Black Sea Fleet

Black Sea Fleet sleeve ensign.

The Black Sea Fleet (Russian: Черноморский Флот) is a large sub-unit of the Russian (and formerly Soviet) Navy, operating in the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea since the late 18th century. It is based in various harbors of the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov.

History

Black Sea Fleet after the Battle of Sinop in 1853

Imperial Russia

The Black Sea Fleet is considered to have been founded by Prince Potemkin on May 13, 1783, together with its principal base, the city of Sevastopol. Formerly commanded by such legendary admirals as Dmitry Senyavin and Pavel Nakhimov, it is a fleet of enormous historical and political importance for Russia. In 1790, Russian naval forces under the command of admiral Fyodor Ushakov defeated the Turkish fleet at the Battle of Kerch Strait.^[1]

From 1841 onwards the fleet was confined to the Black Sea by the London Straits Convention.

See also WW I in the Black Sea

Soviet Navy

During the Russian Civil War the vast majority of the Black Sea Fleet was scuttled or interned by the Western Allies (see Wrangel's fleet). A few ships were salvaged in the 1920s and a large scale new construction programme began in the 1930s.

The Fleet was commanded by Vice Admiral F.S. Oktyabrskii on the outbreak of war with Germany in June 1941, the Fleet gave a credible account of itself, along with the Red Army forces that fought alongside it, during the Siege of Odessa and the Battle of Sevastopol.^[2] (See Black Sea Campaigns (1941-44) for more details). Along with the Northern Fleet, the Black Sea Fleet provided ships for the 5th Operational Squadron in the Mediterranean, which confronted the United States Navy during the Arab-Israeli wars, notably during the Yom Kippur War in 1973.^[3]

However, its military importance has degraded since the collapse of the Soviet Union, due to significant funding cuts and, to a degree, the loss of its major missions.

Earlier, Turkey's decision to join NATO (putting the Bosporus Strait under Western control) and invention of long-range nuclear weapons have dramatically decreased the strategic value of any naval activity in the Black Sea. The fleet has been free of nuclear weapons since the early 1990s. The aviation, marines and landing vessels of the Black Sea fleet took part in the First Chechen War directly involved and also by giving auxiliary support.

However, recent local conflicts in the Caucasus region (particularly in Georgia) which obliged Moscow to mobilise the Black Sea Fleet off the coast of Georgia, and the development of oil transit in the region are forcing Russia to support the fleet as much as possible.

Monument to Heroes of the Soviet Black Sea Fleet Squadron 1941-1944 in Sevastopol, featuring the list of 28 military ships that distinguished themselves in battles with Nazi invaders.

Partition of the Soviet Black Sea Fleet

In 1992, the major part of the personnel, armaments and coastal facilities of the Fleet fell under formal jurisdiction of the newly-independent Ukraine as they were situated on Ukrainian territory. Later the Ukrainian government ordered the establishment of its own Ukrainian Navy based on the Black Sea Fleet; several ships and ground formations declared themselves Ukrainian.

However, this immediately led to conflicts with the majority of officers who appeared to be loyal to Russia. Simultaneously, pro-Russian separatist groups became active in the local politics of Ukraine's Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the Sevastopol municipality where the major naval bases were situated, and started coordinating their efforts with pro-Moscow seamen.

Joint Fleet and its partition

To ease the tensions, the two governments signed an interim treaty, establishing a joint Russo-Ukrainian Black Sea Fleet under bilateral command (and Soviet Navy flag) until a full-scale partition agreement could be reached. Formally, the Fleet's Commander was to be appointed by a joint order of the two countries' Presidents. However, Russia still dominated the Fleet unofficially, and only Russian admirals were appointed as Commanders; the majority of the personnel adopted Russian citizenship. Minor tensions between the Fleet and the new Ukrainian Navy (such as electricity cut-offs and sailors' street-fighting) continued.

Some major ships (including the flagship) of the Soviet and Russian Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol, August 2007.

In 1997, Russia and Ukraine signed the Partition Treaty, establishing two independent national fleets and dividing armaments and bases between them.^[4] Ukraine also agreed to lease major parts of its new bases to the Russian Black Sea Fleet until 2017. However, the treaty appeared to be far from perfect: permanent tensions on the lease details (mostly regarding lighthouses) continue to this day. The Fleet's main base is still situated in the Crimean port city of Sevastopol. However, Ukraine has declared that the lease will not be extended and that the fleet will have to leave Sevastopol by 2017.^[5]

Georgia in the Fleet partition

The newly-independent Republic of Georgia, which also hosted several bases of the Soviet Black Sea Fleet, also claimed a share of the Fleet, including 32 naval vessels formerly stationed at Georgia's Black Sea port of Poti. Not a CIS member at that time, Georgia was not, however, included in the initial negotiations in January 1992. Additionally, some low-importance bases situated in the Russian-backed breakaway autonomy of Abkhazia soon escaped any Georgian control. In 1996, Georgia resumed its demands, and the Russian refusal to allot Georgia a portion of the ex-Soviet navy became another bone of contention in the progressively deteriorating Georgian-Russian relations. This time, Ukraine endorsed Tbilisi's claims, turning over several patrol boats to the Georgian Navy and starting to train Georgian crews, but was unable to include in the final fleet deal a transfer of the formerly Poti-based vessels to Georgia.^[6] Later, the rest of the Georgian share was decided to be ceded to Russia in return for diminution of debt.

Recent developments

As a consequence of Ukraine announcing that the lease of Russian naval bases on the Crimea will not be extended beyond 2017, the Russian Black Fleet is building a new base in Novorossiysk. In July 2007, the Navy Commander announced that the new base will be ready in 2012.^[7]

Russia mobilised part of the fleet towards Georgia's rebel Abkhazia region^[8] witch resulted in a skirmish with the Georgian Navy. As a result, Ukraine's President Viktor Yushchenko announced that the Black Sea Fleet would henceforth need permission to cross the Ukrainian border and go to Sevastopol, in which Russia retorted that the the President of Russia Federation and not Ukraine commands the Black Sea Fleet.

Unconfirmed reports have asserted that President Assad of Syria has agreed to allow Russia to convert the port city of Tartusinto a permanent Middle East base.^[9] According to Lebanese-Syrian commentator Joseph Farah the flotilla which has been moved to Tartus consists of the Moskva cruiser and four nuclear missile submarines. According to Farah upgrades of the port facilities are already under way. Since 1992 the port has been in disrepair with only one of its three floating piers remaining operational,but the facilities now are being restored.^[10]

List of Black Sea Fleet ships

30th Surface Warship Division

247th Submarine Battalion

68th Coastal Defence Warship Brigade

41st Missile Boat Brigade

84th Novorossiysk Coastal Defence Brigade

Black Sea Fleet Naval Aviation - HQ Sevastopol

• 872nd Independent Anti-submarine Helicopter Regiment - HQ at Kacha - Ka-27;
• 917th Independent Composite Air Regiment - HQ at Kacha - An-2, An-12, An-26, Be-12, Mi-8;
• 43rd Independent Naval Shturmovik (Assault) Air Squadron - HQ at Gvardeyskoye - Su-24;

See also

• Ukrainian Navy
• Russian battleship Potemkin — possibly the most famous Black Sea Fleet ship.
• Crimean anti-NATO protests of 2006

References

Further reading

• Simonsen, Sven Gunnar (June 2000). ""You take your oath only once:" Crimea, The Black Sea Fleet, and national identity among Russian officers". Nationalities Papers 28 (2): 289–316. doi:10.1080/713687467. 

External links

• Russia - Ukraine Lease agreement
• Unofficial site (English version)
• History of the Black Sea Fleet during WWII (in Russian)
• Narodny Oglyadach reports on morale situation in Russian naval base in Sevastopol

Fleets of the Russian Navy     Northern Fleet Baltic Fleet Black Sea Fleet Pacific Fleet Caspian Flotilla