Ukrainian Navy

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The Ukrainian Naval Force (Ukrainian: Військово-Морські Сили України, ВМСУ, Viys’kovo-Mors’ki Syly Ukrayiny, VMSU) is the navy of Ukraine and part of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. It was established in 1992.

The navy operates in the Black Sea basin (including Sea of Azov and Danube Delta), having neither possibilities nor immediate goals for a permanent oceans presence.

The Headquarters of the Ukrainian Naval Force is situated in Sevastopol.

Contents 1 History 1.1 Prehistory 1.2 Establishment of the modern Ukrainian navy 2 Major Ships and Vessels 3 Bases 4 Ranks and insignia 5 Commanders 6 See also 7 External links

[edit] History

[edit] Prehistory

The first naval activities of the Ukrainians date back to the late Middle Ages, when Zaporizhian Host Cossacks conducted raids in the Lower Dnieper, Southern Buh rivers and the Black Sea against Ottoman Empire. Cossacks were using chaikas - light vessels propelled by sail and rowing, and armed with light handheld cannons. By a simple but genius technology, chaika could be transformed into a makeshift shallow-waters submarine used for reconnaissance and surprise landings. Cossack sea raids delivered huge blows to Ottoman coast cities, including capital portcity of Istanbul. However, Cossacks never had either permanent ports on coast or will to become a sea power.

During 1917 Russian Revolution, several ships of the Imperial Navy's Black Sea Fleet, commanded and crewed by ethnic Ukrainians, declared themselves a Navy of the newly-autonomous Ukrainian People's Republic. However, few further steps on establishing a navy have been made as Ukrainian government lost control over coastal territories.

[edit] Establishment of the modern Ukrainian navy

The immediate history of the Ukrainian Naval Force startes on August 1, 1992 when it was formally established by order of the President of Ukraine. This was followed by a long and controversial partition of the Soviet Black Sea Fleet between Ukraine and newly-independent Russian Federation.

One of the brightest episodes of this process was the story of the SKR-112 - practically the first Ukrainian navy ship. The crew of SKR-112 declared itself Ukrainian ship and raised the Ukrainian flag. The Russian-dominated fleet headquarters in Moscow considered this a mutiny and attempted to act accordingly. But the ship left its base for Odessa, causing an armed chase and collision attempts by the ships still loyal to Moscow. Soon several other ships, auxiliary vessels, and coastal units of the Black Sea Fleet followed SKR-112's decision but with less violent outcomes.

It was only in 1997 when the ships and equipment of the Black Sea Fleet were officially divided between two countries. The new Russian formation retained its historical name "Black Sea Fleet". It was also granted with rights to use the majority of its bases in Ukraine on rent until 2017. The newfound Ukrainian Navy received dozens of vessels (mostly obsolete or defunct) and some base infrastructure. However, the Russian fleet has lost several important facilities, most notably the Nitka naval aviation Training Ground in the central Crimea and the special forces base in Ochakiv. The process of fleet division is not yet complete since many aspects of two navies co-existence are underregulated, causing recurring conflicts.

[edit] Major Ships and Vessels

• 1 Corvette, 7 Frigate, 1 Submarine, 40 auxiliary ships, 60 naval aircraft.^{[citation needed]}
• Hetman Sahaydachniy (a Krivak III class frigate)
• Sevastopol (a Krivak II class frigate)
• Zaporizhzhia (a Foxtrot class submarine)

[edit] Bases

• Sevastopol
• Donuzlav
• Izmail
• Ochakiv
• Theodosia

[edit] Ranks and insignia

[edit] Commanders

• Borys Kozhin
• Volodymyr Bezkorovaynyi
• Ihor Kniaz

[edit] See also

• Black Sea Fleet
• Soviet Navy
• Sevastopol
• Crimea

[edit] External links

• (English)/(Ukrainian) Navy page on the official site of the Ministry of Defence: in English, in Ukrainian
• (English) World Navies Today: Ukraine (full unofficial list of vessels with descriptions, as of March 2002; no images)
• (Russian) Photogallery of Ukrainian Navy vessels (most vessels available, with board numbers, no detailed descriptions)