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.Blogger Tips and Tricks
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.........

Sunday, June 27, 2010

The Russian Fleet... [ 1355 ]

Russia admits it needs to modernize its Navy

Topic: Black Sea Fleet

16:48 25/06/2010
© RIA Novosti. Sergey Petrosyan

Russia's reviewed plans for naval modernization include the supply of 15 new warships, including frigates, missile boats and submarines, to the Black Sea Fleet by 2020. The decision was recently made public by Navy Commander-in-Chief Admiral Vladimir Vysotsky.
Taking into account the high cost and complexity of the modern projects, the new ships will be modernized versions of already tried and tested projects.

The decision indicates that Russia's political and military leadership is dissatisfied with the speed and cost of building warships as part of new projects. Modernizing the Black Sea Fleet is also a priority because it is currently comprised of the country's oldest warships.
Analysts point out that this is the first decision on modernizing the fleet taken since Mikhail Gorbachev launched perestroika in the late 1980s.

The Black Sea Fleet has over 40 warships of different classes, many of which will be decommissioned by the early 2020s, and several dozen auxiliary vessels, which are also becoming obsolete. Moreover, it is said that only a half of these warships and vessels are in working order and combat ready.

So far it is not clear which ships and vessels will be built for the Black Sea Fleet, but some say the list includes three Project 636M submarines, three or four Project 11356 frigates and six Tornado class Project 21632 missile/artillery boats.

Russian shipyards can build large numbers of Project 11356 frigates and Project 636 submarines quickly, but the same is not true of the Tornado class missile boats. On the other hand, these missile boats will be modeled on the tried and tested Project 21630, which has a relatively simple design.
This scenario for modernizing the fleet could shorten the process and is set to cost about 100 billion rubles ($3.2 billion) by 2020. The ships and vessels to be commissioned by that time will form the basis for the fleet's subsequent strengthening as warships from new projects are added. If these plans are carried out, the Black Sea Fleet will comprise from 35 to 40 new warships with a maximum age of 10-12 years and a 30 year service life.

The Black Sea Fleet currently has two key tasks: to control the Black Sea and ensure the safety of Russia's southern borders, and deploy to the Mediterranean Sea and the Indian Ocean as needed.
If it is to be able to fulfill the former task, the fleet needs combat-ready missile boats, corvettes, small submarines as well as aircraft and coastal forces, including marines.
The latter task can be assigned only to long-range sea and ocean-faring groups, such as frigates accompanied by support ships.
Since Russia has made its interest in the Mediterranean and the Indian Ocean clear, the Black Sea Fleet must have ocean-faring vessels. Its frigates would be able to carry out combat duties in the Mediterranean and the Indian Ocean faster than the warships of the Baltic or Northern Fleets, which would take a lot longer just to reach either destination.

Ideally, modernizing the Black Sea Fleet, and subsequently Russia's other fleets, will allow the country to maintain naval task groups capable of discharging a wide range of duties, from peacekeeping and humanitarian operations to combat roles in the key operational theaters around the world.
But it takes more than just political will and funding to realize these plans. Russia also needs to sign a new agreement with Ukraine because the existing documents concerning the Black Sea Fleet's status stipulate that Russia has to coordinate the modernization of the fleet and its coastal infrastructure with the Ukrainian authorities.

Such coordination will not be a problem as things stand currently in terms of politics, but the situation might change over time, so it would be reasonable to use this period of good relations with Ukraine to review the status of the Black Sea Fleet and expand Russia's rights.
The renewal of the Black Sea Fleet will be financed under the state rearmament program for 2010-2020, which is still being drafted. Officers of the Russian Defense Ministry say that its bottom-line funding, 13 trillion rubles ($419 billion), will not cover the modernization of the Navy, particularly such large groups as the Northern and Pacific Fleets, which require larger groups of more powerful and expensive warships than either the Black Sea or the Baltic Fleets.
Moreover, rearmament cannot be limited to spending on warships; its cost will increase dramatically given the need for a new naval infrastructure, landing vessels, naval aircraft and auxiliary ships, as well as support vessels and repair facilities. But without them any naval modernization would be incomplete and hence ineffective.
The opinions expressed in this article are the author's and do not necessarily represent those of RIA Novosti.
MOSCOW. (RIA Novosti military commentator Ilya Kramnik)
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