Libyan Navy

Libyan Navy
The Libyan Navy is the naval warfare branch of the Libyan Armed Forces. Established in November 1962, Libyan Navy has been headed by Admiral Mansour Bader, Chief of Staff of the Libyan Naval Force. Before the First Libyan Civil War it was a fairly typical small navy with a few missile frigates, corvettes and patrol boats to defend the coastline, but with a very limited self-defence capability.
The Navy has always been the smallest of Libya's military branches and has always been dependent on foreign sources for equipment, spare parts, and training. Most of the Gaddafi-era fleet was destroyed in 2011. Since the start of the Second Libyan Civil War, the Libyan Navy is aligned with the Government of National Accord (GNA), led by the Presidential Council in Tripoli, apart from coastal patrol vessels under the control of the Libyan National Army.
History
Its first warship was delivered in 1966. These were two s from the UK. Initially the effective force was limited to smaller vessels, but this changed after the rise of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi in 1969. From this time, Libya started to buy armaments from Europe and the Soviet Union. The Customs and Harbour police were amalgamated with the Navy in 1970, extending the Navy's mission to include anti-smuggling and customs duties. The total personnel of the Libyan Navy is about 8,000.
During the 2011 Libyan civil war several elements of the Libyan Navy were destroyed by NATO forces, including eight warships in the night before 20 May and one on 17 August. Two were also captured by the rebels at Benghazi.
The Navy began the process of purchasing new boats in May 2012, mainly fast patrol boats for surveillance and border protection purposes, including the MRTP-20 fast attack boat.
As of June 2012, the Libyan Navy has been headed by Commodore Hassan Ali Bushnak, Chief of Staff of the Libyan Naval Force. The British Royal Navy along with the Libyan Navy held joint exercises together at Dartmouth Naval College in the UK in June 2012.
Libyan Navy ships under the command of Rida Issa, loyal to the internationally recognized Government of National Accord, took part in the operation to liberate the city of Sirte from ISIL. The Libyan Navy assisted ground forces and blocked off sea escape routes for the militants. On 20 June 2016, the European Union states announced that the naval mission in the Mediterranean Sea, Operation Sophia, was extended until 2017, and helped train the Libyan Navy and coast guard.
In 2021, the navy (except for the Haftar's forces) will be under new leadership of the new Libyan President, Mohamed al-Menfi from the Government of National Unity.
Background
The Navy's primary mission is to defend the coast. A strengthening of the service was made in the 1970s; the Soviet Union sold six s, and though two of them were only averagely serviceable, they became the main threats to the United States Navy in the Mediterranean Sea. In the meantime, Libya bought four Russian s, that even in the export versions were well-armed and powerful ships. Another four s were acquired from Italy. These had Otomat long range missiles (in the Mk.I version without datalink for in-flight course correction) and modern artillery. They were less well-armed as anti-aircraft ships than the Nanuchkas but, with a displacement almost twice that of a typical fast attack craft, had anti-submarine warfare (ASW) capabilities, with sonar and light torpedoes.
Actions
Libya's Navy first saw military action during an encounter with the United States Sixth Fleet in March 1986 in the Action in the Gulf of Sidra, when one missile boat and a corvette were destroyed, and other ships were damaged by A-6 Intruder aircraft. Unusually, some of these attacks were performed successfully, with cluster bombs like the Mk.20 Rockeye which were designed as an anti-tank weapon.
In July 1984, the roll-on/roll-off ferry Ghat is believed to have mined the Red Sea a few kilometres south of the Suez Canal. Approximately nineteen ships were damaged, including a Soviet container ship which was the first to be hit on 9 July. The Islamic Jihad Organisation took responsibility for the incident. However, Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak did not believe the claims and blamed Muammar Gaddafi and Libya. Other sources agreed after it was learnt that the ship took fifteen days to complete a voyage that normally would take eight days, the head of the Libyan minelaying division was on board, and that, when inspected by French officials in Marseilles the aft door was damaged. Due to concerns about the safety and potential lost revenue from the canal, Egypt asked for assistance in sweeping the mines in a complex operation that involved minehunters from the French, British, Italian, Dutch, and US navies. The British located a Soviet-made mine, which was most likely sold to Libya after 1981 and was laid to cause problems for Egypt.
Second Battle of Zawiya. Ships (1985)
Active ships
Former ships
Submarine
6 × Foxtrot-class submarine (1 left; not in commission)
Al-Badr
Al-Fatah
Al-Ahad
Al-Matrega
Al-Khyber
Al-Hunyan
Armament
10 × torpedo tubes (6 bow, 4 stern)
22 × torpedo
Origin:
In 1982 Libya received six Foxtrot-class submarines from the Soviet Union. However, since 1984, no submarine patrols are reported to have been conducted. In 1993 one submarine was reported sunk, and another one was abandoned in Lithuania due to international sanctions. Further reports circulated about one submarine being refitted in 2003, but they have since turned out to be false. In 2011, during the Libyan civil war, one submarine (along with a frigate and a corvette) was captured by the rebels at the Benghazi naval base.
Frigate
1 × Vosper Mk.7 frigate :(scrapped in 1990)
Armament
1 × 114 mm Mk.8 gun
2 × 40 mm/70 AA guns
2 × 35 mm/90 Oerlikon (this system was remounted on a truck during the Civil War)
2 × Seacat SSMs (Removed)
1 × quad Aspide SAM launcher
4 × single Otomat AShM launchers
1 × Limbo Mk.10 ASW mortar
2 × triple ASW torpedo tubes
Origin:
1 × (Type 1159)
213 Al Ghardabia: (struck by NATO in Tripoli Harbour 20 May 2011)
Armament:
4 × SS-N-2C Styx SSMs
2 × SA-N-4 SAMs
4 × 76mm guns
4 × 30mm guns
4 × 406mm torpedoes
1 × RBU-6000 A/S mortar
20 mines
Origin:
Corvette
4 × Assad-class corvette
Al Tadjier: (Destroyed by US Navy aircraft)
Al Tougour: (Scrapped in 1993)
Al Kalij: (Scrapped in 1993)
Al Hudud: (Scrapped in 1993)
Armament
1 × Otobreda 76 mm gun
2 × 40 mm Breda Dardo guns
2 × 35mm Oerlikon cannon
4 × Albatros Selenia Aspide SAMs
6 × Otomat anti-ship missiles
6 × ASW torpedo tubes
Origin:
3 × Nanuchka-class corvette
Ain Zaara: (Destroyed in NATO airstrike, 19 May 2011)
Ain al Gazala: (Damaged 25 March 1986, Decommissioned and scrapped)
Ain Zaquit: (sunk by US Navy in 1986)
Tariq Ibn Ziyad: (Destroyed in Benghazi, 3 November 2014)
Armament
4 × SS-N-2C Styx SSMs
2 × SA-N-4 SAMs
2 × 57mm guns MFBPs
Origin:
Fast attack crafts
12 × Osa-class missile boat: (unknown fate)
Armament
4 × 30 mm guns
4 × P-15 Termit (SS-N-2 Styx) AShMs
Origin:
Some of Jaguar-class fast attack craft: (unknown fate)
Armament
16 × SS-12 missiles
2 × 40 mm guns
Origin:
9 × La Combattante II type fast attack craft (Beir Grassa class)
518 Sharara (ex-Beir Grassa): (Non-operational in 2011)
522 Shehab (ex-Beir Gzir): (Damage in May 2011 and abandoned)
524 Wahag (ex-Beir Gitfa):(Damage in May 2011 and abandoned)
526 Waheed (ex-Beir Glulud): (sunk on 24 March 1986 )
528 Shouaiai (ex-Beir Algandula): (Damage in May 2011 and abandoned)
532 Shoula (ex-Beir Ktitat): (Damage in May 2011 and abandoned)
536 Bark (ex-Beir Alkardmen): (Non-operational in 2011)
538 Rad (ex-Beir Alkur): (Damage in May 2011 and abandoned)
542 Laheeb (ex-Beir Alkuesat): (Damage in May 2011 and abandoned)
Armament
4 × (2×2) Otomat MkI SSMs
1 × Oto Melara 76mm gun
1 × Bofors twin 40mm
Origin:
Minesweepers
6 × Natya-class minesweeper (Type 266ME)
Armament
4 × 30mm guns
4 × 25mm guns
4 × 25mm guns
10 mines
Acoustic & Magnetic sweep
Origin:
2 × Ham-class minesweeper
Zuara: (sold to Malta in 1973)
Brak: (broken up in 1973)
Armament
1 × Bofors 40mm gun
1 × Oerlikon 20mm gun
Origin:
Oceanographic research ship
1× a former trawler converted in the 1970 called Nour: (Stricken in 2002)
Armament unknown
Origin: (possibly)
Landing ship
1 × Polnocny-class landing ship
Armament
4 × Strela 2(SA-N-5) surface-to-air missile system
2 × 30 mm AK-230 air defence gun
2 × 140 mm Ogon 18-barreled rocket launcher
Origin:
Naval infrastructure
Naval bases in the 2011 Libyan civil war
Khoms
Benghazi
Misrata
Tobruk
Tripoli
Derna
Sirte
Ship maintenance and repair facilities
Facilities at Tripoli with foreign technicians for repair of vessels of up to ; a 3,200-ton lift floating dock; floating docks at Benghazi and Tobruk.
See also
Libyan Coast Guard
References
Levie, Howard. Mine Warfare at Sea. Dordrecht, NL: Martinus Nijhoff, 1992.
War machines encliclopedy, Limited publishing, in Italian version Armi da guerra.
Annati Massimo, Al diavolo le mine!, RID magazine, Coop Riviera Ligure, Italy, June 2005.
External links
Libyan Navy
Military of Libya
Navies by country
1962 establishments in Libya
Military units and formations established in 1962
First Libyan Civil War