Yugoslav Navy The Yugoslav Navy ( Serbo - Croatian : Југословенска Pатна Mорнарица , " Jugoslavenska Ratna Mornarica " ) , was the navy of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia . It was essentially a coastal defense force with the mission of preventing enemy landings along the Yugoslavia ' s rugged 4 , 000 - kilometer shoreline or coastal islands , and contesting an enemy blockade or control of the strategic Strait of Otranto . Its capabilities were limited by a lack of operational time at sea and infrequent live firing exercises . In 1990 it had 10 , 000 sailors ( 4 , 400 conscripts ) , including 2 , 300 in 25 coastal artillery batteries and 900 marines in one light naval infantry brigade . History . The Partisans had operated many small boats in raids harassing Italian convoys in the Adriatic Sea during World War II . After the war , the navy operated numerous German and Italian submarines , destroyers , minesweepers , and tank - landing craft captured during the war or received as war reparations . The United States provided eight torpedo boats in the late 1940s , but most of those units were soon obsolete . The navy was upgraded in the 1960s when it acquired ten " Osa " - I class missile boats and four " Shershen " class torpedo boats from the Soviet Union . The Soviets granted a license to build eleven additional Shershen units in Yugoslav shipyards developed for this purpose . In 1980 and 1982 , the navy took delivery of two Soviet " Koni " - class frigates . In 1988 it completed two additional units under license . The " Koni " frigates were armed with four Soviet SS - N - 2B surface - to - surface missile launchers , twin SA - N - 4 surface - to - air missiles , and antisubmarine rocket launchers . The Yugoslav navy developed its own submarine - building capability during the 1960s . In 1990 the main combat units of the submarine service were three " Heroj " class patrol submarines armed with 533 mm torpedoes . Two smaller " Sava " class units entered service in the late 1970s . Two " Sutjeska " class submarines had been relegated mainly to training missions by 1990 . At that time the navy had apparently shifted to construction of versatile midget submarines . Four " Una " - class midgets and four " Mala " - class swimmer delivery vehicles were in service in the late 1980s . They were built for use by underwater demolition teams and special forces . The " Una " - class boats carried five crewmen , eight combat swimmers , four Mala vehicles , and limpet mine s . The " Mala " vehicles in turn carried two swimmers and 250 kilograms of mines . The navy operated ten " Osa " I - class and six " Rade Končar " - class missile boats . The " Osa " I boats were armed with four SS - N - 2A surface - to - surface missile launchers . In 1990 domestic " Kobra " boats were scheduled to begin replacing the Osa I boats . The " Kobra " was to be armed with four SS - N - 2C launchers or eight Swedish RBS - 15 antiship missile launchers . Armed with two SS - N - 2B launchers , the " Končar " - class boats were modeled after the Swedish " Spica " class . The navy ' s fifteen Topcider - class torpedo boats included four former Soviet " Shershen " - class and eleven Yugoslav built units . Patrol boats were operated primarily for antisubmarine warfare . The inventory included three " Mornar " - class corvette s with antisubmarine rocket launchers and depth charges . The " Mornar " class was based on a French design from the mid - 1950s . Seventeen " Mirna " inshore patrol boats and thirteen older " Kraljevica " submarine chasers also were available . The navy ' s mine warfare and countermeasures capabilities were considered adequate in 1990 . It operated four Vukov Klanac class coastal minehunter s built on a French design , four British inshore minesweepers , and six 117 - class inshore minesweepers built in domestic shipyards . Larger numbers of older and less capable minesweepers were mainly used in riverine operations . Other older units were used as dedicated minelayer s . The navy used amphibious landing craft in support of army operations in the area of the Danube , Sava , and Drava rivers . They included both tank and assault landing craft . In 1990 there were four 501 - class , ten 211 - class , and twenty - five 601 - class landing craft in service . Most of them were also capable of laying mines in rivers and coastal areas . The coastal artillery batteries had both surface - to - surface missile s and guns . They operated the Soviet - designed SS - C - 3 and a truck - mounted , Yugoslav - produced Brom antiship missile . The latter was essentially a Yugoslav variant of the Soviet SS - N - 2 . Coastal guns included over 400 88 mm , 122 mm , 130 mm , and 152 mm artillery pieces obtained from the Soviet Union , the United States , postwar Germany , and Yugoslav manufacturers . Organisation . Minor surface combatants operated by the navy included nearly eighty frigates , corvettes , submarine s , minesweepers , and missile , torpedo , and patrol boats in the Adriatic Fleet . The entire coast of Yugoslavia was part of the naval region headquartered at Split . The naval region was divided into three smaller naval districts and a riverine flotilla with major bases located at Split , Šibenik , Pula , Bar , Tivat and Kumbor on the Adriatic and Novi Sad on the Danube . The fleet was organized into missile , torpedo , and patrol boat brigades , a submarine division , and minesweeper flotillas . The naval order of battle included four frigates , three corvettes , five patrol submarines , fifty - eight missile , torpedo , and patrol boats , and 28 minesweepers . Navy had a support of one air force antisubmarine warfare helicopter squadron was based at Divulje on the Adriatic for coastal operations . It employed Soviet Ka - 25 , Ka - 28 and Mi - 14 helicopters , and domestic Gazelle helicopters . Some air force fighter and reconnaissance squadrons supported naval operations . Marines . The 12th Naval Infantry Brigade ( Mornarička Pešadijska Brigada ) were the marines of the Yugoslav Navy until 4 February 2003 when it became part the Navy of the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro . The 12th Naval Infantry Brigade was headquartered in the 8th Naval Sector at Split but was later moved near Kotor , a coastal town in Montenegro . A small detchament was located at Novi Sad on the Danube . The brigade consisted of 900 to 2000 men in two or three battalions . As a multi - ethnic unit , the brigade was broken up during the Breakup of Yugoslavia , and it saw little action . The largest remnant eventually moved to Montenegro . Equipment . Sea Fleet . Frigates : Submarine s : Guided Missile Gunboats : Fast Missile Boats : Torpedo boats : Patrol boats : School ship : River Fleet . Command ship Station for degauss River minesweepers River patrol boats Assault boats