Latvian Naval Forces
Encyclopedia
Latvian Naval Forces is a branch of the National Armed Forces tasked with conducting military
and rescue
operations at sea. Today, they are fully operational and successfully perform all the tasks entrusted to them. The NF perform mine and explosive sweeping on the Baltic Sea
, as well as search and rescue
operations and ecological monitoring activities. The Naval Forces have participated in international NATO/Partnership for Peace operations and various exercises with great success. The main development priorities of the NF are to expand their activities within the Baltic States
’ Ship Squadron BALTRON
and to develop a Sea Surveillance System. They pay a great deal of attention to professionally specialized training and English-language teaching. One of the key tasks facing the NF is to develop its infrastructure.
When Latvia
regained its independence in 1991, it began recreating the Latvian Naval Forces under the command of Admiral (then Captain) Gaidis Zeibots. In 1994 the Naval Forces were composed of the Southern Region (in Liepāja
), the Central Region (in Riga
), the Coastal Defense Battalion (in Ventspils
) and the Training Center (in Liepāja
). The most important naval event of these early days of the re-established Latvian Republic occurred on April 11, 1991 when the Latvian flag was hoisted on the re-established Navy's first ship "SAMS." This date is now recognized as the rebirth of the Latvian Naval Forces.
In 1999 the Baltic Naval Squadron (BALTRON
) was created with ships from the Lithuanian
, Latvia
n and Estonia
n Navies. Latvian Navy Captain Ilmars Lesinskis, then the Commander of the Southern District, was appointed to serve as the first commander of this multi-national force.
On July 1, 1999 Latvian Naval Forces were reorganized. The present structure was established on the basis of previous regional units – the War Ships Flotilla (HQ is in Liepāja), the Coast Guard Ships Flotilla in Riga (subunits are in Liepāja and Ventspils), the Coastal Defense Battalion in Ventspils (subunits are along the coast of the Baltic Sea and Riga Bay), the Training Center in Liepāja, the Logistic Base in Liepāja (subunits are in Riga and Ventspils).
On July 1, 2004 Latvian Naval Forces were reorganized again and since that time they consist of the Naval Forces Headquarters, Naval Forces Flotilla HQ with subunits, and the Coast Guard Service. The new structure make possible to organize personnel training and specialization better than before, as well as to share out responsibility between commanders.
The Naval Force provides defense of the national territorial waters, carries out explosive ordnance disposal activities at sea and harbors, co-ordinates and carries out human search and rescue operations at sea within the national responsibility area regarding search and rescue, carries out maritime assistance services and grants places of refuge
to vessels, carries out vessel disaster or emergency relief efforts, contains oil and other hazardous substances spills at sea and co-ordinates relief efforts in Latvian waters
One undeniable task of all navies is to contribute to and reinforce the international prestige of the state. Warships of the Republic of Latvia have repeatedly made visits to foreign countries and have supported the visits of foreign warships and naval representatives in Latvia.
The warships of the Latvian Naval Forces Southern Region have participated in numerous international exercises (U.S. BALTOPS
, COOPERATIVE JAGUAR, AMBER SEA, OPEN SPIRIT, COOPERATIVE VENTURE, BALTIC CHALLENGE, etc.). These exercises have been conducted to NATO standards, which Latvian ships have successfully met.
The main mission of Naval Forces is to:
Naval Forces Flotilla Headquarters
Coast Guard Service
Staff and support (Auxiliary
):
Mine Warfare
:
Patrol
:
Coast guard
:
Military
A military is an organization authorized by its greater society to use lethal force, usually including use of weapons, in defending its country by combating actual or perceived threats. The military may have additional functions of use to its greater society, such as advancing a political agenda e.g...
and rescue
Rescue
Rescue refers to responsive operations that usually involve the saving of life, or prevention of injury during an incident or dangerous situation....
operations at sea. Today, they are fully operational and successfully perform all the tasks entrusted to them. The NF perform mine and explosive sweeping on the Baltic Sea
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...
, as well as search and rescue
Search and rescue
Search and rescue 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, mostly based upon terrain considerations...
operations and ecological monitoring activities. The Naval Forces have participated in international NATO/Partnership for Peace operations and various exercises with great success. The main development priorities of the NF are to expand their activities within the Baltic States
Baltic states
The term Baltic states refers to the Baltic territories which gained independence from the Russian Empire in the wake of World War I: primarily the contiguous trio of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania ; Finland also fell within the scope of the term after initially gaining independence in the 1920s.The...
’ Ship Squadron BALTRON
BALTRON
The Baltic Naval Squadron was inaugurated in 1998. The main responsibility of BALTRON is to improve the co-operation between the Baltic states in the areas of naval defence and security...
and to develop a Sea Surveillance System. They pay a great deal of attention to professionally specialized training and English-language teaching. One of the key tasks facing the NF is to develop its infrastructure.
History
Latvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
regained its independence in 1991, it began recreating the Latvian Naval Forces under the command of Admiral (then Captain) Gaidis Zeibots. In 1994 the Naval Forces were composed of the Southern Region (in Liepāja
Liepaja
Liepāja ; ), is a republican city in western Latvia, located on the Baltic Sea directly at 21°E. It is the largest city in the Kurzeme Region of Latvia, the third largest city in Latvia after Riga and Daugavpils and an important ice-free port...
), the Central Region (in Riga
Riga
Riga is the capital and largest city of Latvia. With 702,891 inhabitants Riga is the largest city of the Baltic states, one of the largest cities in Northern Europe and home to more than one third of Latvia's population. The city is an important seaport and a major industrial, commercial,...
), the Coastal Defense Battalion (in Ventspils
Ventspils
Ventspils is a city in northwestern Latvia in the Courland historical region of Latvia, the sixth largest city in the country. As of 2006, Ventspils had a population of 43,806. Ventspils is situated on the Venta River and the Baltic Sea, and has an ice-free port...
) and the Training Center (in Liepāja
Liepaja
Liepāja ; ), is a republican city in western Latvia, located on the Baltic Sea directly at 21°E. It is the largest city in the Kurzeme Region of Latvia, the third largest city in Latvia after Riga and Daugavpils and an important ice-free port...
). The most important naval event of these early days of the re-established Latvian Republic occurred on April 11, 1991 when the Latvian flag was hoisted on the re-established Navy's first ship "SAMS." This date is now recognized as the rebirth of the Latvian Naval Forces.
In 1999 the Baltic Naval Squadron (BALTRON
BALTRON
The Baltic Naval Squadron was inaugurated in 1998. The main responsibility of BALTRON is to improve the co-operation between the Baltic states in the areas of naval defence and security...
) was created with ships from the Lithuanian
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
, Latvia
Latvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
n and Estonia
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
n Navies. Latvian Navy Captain Ilmars Lesinskis, then the Commander of the Southern District, was appointed to serve as the first commander of this multi-national force.
On July 1, 1999 Latvian Naval Forces were reorganized. The present structure was established on the basis of previous regional units – the War Ships Flotilla (HQ is in Liepāja), the Coast Guard Ships Flotilla in Riga (subunits are in Liepāja and Ventspils), the Coastal Defense Battalion in Ventspils (subunits are along the coast of the Baltic Sea and Riga Bay), the Training Center in Liepāja, the Logistic Base in Liepāja (subunits are in Riga and Ventspils).
On July 1, 2004 Latvian Naval Forces were reorganized again and since that time they consist of the Naval Forces Headquarters, Naval Forces Flotilla HQ with subunits, and the Coast Guard Service. The new structure make possible to organize personnel training and specialization better than before, as well as to share out responsibility between commanders.
Mission
Safety
Safety is the state of being "safe" , the condition of being protected against physical, social, spiritual, financial, political, emotional, occupational, psychological, educational or other types or consequences of failure, damage, error, accidents, harm or any other event which could be...
to vessels, carries out vessel disaster or emergency relief efforts, contains oil and other hazardous substances spills at sea and co-ordinates relief efforts in Latvian waters
One undeniable task of all navies is to contribute to and reinforce the international prestige of the state. Warships of the Republic of Latvia have repeatedly made visits to foreign countries and have supported the visits of foreign warships and naval representatives in Latvia.
The warships of the Latvian Naval Forces Southern Region have participated in numerous international exercises (U.S. BALTOPS
BALTOPS
BALTOPS is an annual military exercise, held and sponsored by the Commander, U.S. Naval Forces, Europe since 1971, in the Baltic Sea and the regions surrounding it....
, COOPERATIVE JAGUAR, AMBER SEA, OPEN SPIRIT, COOPERATIVE VENTURE, BALTIC CHALLENGE, etc.). These exercises have been conducted to NATO standards, which Latvian ships have successfully met.
The main mission of Naval Forces is to:
- ensure the defense of the territorial sea and internal waters of the State (except rivers and lakes);
- Perform a guarding of the coast and control the territorial sea and internal waters, as well as the exclusive economic zone;
- Ensure the readiness of units for mobilization and combat;
- Participate in ecological surveillance and search and rescue operations at sea, as well as take part in elimination of consequences of emergencies occurring at sea;
- Search for explosives at sea and destroy them;
- Secure for the State Border Guard according to the procedures specified by the Cabinet, with the technical means and vessels for the performance of their functions at sea.
Structure of Naval Forces
Naval Forces HeadquartersNaval Forces Flotilla Headquarters
- MCM Squadron (Mine Counter Measure)
- Patrol Boat Squadron
- Sea Surveillance and Communication Service
- MCM Equipment Maintenance and Repair Center
Coast Guard Service
- Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Center
- Coast Guard Detachment
Ships in the Naval Forces
Auxiliaries
An auxiliary force is a group affiliated with, but not part of, a military or police organization. In some cases, auxiliaries are armed forces operating in the same manner as regular soldiers...
):
- A-53 “VIRSAITIS” VIDARVidar class minesweeperThe Vidar class minelayers consisted of the two ships Vidar and Vale built by Mjellem & Karlsen in Bergen for the Royal Norwegian Navy in 1977 and 1978.The ships are now serving in the Lithuanian Navy and Latvian Navy respectively....
class minelayerMinelayerMinelaying is the act of deploying explosive mines. Historically this has been carried out by ships, submarines and aircraft. Additionally, since World War I the term minelayer refers specifically to a naval ship used for deploying naval mines... - A-90 „VARONIS” Buyskes class hydrographic survey vessel
Mine Warfare
Naval mine
A naval mine is a self-contained explosive device placed in water to destroy surface ships or submarines. Unlike depth charges, mines are deposited and left to wait until they are triggered by the approach of, or contact with, an enemy vessel...
:
- M-04 “IMANTA” ImantaTripartite class minehunterThe Tripartite class is a class of mine warfare vessel used by the navies of Belgium, France and the Netherlands, as well as Pakistan, Indonesia, Latvia, and Bulgaria.-Description:...
(Tripartiti, Alkmaar) class mine hunter - M-05 “VIESTURS” Imanta (Tripartiti, Alkmaar) class mine hunter
- M-06 “TĀLIVALDIS” Imanta (Tripartiti, Alkmaar) class mine hunter
- M-07 “VISVALDIS” Imanta (Tripartiti, Alkmaar) class mine hunter
Patrol
Patrol
A patrol is commonly a group of personnel, such as police officers or soldiers, that are assigned to monitor a specific geographic area.- Military :...
:
- P-01 „Zibens” (ex HNoMS Djerv) StormStorm class patrol boatThe Storm class fast patrol boats were a class of 20 vessels built for the Royal Norwegian Navy.In Norwegian these boats were called missilkanonbåter meaning boats with missiles and guns. They were operated by the Coastal Combat Flotilla together with the MTBs, or Missile Torpedo Boats. None of...
class fast patrol boatPatrol boatA 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... - P-02 „Lode” (ex HNoMS Hvass) Storm class fast patrol boat
- P-03 „Linga” (ex HNoMS Gnist) Storm class fast patrol boat
- P-05 „Skrunda” Skrunda class patrol boat, commissioned in 2011.
Coast guard
Coast guard
A coast guard or coastguard is a national organization responsible for various services at sea. However the term implies widely different responsibilities in different countries, from being a heavily armed military force with customs and security duties to being a volunteer organization tasked with...
:
- KA-01 „Kristaps” KBV class patrol boat
- KA-06 „Gaisma” KBV class patrol boat
- KA-08 „Saule” KBV class patrol boat
- KA-09 „Klints” KBV class patrol boat
- KA-14 „Astra” patrol boat
- KA-03 „Komēta” Ribnadzor class inspection boat was transferred to Young Guards as training ship. She is not seaworthy.