Libyan Navy

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The Libyan Navy is the maritime force of Libya.

Contents

[edit] Background

The Libyan Navy was established in November 1962, and its first warship was delivered in 1966. Initially the effective force was limited to some minor vessels, but this changed after the rise of Colonel Muammar al-Gaddafi in 1969. From this time, Libya started to buy great quantities of weapons of European or Soviet production.

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.

The navy's primary mission is to defend the coast. The boosting of the service was made in the 1970s: the Soviet Union sold six Foxtrot-class SSK submarines, and even if two of them were averagely serviceable, they became the main threats to the US Navy in the Mediterranean Sea. In the meantime, Libya bought four Nanuchka corvettes, that even in the export versions were well armed and powerful ships. Another four corvettes were acquired in Italy, with Assad class. This had OTOMAT long range missiles (but in Mk I version without mid-course datalink) and modern artilleries. They were less armed as anti-aircraft ships than Nanuckhas but, thanks to the displacement almost twice a usual FAC, they had also a small ASW set, with a sonar and light torpedoes.

The previously separate customs and harbour police were joined with the navy in 1970.

Thus the mission was extended to include anti-smuggling and customs duties.

The Navy is a fairly typical small navy with few missile frigates, corvettes and patrol boats as the "fist" to defend a coastline. But as normal they have a very limited self defence capability.

The total personnel of the navy is about 8000.

[edit] Actions

The only military action seen by the Libyan navy was an encounter with the American Sixth Fleet in March 1986, when one missile boat and a corvette were destroyed, and other ships were damaged by A-6s. Strangely enough, some of these air attacks were performed, successfully, with CBUs like Mk 20 Rockeyes.

Another action, not officially, was the mining of Suez Canal made by Ghat Ro-Ro ferryboat. 18 ships were damaged by magnetic mines released on these waters in 1984; among them there were also Soviet merchant ships. The sweeping of these mines was a complex operation that involved mine-hunters of Italy, UK, France and USA.

[edit] Ships (1985)

  • 1 Vosper Mk.7 frigate (Built in UK, 1x114 mm Mk 8 gun, 2x40 mm/70 AA guns, 2-35mm/90 Oerlikon, 2 Seacat SAM, 1 Limbo Mk 10 ASW mortar - Upgraded in the 80s with Aspide SAM, OTOMAT SSMs, new search radar and other equipment)
  • 4 Assad corvettes (Built in Italy, 1x76 and 2x35 mm guns, 6 tls, 4 OTOMAT)
  • 4 Nanuchka class corvettes
  • some light units as Osa and Jaguar class (16 SS-12 missiles and 2x40 mm)
  • Three Polnocny LST
  • One LSD ship
  • Some minor vessels

[edit] Ships (2006)

[edit] Missile frigates

Type: Koni class (Type 1159)

Operational: 1

Length(meters)/Displacement(tons): 96.4/1,440

Non-operational: 1

Armament:

  • 4xSS-N-2C Styx SSMs
  • 2xSA-N-4 SAMs
  • 4x76mm guns
  • 4x30mm guns
  • 4x406mm torpedoes
  • 1xRBU 6000 A/S mortar
  • 20 mines

[edit] Missile corvettes

Type: Nanuchka class

Operational: 2

Length(meters)/Displacement(tons): 59.3/660

Armament:

  • 4xSS-N-2C Styx SSMs
  • 2xSA-N-4 SAMs
  • 2x57mm guns MFPBs

[edit] MFPBs

[edit] Combattante II

Operational: 7

Length(meters)/Displacement(tons): 49.0/311

non-operational: 2

Armament:

  • 4xOtomat SSMs
  • 1x76mm gun
  • 2x40mm guns

[edit] Osa II

Operational: 6

Length(meters)/Displacement(tons): 38.6/245

non-operational: 6

Armament:

  • 4xSS-N-2C Styx SSMs
  • 4x30mm guns

[edit] Mine warfare vessel

Type: Natya class minesweepers (Type 266ME)

Operational: 5

Length(meters)/Displacement(tons):61.0/804

non-operational: 4

Armament:

  • 4x30mm guns
  • 4x25mm guns
  • 2xRBU 1200 A/S mortars
  • 10 mines
  • Acoustic & Magnetic sweep

In addition several auxiliary and landing craft.

[edit] Naval Infrastructure

[edit] Naval bases

[edit] Ship maintenance and repair facilities

Facilities at Tripoli with foreign technicians for repair of vessels of up to 6,000 metric tons of deadweight (DWT); a 3,200-ton lift floating dock; floating docks at Benghazi and Tobruk

[edit] References

War machines encliclopedy, Limited publishing, in Italian version Armi da guerra.

Annati Massimo, Al diavolo le mine!, RID magazine, Coop Riviera Ligure, Italy, June 2005.

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