Namibian Navy

Namibian Navy
Country  Namibia
Type Navy
Part of Namibian Defence Force
Garrison/HQ Walvis Bay, Namibia
Anniversaries 10 October 2004
Commanders
Commander In Chief President Hage Geingob
Minister of Defence Penda ya Ndakolo
Navy Commander Rear Admiral Peter Vilho
Insignia
Naval Ensign
Namibian Navy Jack

The Namibian Navy is the Navy of the Republic of Namibia and is part of the Namibian Defence Force.

History

Development of Namibia's navy has been slow, and the force was only formally established in 2004, fourteen years after independence. Comprising approximately 500 personnel it deploys a small number of lightly armed patrol vessels. The first maritime wing commander was Captain Phestus Sacharia. The first ship to be commissioned into service was the donated patrol boat Oryx.[1] Extensive Brazilian aid has assisted in the development of the Namibian Navy. Brazil and Namibia signed an agreement in 2004 for the delivery of a patrol boat and two smaller patrol craft. The newly built 200 ton patrol boat Brendan Simbwaye, built at the Brazilian shipyard INACE, was commissioned on January 19, 2009.[2] An ongoing co-operation program allows Namibian sailors and naval officers to be trained by the Brazilian Navy; by 2009, 466 seamen had been trained. Brazil also provided assistance in preparing a nautical chart of the approach to Walvis Bay and consulting in charting the outer limits of the continental shelf.[3] The Brazilian Navy has also trained Namibian marines.[4]

Ensign

The Namibian Navy uses the national flag as its ensign.

Role

The Ministry of Defence has outlined the Naval policy as follows" In peacetime, the Navy of the NDF have a role of augmenting civil offshore patrol forces, particularly providing the means and the expertise to execute enforcement action effectively. Specific tasks include assisting civil forces to combat illegal immigration, smuggling (arms, drugs etc.) and threats to the environment; conducting maritime surveillance, search and rescue; and assisting the Ministry of Fisheries with enforcing a fisheries protection regime. A longer term peacetime task is the protection of offshore oil, gas, diamonds and other installations.A navy aerial surveillance component is a necessary part of the defence system"[5]

Fleet

Commissioned ships

The flagship of the navy is the Grajau class Patrol Boat NS Brendan Simbwaye

Current

Name Picture Origin Class Type Built Entered service (LNF) Notes
Support Boat
S11 Elephant  China Elephant class Logistics Support Vessel 2012 2012 Hull S11
Patrol Boat Squadron
P11 Brendan Simbwaye  Brazil Grajau Class Patrol Boat 2009 2010 Hull P11
P01 Oryx  Germany Oryx Class Patrol Boat 1975 2002 Hull P01
HPB20 Terrace Bay  Brazil Marlin Class Patrol Craft 2009 2010 Hull HPB20
HPB21 Möwe Bay  Brazil Marlin Class Patrol Craft 2009 2010 Hull HPB21
Harbor Boat Group
HPB01  South Africa Namacurra class harbour patrol boat
HPB02  South Africa Namacurra class harbour patrol boat
Landing craft
LC19  South Africa KND KND11C 2014 2014 orderer 19 craft

Decommissioned ships

Shore Facilities

Naval Base

The naval base is situated at Walvis Bay. The base was inaugurated in 2012 though its building was completed in 2004. It is officially known as the Naval Base Captain PN Sacharia. Captain PN Sacharia was the then Maritime Wing's first commander and was instrumental in its set up.[6] The base has a 200 meter long jetty. The current base Commanding Officer is Captain Richard Kopano.[9] The base also houses the navy headquarters.

Naval Calling Station

The naval Calling station is based at Namibia's only other harbour town Luderitz.[10]

Naval Training School

The Training School is located at the Rooikop Military base.[11]

Old Naval Base

The 'Old Naval Base' functions as the current headquarters of the Namibian Marine Corps.

Organisation

The navy is a hierarchical organisation with the navy commander exercising overall command. The navy has around 500 personnel, most of whom have been trained in Brazil and South Africa. The Navy is further augmented by the 200-man strong Namibian Marine Corps.

Navy Commander

The position of Navy commander is held by an individual with the rank of Rear Admiral. The navy Commander is responsible for the overall command of the navy.The current navy commander is Rear Admiral Peter Vilho.

Chief of Naval Operations

The chief of Naval Operations is R Adm(JG) S.N.B. Nghipandwa [12]

Chief of Naval Support

The Chief of Naval Support (CNS) is responsible for naval support. The CNS is Captain A.P Amungulu.[13]

Chief of Naval Staff

The chief of Naval Staff is Capt (N) Petrus N. Tjandja [14]

Master at Arms

The Master at Arms of the navy is the senior most enlisted sailor in the navy.The Master at Arms is responsible for instilling discipline in the navy.The navy's first Master at Arms was Warrant Officer class 1 WO1 David Angolo. WO1 Angolo later became the Namibian Defence Force's Sergeant Major.

Marines

The Namibian Marine Corps is a branch of the Navy. It is a battalion strong. The marines are trained by Brazilian naval instructors at the Marine Corps Training center at the Rooikop Military Base near Walvis Bay.The marine commandant is Captain Appolos Haimbala.[15]

Ranks and Insignia

Naval ranks are based on Royal Navy ranks. The same ranks are also used by the Namibian Marine Corps. The highest rank in peace time a commissioned officer can attain in the navy is Rear Admiral. There may however be an exception when a naval officer is appointed as Chief of the Defence Force for which the individual which ascend to the rank of Vice-Admiral.The highest rank an enlisted member can attain is Warrant Officer Class 1.


Officer Rank Insignia

Commissioned officer rank structure of the Namibian Navy
Rear Admiral Rear Admiral(Junior Grade) Captain
RAdm RAdm(JG) Capt(N)
Commander Lieutenant commander Lieutenant Lieutenant (junior grade) Ensign Midshipman
Cdr LCdr Lt(N) (LTJG Ensign Midshipman

Non-commissioned officers and other ranks

Warrant Officers
Senior Ratings
Junior Ratings

References

  1. ↑ Namibia Defence Force: Namibia Navy marks its day.(n.d). Retrieved October 10, 2011, Namibian Ministry of Defence
  2. ↑ Press release: Brazil exports warship to Namibia, Brazilian Navy, January 8, 2009. (Portuguese)
  3. ↑ Brazil-Namibia co-operation, Brazilian Navy (Portuguese)
  4. ↑ "Marinha do Brasil forma Primeira Turma de Soldados Fuzileiros Navais da Namíbia". Mar.mil.br. Retrieved 2012-10-20.
  5. ↑ "Ministry of Defence".
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Namibia inaugurates new naval ship; naval base". DefenceWeb. 2012-09-10. Retrieved 2012-10-20.
  7. ↑ "Command changes in the navy". New Era. 2011-03-29. Retrieved 2012-10-20.
  8. ↑ "Naval ship, Lt. Gen Dimo Hamaambo decommissioned". New Era. Retrieved 2012-10-20.
  9. ↑ "Nampa". Mobi.nampa.org. Retrieved 2012-10-20.
  10. ↑ New Era Publication Corporation. "Namibian navy weathering the storm". New Era Newspaper Namibia.
  11. ↑ New Era Publication Corporation. "Namibian navy weathering the storm". New Era Newspaper Namibia.
  12. ↑ "SAS SPIOENKOP visits Walvisbaai".
  13. ↑ Administrator. "Infantaria de Fuzileiros Navais da Namíbia inicia suas atividades".
  14. ↑ http://www.mod.gov.na/pdfs/navy%20rec.pdf
  15. ↑ "Ministry of Defense". Mod.gov.na. Retrieved 2012-10-20.

Further reading