Ethiopian Navy
Encyclopedia
The Ethiopian Navy was a branch of the Ethiopian National Defense Force that existed from 1955 until 1991. It was disestablished after the independence of Eritrea
, which left Ethiopia
landlocked.
in 1950 when the United Nations
decided to federate Eritrea with Ethiopia. In 1955, the Imperial Ethiopian Navy was founded, with its primary base—the Haile Selassie I Naval Base -- at Massawa
. By the early 1960s workshops and other facilities were under construction at Massawa to give it complete naval base capabilities.
. The navy was conceived and built as a coastal navy for patrolling Ethiopia's Red Sea coast.
School was established at Massawa as well. A Frogman
/Diving
School for the training of a special commando
unit and a Ratings' Training Establishment for the training of naval enlisted men also were established at Massawa by the late 1950s or early 1960s.
Emperor
Haile Selassie I appointed Royal Norwegian Navy
officers to help in organizing Ethiopia's new navy, and they oversaw much of the training. Retired British
Royal Navy
officers also served as trainers and advisers during Haile Selassie's reign. Some Ethiopian Navy officers received naval education in Livorno
, Italy
.
s and torpedo boat
s transferred from the United States Navy
and the navies of Europe
an countries. In 1962 the United States
transferred the former seaplane tender
USS Orca (AVP-49)
to Ethiopia; renamed Ethiopia (A-01) and placed in service as a training ship, she was the Ethiopian Navy's largest ship for the remaining 29 years of the Navys existence.
of 1974 to 1977 and of Mengistu Haile Mariam
from 1977 to 1991 that followed, the Ethiopian Navy—no longer Imperial—was reoriented toward the Soviet Union
. Officers continued to train in Ethiopia, but selected naval officers continued their studies in Leningrad
at the Soviet naval academy. Enlisted men continued to train at Massawa and served a seven-year enlistment.
The turn to the Soviet Union meant that the navy became a largely Soviet-equipped force. Although Ethiopia continued in her role as a training ship and remained Ethiopia's largest naval vessel, the United States ceased arms sales to Ethiopia in 1977, and Soviet-built patrol boats and missile boat
s began to replace other ships. By 1991, the Ethiopian Navy had two frigate
s, eight missile craft, six torpedo craft, six patrol boats, two amphibious craft and two support and training craft, mostly of Soviet origin.
and Eritrean War of Independence
both ended in 1991, and Eritrea became independent, leaving Ethiopia landlocked. The ships of the Ethiopian Navy fled in May 1991, ten of them to Yemen
and others to Saudi Arabia
. The Ethiopian Navy never operated again and in effect was dissolved upon Eritreas independence.
For a time it was thought that the Ethiopian Navy might survive, based in foreign ports—at Assab
in Eritrea or at Djibouti
-- or that Eritrea and Ethiopia might divide the ships, with ships manned by both countries operating from Eritrean ports as a kind of successor to the Ethiopian Navy. But Eritrea soon expressed a desire to organize an entirely separate Eritrean Navy
.
Some of the Ethiopian ships in Yemen were scuttled, while others remained there awaiting disposition; most of the ships in Saudi Arabia returned to their former bases in Eritrea. The ships became unseaworthy during their years of inactivity, and some were sold for scrapping; among these was Ethiopia, which became a hulk at Yemen after her May 1991 arrival there and was sold there for scrapping in 1993. Finally, on 16 September 1996, all surviving former Ethiopian Navy ships were put up for sale at Djibouti. Eritrea expressed interest in 16 of them, but finally limited itself to purchasing only four of them—an OSA II class missile boat and three Switfship patrol craft—in order to avoid exacerbating an international crisis with Yemen. Most of the rest of the ships were scrapped.
Eritrea
Eritrea , officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa. Eritrea derives it's name from the Greek word Erethria, meaning 'red land'. The capital is Asmara. It is bordered by Sudan in the west, Ethiopia in the south, and Djibouti in the southeast...
, which left Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
landlocked.
Founding of the navy
Ethiopia acquired a coastline and ports on the Red SeaRed Sea
The Red Sea is a seawater inlet of the Indian Ocean, lying between Africa and Asia. The connection to the ocean is in the south through the Bab el Mandeb strait and the Gulf of Aden. In the north, there is the Sinai Peninsula, the Gulf of Aqaba, and the Gulf of Suez...
in 1950 when the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
decided to federate Eritrea with Ethiopia. In 1955, the Imperial Ethiopian Navy was founded, with its primary base—the Haile Selassie I Naval Base -- at Massawa
Massawa
Massawa, also known as Mitsiwa Massawa, also known as Mitsiwa Massawa, also known as Mitsiwa (Ge'ez ምጽዋዕ , formerly ባጽዕ is a city on the Red Sea coast of Eritrea. An important port for many centuries, it was ruled by a succession of polities, including the Axumite Empire, the Umayyad Caliphate,...
. By the early 1960s workshops and other facilities were under construction at Massawa to give it complete naval base capabilities.
Organization
In 1958, the navy became a fully independent service, organized as one of the three Ethiopian armed services under the overall command of the Chief of Staff of the Imperial Armed Forces. The navy's deputy commander had his naval headquarters in Addis AbabaAddis Ababa
Addis Ababa is the capital city of Ethiopia...
. The navy was conceived and built as a coastal navy for patrolling Ethiopia's Red Sea coast.
Training and education
The Imperial Ethiopian Navy's Naval College, where Ethiopian naval officers undertook a 52-month program of study, was founded at Asmera in 1956. In 1957, a Naval Non-Commissioned OfficerNon-commissioned officer
A non-commissioned officer , called a sub-officer in some countries, is a military officer who has not been given a commission...
School was established at Massawa as well. A Frogman
Frogman
A frogman is someone who is trained to scuba diving or swim underwater in a military capacity which can include combat. Such personnel are also known by the more formal names of combat diver or combatant diver or combat swimmer....
/Diving
Diving
Diving is the sport of jumping or falling into water from a platform or springboard, sometimes while performing acrobatics. Diving is an internationally-recognized sport that is part of the Olympic Games. In addition, unstructured and non-competitive diving is a recreational pastime.Diving is one...
School for the training of a special commando
Commando
In English, the term commando means a specific kind of individual soldier or military unit. In contemporary usage, commando usually means elite light infantry and/or special operations forces units, specializing in amphibious landings, parachuting, rappelling and similar techniques, to conduct and...
unit and a Ratings' Training Establishment for the training of naval enlisted men also were established at Massawa by the late 1950s or early 1960s.
Emperor
Emperor
An emperor is a monarch, usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife or a woman who rules in her own right...
Haile Selassie I appointed Royal Norwegian Navy
Royal Norwegian Navy
The Royal Norwegian Navy is the branch of the Norwegian Defence Force responsible for naval operations. , the RNoN consists of approximately 3,700 personnel and 70 vessels, including 5 heavy frigates, 6 submarines, 14 patrol boats, 4 minesweepers, 4 minehunters, 1 mine detection vessel, 4 support...
officers to help in organizing Ethiopia's new navy, and they oversaw much of the training. Retired British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
officers also served as trainers and advisers during Haile Selassie's reign. Some Ethiopian Navy officers received naval education in Livorno
Livorno
Livorno , traditionally Leghorn , is a port city on the Tyrrhenian Sea on the western edge of Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Livorno, having a population of approximately 160,000 residents in 2009.- History :...
, 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...
.
Forces
The Imperial Ethiopian Navy operated a mix of patrol boatPatrol boat
A patrol boat is a relatively small naval vessel generally designed for coastal defense duties.There have been many designs for patrol boats. They may be operated by a nation's navy, coast guard, or police force, and may be intended for marine and/or estuarine or river environments...
s and 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 transferred from the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
and the navies of Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an countries. In 1962 the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
transferred the former seaplane tender
Seaplane tender
A seaplane tender is a ship that provides facilities for operating seaplanes. These ships were the first aircraft carriers and appeared just before the First World War.-History:...
USS Orca (AVP-49)
USS Orca (AVP-49)
The second USS Orca was a United States Navy seaplane tender in commission from 1944 to 1947 and from 1951 to 1960.-Construction, commissioning, and shakedown:...
to Ethiopia; renamed Ethiopia (A-01) and placed in service as a training ship, she was the Ethiopian Navy's largest ship for the remaining 29 years of the Navys existence.
The Ethiopian Navy in the communist era
Haile Selassie was deposed in 1974, and during the Communist-run governments of the Provisional Military Administrative Council or DergDerg
The Derg or Dergue was a Communist military junta that came to power in Ethiopia following the ousting of Haile Selassie I. Derg, which means "committee" or "council" in Ge'ez, is the short name of the Coordinating Committee of the Armed Forces, Police, and Territorial Army, a committee of...
of 1974 to 1977 and of Mengistu Haile Mariam
Mengistu Haile Mariam
Mengistu Haile Mariam is a politician who was formerly the most prominent officer of the Derg, the Communist military junta that governed Ethiopia from 1974 to 1987, and the President of the People's Democratic Republic of Ethiopia from 1987 to 1991...
from 1977 to 1991 that followed, the Ethiopian Navy—no longer Imperial—was reoriented toward the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
. Officers continued to train in Ethiopia, but selected naval officers continued their studies in Leningrad
Leningrad
Leningrad is the former name of Saint Petersburg, Russia.Leningrad may also refer to:- Places :* Leningrad Oblast, a federal subject of Russia, around Saint Petersburg* Leningrad, Tajikistan, capital of Muminobod district in Khatlon Province...
at the Soviet naval academy. Enlisted men continued to train at Massawa and served a seven-year enlistment.
The turn to the Soviet Union meant that the navy became a largely Soviet-equipped force. Although Ethiopia continued in her role as a training ship and remained Ethiopia's largest naval vessel, the United States ceased arms sales to Ethiopia in 1977, and Soviet-built patrol boats and missile boat
Missile boat
A Missile Boat is a small craft armed with anti-ship missiles. Being a small craft, missile boats are popular with nations interested in forming an inexpensive navy...
s began to replace other ships. By 1991, the Ethiopian Navy had two frigate
Frigate
A frigate is any of several types of warship, the term having been used for ships of various sizes and roles over the last few centuries.In the 17th century, the term was used for any warship built for speed and maneuverability, the description often used being "frigate-built"...
s, eight missile craft, six torpedo craft, six patrol boats, two amphibious craft and two support and training craft, mostly of Soviet origin.
The end of the Ethiopian Navy
The Ethiopian Civil WarEthiopian Civil War
The Ethiopian Civil War began on September 12, 1974 when the Marxist Derg staged a coup d'état against Emperor Haile Selassie, and lasted until the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front , a coalition of rebel groups, overthrew the government in 1991. The war overlapped other Cold War...
and Eritrean War of Independence
Eritrean War of Independence
The Eritrean War of Independence was a conflict fought between the Ethiopian government and Eritrean separatists, both before and during the Ethiopian Civil War. The war started when Eritrea’s autonomy within Ethiopia, where troops were already stationed, was unilaterally revoked...
both ended in 1991, and Eritrea became independent, leaving Ethiopia landlocked. The ships of the Ethiopian Navy fled in May 1991, ten of them to Yemen
Yemen
The Republic of Yemen , commonly known as Yemen , is a country located in the Middle East, occupying the southwestern to southern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north, the Red Sea to the west, and Oman to the east....
and others to Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
. The Ethiopian Navy never operated again and in effect was dissolved upon Eritreas independence.
For a time it was thought that the Ethiopian Navy might survive, based in foreign ports—at Assab
Assab
Assab is a port city in the Southern Red Sea Region of Eritrea on the west coast of the Red Sea. In 1989, it had a population of 39,600. Assab possesses an oil refinery, which was shut down in 1997 for economic reasons...
in Eritrea or at Djibouti
Djibouti
Djibouti , officially the Republic of Djibouti , is a country in the Horn of Africa. It is bordered by Eritrea in the north, Ethiopia in the west and south, and Somalia in the southeast. The remainder of the border is formed by the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden at the east...
-- or that Eritrea and Ethiopia might divide the ships, with ships manned by both countries operating from Eritrean ports as a kind of successor to the Ethiopian Navy. But Eritrea soon expressed a desire to organize an entirely separate Eritrean Navy
Eritrean Navy
The Eritrean Navy is a smaller branch of the Eritrean Defence Forces. It is responsible for the security of the entire coastline of Eritrea, more than 1,100 km, as well as the Eritrean territorial waters.-Naval ships:*Super Dvora Mk II-6...
.
Some of the Ethiopian ships in Yemen were scuttled, while others remained there awaiting disposition; most of the ships in Saudi Arabia returned to their former bases in Eritrea. The ships became unseaworthy during their years of inactivity, and some were sold for scrapping; among these was Ethiopia, which became a hulk at Yemen after her May 1991 arrival there and was sold there for scrapping in 1993. Finally, on 16 September 1996, all surviving former Ethiopian Navy ships were put up for sale at Djibouti. Eritrea expressed interest in 16 of them, but finally limited itself to purchasing only four of them—an OSA II class missile boat and three Switfship patrol craft—in order to avoid exacerbating an international crisis with Yemen. Most of the rest of the ships were scrapped.