NEARCHUS: Russian Baltic Fleet to be overhauled.....[ 572 ]

The Hellenic Navy (HN) (Greek: Πολεμικό Ναυτικό, Polemikó Naftikó, abbreviated ΠΝ) is the naval force of Greece, part of the Greek Armed Forces. The modern Greek navy has its roots in the naval forces of various Aegean Islands, which fought in the Greek War of Independence. During the periods of monarchy (1833–1924 and 1936–1973) it was known as the Royal Navy (Βασιλικόν Ναυτικόν, Vasilikón Naftikón, abbreviated ΒΝ).The total displacement of all the navy's vessels is approximately 150,000 tons.The motto of the Hellenic Navy is "Μέγα το της Θαλάσσης Κράτος" from Thucydides' account of Pericles' oration on the eve of the Peloponnesian War. This has been roughly translated as "Great is the country that controls the sea". The Hellenic Navy's emblem consists of an anchor in front of a crossed Christian cross and trident, with the cross symbolizing Greek Orthodoxy, and the trident symbolizing Poseidon, the god of the sea in Greek mythology. Pericles' words are written across the top of the emblem. "The navy, as it represents a necessary weapon for Greece, should only be created for war and aim to victory."...............The Hellenic Merchant Marine refers to the Merchant Marine of Greece, engaged in commerce and transportation of goods and services universally. It consists of the merchant vessels owned by Greek civilians, flying either the Greek flag or a flag of convenience. Greece is a maritime nation by tradition, as shipping is arguably the oldest form of occupation of the Greeks and a key element of Greek economic activity since the ancient times. Nowadays, Greece has the largest merchant fleet in the world, which is the second largest contributor to the national economy after tourism and forms the backbone of world shipping. The Greek fleet flies a variety of flags, however some Greek shipowners gradually return to Greece following the changes to the legislative framework governing their operations and the improvement of infrastructure.

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This is a bilingual blog in English and / or Greek and you can translate any post to any language by pressing on the appropriate flag....Note that there is provided below a scrolling text with the 30 recent posts...Αυτό είναι ένα δίγλωσσο blog στα Αγγλικά η/και στα Ελληνικά και μπορείτε να μεταφράσετε οποιοδήποτε ποστ σε οποιαδήποτε γλώσσα κάνοντας κλικ στη σχετική σημαία. Σημειωτέον ότι παρακάτω παρέχεται και ένα κινούμενο κείμενο με τα 30 πρόσφατα ποστς....This is a bilingual blog in English and / or Greek and you can translate any post to any language by pressing on the appropriate flag....Note that there is provided below a scrolling text with the 30 recent posts...Αυτό είναι ένα δίγλωσσο blog στα Αγγλικά η/και στα Ελληνικά και μπορείτε να μεταφράσετε οποιοδήποτε ποστ σε οποιαδήποτε γλώσσα κάνοντας κλικ στη σχετική σημαία. Σημειωτέον ότι παρακάτω παρέχεται και ένα κινούμενο κείμενο με τα 30 πρόσφατα ποστς.........

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Russian Baltic Fleet to be overhauled.....[ 572 ]

Now in Baku: 20:59 (GMT+04:00), Thursday , 21 January , 2010

The Russian Navy's plans to modernize its Baltic Fleet with equipment upgrades and streamlining of personnel should not be seen as a response to a US-Polish plan to locate a missile battery in the region, a Russian Defence Ministry spokesman said Thursday, DPA reported.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev plans to bring the ageing fleet up to the latest standards as well as cut thousands of jobs to shorten the chain of command, Interfax news agency reported.

But the modernization of the fleet, headquartered in the Kaliningrad enclave between Poland and Lithuania, had nothing to do with a US-Polish agreement to place a Patriot missile battery in Morag, a town just 100 kilometres from the Russian border, the Defence Ministry spokesman said.

The Russian state news agency Ria Novosti earlier quoted an unnamed high-level Navy official saying that Russian warships armed with long-range missiles would in the future patrol the region due to the US-Polish missile deal.

The US Patriot missiles soon to arrive in Poland are part of a deal proposed by former US President George Bush that gave Poland military aid in exchange for US hosting rights for an anti-missile shield.

Morag was chosen because it had good conditions to house the buildings, accommodation and technology that will come with the missile battery, Polish Defence Ministry spokesman Janusz Sejmej said Wednesday.

The battery will be manned by some 100 US soldiers, and will contain four to eight missiles. It is set to arrive in Poland in April and will take two months to set up.

The Obama administration's decision to abandon the original shield was viewed by some as a capitulation to Moscow, who had complained the system was aimed at them, rather than Iran.

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