Belgian Naval Component

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This article is about the Belgian Naval Component, which between 1831 and 1865 was known as the Royal Navy. For other Royal Navies, see Royal Navy (disambiguation).
Naval Component of the Belgian Armed Forces
The F930 Leopold I
The F930 Leopold I, a Belgian Karel Doorman class frigate
Photo credit: Belgian Naval Component
Active 1831-1865: Royal Navy
1917-1927: Corps of Destroyers and Sailors
1939-1940: Naval Corps
1940-1946: Belgian Section, Royal Navy
1946-2002: Navy
2002-present: Naval Component
Country Flag of Belgium Belgium
Size 2,400 personnel
1 frigate, 6 minehunters, 5 support vessels
Ship classes Karel Doorman class frigate
Tripartite class minehunter
Commanders
Commander Divisional Admiral Jean-Paul Robyns
Insignia
Ensign Ensign of the Belgian Naval Component

The Naval Component (Dutch: Marinecomponent, French: Composante Maritime) of the Belgian Armed Forces, formerly the Belgian Navy, is the naval service of Belgium.

Contents

[edit] History

[edit] Early history

One of the first gunboats of the Marine Royale
One of the first gunboats of the Marine Royale
An officer of the Belgian Naval Component
An officer of the Belgian Naval Component

The Belgian Navy was created as the Marine Royale in 1831. This force has operated in various forms throughout Belgian history.

When after the Belgian Revolution, the country became independent in 1830, a Dutch squadron blocked the Scheldt estuarium. To deal with this threat the Belgian Congress ordered two brigantines to be built, which bore the names Congrès and Les Quatre Journées. After the French army, led by Marshal of France Etienne Gérard, captured the citadel of Antwerp in 1832, the captured Dutch gun boats were pressed into Belgian service. In 1840 the Belgian government bought the schooner Louise Marie and in 1845 the brig Duc de Brabant. In 1865, the Belgian government discarded its navy and pursued a minimalistic naval policy. This meant that at the outbreak of World War I, Belgium had no navy.

The War caused this policy to change and in 1917 a Corps of Destroyers and Sailors was created. The Belgian naval personnel served onboard French mine sweepers and provided the artillerymen for Belgian merchant ships. The Treaty of Versailles allocated Belgium 11 torpedo boats and 26 mine sweepers. Because of budgetary reasons, Belgium again abolished its navy. In 1939, against the looming threat of a new war with Germany, Belgium once again resurrected its navy as the Naval Corps. This new navy lasted barely a year until the German invasion of May 1940.

During World War II many members of this naval corps, together with Belgian fishermen and merchant sailors escaped to England with the explicit wish of fighting the German occupiers. The Royal Navy took advantage of this opportunity to enlist the Belgians into separate groups of more or less entirely Belgian-manned ships. From 1940 to 1946, the Belgian Section of the British Royal Navy manned two corvettes, (Buttercup and Godetia), a squadron of MMS mine sweepers and three patrol boats (Phrontis, Electra and Kernot). In 1946, Britain generously donated the ships (along with its crews) to Belgium to become the backbone of the new Belgian Navy.

[edit] Post-Cold War

In the beginning of the nineties, the end of the Cold War caused the Belgian government to restructure the Belgian Armed Forces in order to cope with the changed threats. This meant cutbacks and crimping the Armed Forces. With regards to the Belgian navy these cutbacks meant that one Wielingen class frigate was stricken and that three Tripartite class minehunters were sold to France. In 2002, the government decided to impose a "single structure" on the armed forces in which the independent Belgian Navy ceased to exist. The former Navy became the Belgium Naval Component (COMOPSNAV) of the Armed Forces; it is also called the Marine.[1]

On July 20, 2005, the Belgian government decided to buy two of the remaining six Dutch M-class frigates to replace the two remaining frigates of the Wielingen class (Wielingen and Westdiep) currently still in service with the Belgian Navy, which in turn might be sold to Bulgaria. On December 21, 2005, the Dutch government sold the Karel Doorman (F827) and Willem Van Der Zaan (F829) to Belgium. The two ships were sold for about 250 million Euros. These two M-class frigates are expected to enter service with the Belgian Navy between 2007-2008, in which they will be renamed Leopold I and Louise-Marie before entering service.

In October 2005, the Wielingen class frigate Wandelaar was officially handed over to the Bulgarian Navy, who christened it as the Drăzki. The country's government is right about to put an order for a second ship of the Wandelaar class together with a minesweeper, both second hand.

The current Commander of the Naval Component is Flotilla Admiral Jean-Paul Robyns.

[edit] Mission

In times of crisis and war the Belgian Navy will manage, with the support of its allies, the crises rising from the infringements to the principles of International law and/or from the Humans right and exercise the Belgian sovereignty in the maritime zones where the Navy is qualified, defend the lines maritime of communication, main roads and allied, and protect the ports against any air, surface or underwater attack.

In times of peace the Belgian Navy has the following roles:

  • To ensure the presence of Belgium at sea.
  • To give a support for our diplomacy and our foreign trade.
  • Technical and military collaboration with the allied countries.
  • Participation in humane actions.
  • Contribute to the nation in the maritime zones for which Belgium is responsible:
    • Contribution to oceanographical search.
    • Control of fishing
    • Contribution to the control of pollution at sea.
    • Participation in the plan of assistance in territorial waters
    • Support for the customs and police operations
    • Detection of wrecks of boats.
    • Participation in rescues at sea.
    • Contribution to the training of the commercial naval officers
    • Control of territorial waters and the exclusive economic zone.
    • If necessary, opening of the centre of hyperbare medicine to the population.
    • Destruction of explosive devices at sea
  • Preparation with the tasks to be carried out in times of crisis and war.
  • Contribution to dissuasion at sea by the means of permanent allied squadrons.

[edit] Flag Officers

There are currently four officers of flag rank in the Naval Component:

[edit] Current Fleet List

[edit] Frigates

F930 Leopold IPhoto credit: Belgian Naval Component
F930 Leopold I
Photo credit: Belgian Naval Component
M917 CrocusPhoto credit: Belgian Naval Component
M917 Crocus
Photo credit: Belgian Naval Component
A962 BelgicaPhoto credit: Hans Hillewaert
A962 Belgica
Photo credit: Hans Hillewaert

Karel Doorman class

[edit] Mine Hunters

Tripartite class

[edit] Support Vessels

  • A960 Godetia, Command and Logistic support ship
  • A950 Valcke, Ready Duty Ship
  • A962 Belgica, Oceanografic Research Vessel
  • A963 Stern, Ready Duty Ship
  • A996 Albatros, Ready Duty Ship
  • A997 Spin, Harbour Launch

[edit] Patrol Boat

  • P902 Liberation, a former river patrol boat built in 1954, now used during the Summer months at different locations for public relations

[edit] Auxiliary Vessels

  • A958 Zenobe Gramme, Sailing Ship
  • A995 Spich (2003-), Rigid Inflatable Boat
  • A998 Werl (2003-), Rigid Inflatable Boat
  • A983 Quatuor (2006-), Royal Yacht
  • A999 Barbara, Hovercraft

[edit] Former Fleet List

The former ships were once part of the Belgian Navy:

  • Wielingen class frigates
  • Tripartite minehunter
    • M918 Dianthus, Tripartite minehunter (sold to France 1993)
    • M919 Fuchsia, Tripartite minehunter (sold to France 1993)
    • M920 Iris, Tripartite minehunter (sold to France 1993)
    • M922 Myosotis, Tripartite minehunter (sold to Bulgaria 2007)
  • Algerine class minesweeper
    • M900 Adrien de Gerlache (ex HMS Liberty, acquired 1949 - decommissioned 1969)
    • M901 Georges Lecointe (i) (ex HMS Cadmus, acquired 1950 - decommissioned 1959)
    • M901 Georges Lecointe (ii) (ex HMCS Wallaceburg, acquired 1959 - decommissioned 1969)
    • M902 Van Haverbeke (i) (ex HMS Ready - acquired 1951 - decommissioned 1960)
    • M903 Dufour (i) (ex HMS Fancy - acquired 1951 - decommissioned 1959)
    • M903 Dufour (ii) (ex HMCS Winnipeg - acquired 1959 - decommissioned 1966)
    • M904 De Brouwer (i) (ex HMS Spanker - acquired 1953 - decommissioned 1966)
    • M905 De Moor (ex HMS Rosario - acquired 1953 - decommissioned 1966)
  • MSO class minesweeper (Aggressive class)
    • M902 Van Haverbeke (ii) (ex USN MSO522 - acquired 1960 - decommissioned)
    • M906 Breydel (ex USN AM504, ex USN MSO504, acquired 1956 - decommissioned 1993)
    • M907 Artevelde (ex USN AM503, ex USN MSO503, acquired 1955 - decommissioned 1985)
  • MSC class coastal minesweeper (akin to US Navy Minesweeper Coastal
    • M910 Diest (sold to Taiwan 1969)
    • M911 Eeklo (sold to Taiwan 1969)
    • M912 Lier (sold to Taiwan 1969)
    • M913 Maaseik (sold to Taiwan 1969)
    • M914 Roeselare (sold to Norway 1966)
    • M915 Arlon (sold to Norway 1966)
    • M916 Bastogne (sold to Norway 1966)
    • M917 Charleroi (sold to Taiwan 1969)
    • M918 Sint-Niklaas (sold to Taiwan 1969)
    • M919 Sint-Truiden (sold to Greece 1969)
    • M920 Diksmuide (sold to Taiwan 1969)
    • M921 Herve (sold to Greece 1969)
    • M922 Malmedy (sold to Greece 1969)
    • M923 Blankenberge (sold to Greece 1969)
    • M924 Laroche (sold to Greece 1969)
    • M926 Mechelen (converted to research ship - decommissioned)
    • M927 Spa (converted to munition transport and renumbered A963 - decommissioned)
    • M928 Stavelot (decommissioned 1987)
    • M929 Heist (decommissioned 1992)
    • M930 Rochefort (decommissioned 1992)
    • M931 Knokke (decommissioned 1976)
    • M932 Nieuwpoort (decommissioned 1991)
    • M933 Koksijde (decommissioned 1991)
    • M934 Verviers (ex USN MSC259 - converted to minehunter 1972 - decommissioned 1988)
    • M935 Veurne (ex USN MSC260 - converted to minehunter 1972 - decommissioned 1987)
  • MSI class inshore minesweepers (similar to the British Ham or Ley class)
    • M470 Temse (sold to South Korea 1970)
    • M471 Hasselt (transferred to Belgian Sea Cadet Corps in 1993)
    • M472 Kortrijk (decommissioned 1989)
    • M473 Lokeren (decommissioned 1987)
    • M474 Turnhout (decommissioned 1991)
    • M475 Tongeren (decommissioned 1991)
    • M476 Merksem (decommissioned 1992)
    • M477 Oudenaarde (decommissioned 1989)
    • M478 Herstal (decommissioned 1991)
    • M479 Huy (decommissioned 1990)
    • M480 Seraing (decommissioned 1990)
    • M481 Tournai (sold to South Korea 1970)
    • M482 Visé (decommissioned 1991)
    • M483 Ougrée (decommissioned 1992; she is in civilian ownership on the River Medway in Chatham, Kent, England (2007))
    • M484 Dinant (decommissioned 1992)
    • M485 Andenne (decommissioned 1991)
  • Auxiliary ships
    • AP907 Kamina (decommissioned 1967)

[edit] Footnote

  1. ^ The former term 'Zeemacht' in Dutch, 'Force Navale' in French, is in both languages once again referred to by the term 'Marine' which does not indicate an independent force.

[edit] External links

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  Military of Belgium