largest of the fleet were four

Soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

-built s, a direct result of an Albanian-Soviet dispute over their ownership, after Albania withdrew from the

Warsaw Pact The Warsaw Pact (WP) or Treaty of Warsaw, formally the Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance, was a collective defense treaty signed in Warsaw, Poland, between the Soviet Union and seven other Eastern Bloc socialist republi ...

(1961) and the Soviets abandoned the Pasha Liman Base. The submarines were put into full service thanks to Chinese assistance, but by the end of the 1980s their efficiency was in doubt due to Albanian isolation and the end of Chinese help. File:Naval Ensign of Albania (1946-1954).svg, Naval Ensign (1946–1954) File:Naval Ensign of Albania (1954-1958).svg, Naval Ensign (1954–1958) File:Naval Ensign of Albania (1958-1992).svg, Naval Ensign (1958–1992) File:Government Ensign of Albania (1958-1992).svg, State Ensign (1958–1992) File:Albanian Coast Guard Ensign-1958-1992.svg, Coast Guard Ensign (1958–1992)

Recent history

The collapse of the People's Socialist Republic of Albania began in the early 1990s and was finalized with the 1992 elections and the founding of the 4th Albanian Republic. The

fall of communism in Albania The fall of Communism in Albania, the last such event in Europe outside the Soviet Union, started in December 1990 with student demonstrations in the capital, Tirana, although protests started in January that year in other cities like Shkodr ...

ushered in a new era of cooperation between the navies of Albania and other European nations. Starting in the 1990s, Albania began to take part in numerous search and rescue exercises alongside other European nations. Vessels of the Albanian navy were seriously damaged during the 1997 political conflict. In March 1998, the Albanian Navy docked in Italy for repair and refuge. The Naval Force's facilities were also damaged in the conflict and repairs were made with the help of the United States, Italy, Germany, Greece, Turkey, and other countries. In the same year, Albania retired its four Whiskey-class submarines. As a result of numerous agreements made between 1998 and 2004, Albania received donated patrol vessels from the United States and Italy for use in search and rescue operations. The United States donated five boats in 1998, Italy donated six boats in 2002, and Italy donated another five in 2004. In 2004, Albania entered into an agreement with Italy wherein the

Italian Navy "Fatherland and Honour" , patron = , colors = , colors_label = , march = ( is the return of soldiers to their barrack, or sailors to their ship after a ...

provided equipment and technical assistance to the Albanian Naval Force in order to upgrade the country's aids to navigation. In June 2007, Albania renamed and reorganised its navy. The newly named Naval Force was thereafter organised into two flotillas and a logistics battalion.

Facilities

The Naval Force operates multiple bases, including Kepi i Palit base in Durrës, and

in Vlorë. In the past, the Naval Force operated additional facilities including Porto Palermo, outside of Himarë, a submarine base on Sazan Island, and a base in Shëngjin.

Pashaliman

Pashaliman Naval Base, located near Vlorë, has been used by the Albanian Navy from the 1950s. In that time it was one of few naval bases in the Mediterranean. Currently, four retired Whiskey-class submarines previously owned by the Soviet Union are still located on the facility alongside Albania's active-duty naval vessels. Three of the Albanian Navy's four Damen Stan patrol vessels were built at Pashaliman, the most recent completed in 2014. The Naval Force often operates naval exercises in the

Bay of Vlorë The Bay of Vlorë ( sq, Gjiri i Vlorës — ) is a large bay of the Adriatic Sea situated along the Albanian Adriatic Sea Coast on the Mediterranean Sea in Southern Europe. It opens to the sea in the northwest and is largely surrounded by the la ...

, out of Pashaliman. The most recent exercise was in April 2016. A civilian

naval engineering Naval architecture, or naval engineering, is an engineering discipline incorporating elements of mechanical, electrical, electronic, software and safety engineering as applied to the engineering design process, shipbuilding, maintenance, an ...

firm and

shipyard A shipyard, also called a dockyard or boatyard, is a place where ships are built and repaired. These can be yachts, military vessels, cruise liners or other cargo or passenger ships. Dockyards are sometimes more associated with maintenance ...

also operate out of the military facility at Pashaliman.

Porto Palermo

The Albanian Navy previously operated a submarine bunker called Porto Palermo, which was shut down after the decommissioning of Albania's submarines. In recent years, Porto Palermo has been used as the site of training exercises with foreign militaries, most recently a joint exercise with the United Kingdom.

Structure

Naval Force, in

** Staff Support Company, in Durrës ** Maritime Fleet, at Pasha Liman Base in

*** 4x Stan 4207

patrol vessel 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: P 131 ''Iliria'' and P 133 ''Lisus'' in Durrës, P 132 ''Oriku'' and P 134 ''Butrinti'' in Vlorë *** numerous smaller units ** Maritime Surveillance Centre, in Durrës ** Diving Centre, at Pasha Liman Base, Vlorë ** Naval Basic Training Centre, in Durrës ** Hydrographic Service, in Durrës

Officer ranks

Other ranks

Equipment

References

Sources

*Wertheim, Eric. The Naval Institute Guide to Combat Fleets of the World, 2005–2006; Their Ships, Aircraft, and Systems. US Naval Institute Press. Annapolis, Maryland. 2005. *Jane's Fighting Ships 2005–2006, Jane's Information Group, *The Military Balance 2008, The International Institute for Strategic Studies,

External links

Equipment
{{Albania topics Military units and formations of Albania Navies by country