Libyan Navy


Libyan Navy is the branch of the Libyan military responsible for naval warfare. Established in November 1962, before the 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 services 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 ongoing internal conflict, the Libyan Navy is aligned with the Government of National Accord, 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.

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 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 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.
warning Libyan vessels of the naval blockade
Second Battle of Zawiya. Ships

Active ships

Frigates

1 × Koni-class frigate
Armament:
Origin:

Corvette

1 × Nanuchka-class corvette
Armarment
Origin:

Fast attack craft

1× La Combattante IIa
Armarment
Origin:

Mine warfare vessels

2× Natya-class minesweeper
Armament:
Origin:

Landing ships

2x Polnocny class landing ship
Armament
Origin:

Former ships

Submarine

6 × Foxtrot-class submarine
Armament
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 was captured by the rebels at the Benghazi naval base.

Frigate

1 × Vosper Mk.7 frigate :
Armament
Origin:
, 2005.
1 ×
Armament:
Origin:

Corvette

4 × Assad class corvette
Armament
Origin:
3 × Nanuchka class corvette
Armament
Origin:

Fast attack crafts

12 × osa class missile boat:
Armament
Origin:
Some of Jaguar-class fast attack craft:
Armament
Origin:
9 × La Combattante IIa
Armament
Origin:

Minesweepers

6 × Natya class minesweeper
Armament
Origin:
2 × Ham class minesweeper
Armament
Origin:

Oceanographic research ship

1× a former trawler converted in the 1970 called Nour:
Armament
Origin:

Landing ship

1 × Polnocny class landing ship
Armament
Origin:

Naval infrastructure

Naval bases in the 2011 Libyan civil war

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.

Offline references