Volksmarine The Volksmarine ( English : People ' s Navy ) , was the official designation of the naval forces of the German Democratic Republic ( GDR ) . It was part of the National People ' s Army , established on 1 March 1956 . History . Soon after the end of World War II and the beginning of the Cold War the Soviet Union initiated the rearming of its satellite state in East Germany . This included the gradual formation of maritime forces . Beginning in 1950 , Soviet naval officers helped to establish the " Hauptverwaltung Seepolizei " ( Main Administration Sea Police ) , which was renamed " Volkspolizei – See ( VP – See ) " ( People ' s Police – Sea ) on 1 July 1952 . At the same time parts of the erstwhile maritime police were reorganized into the new " Grenzpolizei – See " ( Border Police – – Sea ) , to guard the sea frontiers , and incorporated into the " Deutsche Grenzpolizei " ( German Border Police ) that had been set up in 1946 . By 1952 the " VP – See " is estimated to have numbered some 8 , 000 personnel . On 1 March 1956 , the GDR formally created its " Nationale Volksarmee ( NVA ) " ( National People ' s Army ) , and the " VP – See " became the " Verwaltung Seestreitkräfte der NVA " ( Maritime Forces Administration of the NVA ) with about 10 , 000 men . In November 1960 , these maritime forces of the National People ' s Army were officially designated " Volksmarine " ( People ' s Navy ) . Over the next years the navy gradually received a number of new ships , mostly built in the GDR . Only the coastal protection ships and some of the fast torpedo boats were provided by the Soviet Union , as were all helicopters , and some auxiliary craft were purchased from Poland . Following the building of the Berlin Wall on 13 August 1961 the " Grenzbrigade Küste der Grenzpolizei ( GBK ) " ( Coastal Border Brigade of the Border Police ) was incorporated into the People ' s Navy . With the reorganization of 1965 all attack forces , i . e . , the fast torpedo boats , were combined into a single flotilla ( the 6th Flotilla ) and stationed on the Bug peninsula of the island of Rügen . In the 1970s the People ' s Navy had grown to about 18 , 000 men . In the 1980s some of the ships were replaced and the People ' s Navy acquired Soviet - built fighter - bombers . In 1988 , the People ' s Navy had brief hostile confrontations with Polish naval forces over a maritime border dispute ; in subsequent negotiations about two thirds of the disputed maritime area were allocated to the GDR . The People ' s Navy was dissolved , like all other branches of the former National People ' s Army , on 2 October 1990 – the day before the official reunification of Germany . Some of its staff was assumed into the Bundesmarine ( which was henceforth called " Deutsche Marine " ) , some by the German Border Police . Most of the ships and other equipment were scrapped or sold , and few if any former People ' s Navy vessels remain in service with the modern - day German Navy . The last commander of the People ' s Navy , Vizeadmiral Hendrik Born , wrote a multi - paragraph commentary for Dieter Flohr and Peter Seemann ' s 2009 book , " Die Volksmarine " , a comprehensive and picture - oriented history of the People ' s Navy . Operative tasks . The People ' s Navy was operationally incorporated into the " United Baltic Sea Fleets " of the Warsaw Pact states . Its designated area of operations was the Baltic Sea and the entrances to the Baltic Sea . Its task was to keep the sea lanes open for Soviet reinforcements and to participate in offensive actions against the coasts of hostile nations in the Baltic Sea . For these purposes , it was equipped with light forces such as anti - submarine ships , fast torpedo boats , minesweepers as well as landing craft . Routine duty was heavily focused on extensive reconnaissance activities , carried out mainly by the minesweepers and specialized electronic surveillance boats . The 6th Border Brigade ( Coast ) had a special responsibility for the prevention of ″ republikflucht ″ ( people leaving the GDR without official permission ) . With effect from 1 November 1961 it was subordinated to the People ' s Navy . It had a substantial number of small patrol boats and surveillance posts along the coast . Organization . The People ' s Navy was headed by the " Kommando der Volksmarine " ( People ' s Navy HQ Command ) in Rostock - Gehlsdorf . It was structured as follows ( in 1985 ) : In addition there were : Material . The People ' s Navy was equipped with : Music . The People ' s Navy ' s band played a number of specially - composed musical pieces . Most notable is " Präsentiermarsch der Volksmarine " , which was composed by Ludwig Schmidt for use at ceremonial events . " Unsere Volksmarine " was also written for use at parades . The instrumental pieces written for the People ' s Navy fell out of use after the reunification of Germany , and are not used by the modern Deutsche Marine . Volksmarine admirals . There were 37 Admirals in the history of the Volksmarine and its predecessor organizations . They were :