The Principality of Bulgaria established its navy soon after its creation, in 1879, to operate on the Danube river and the Black Sea, but the young country could spend only limited resources on warships. In the conflicts of the 20th century in which Bulgaria was involved - the Balkan Wars, World War I and World War II, the navy played a limited role, mainly protecting Bulgarian harbors and shipping. Its greatest combat feat was a successful torpedo attack against an Ottoman cruiser during the First Balkan War that nevertheless didn't sink it.
In the aftermath of World War II, the People's Republic of Bulgaria was a part of the Eastern Bloc and the navy was reorganized and supplied with Soviet-made equipment. It participated in various Warsaw Pact naval exercises, but took no part in any military operations. The navy reached its peak, in both materiel and personnel, in the late 1980s, but even then its most powerful ships were frigates and destroyers.
After the fall of the Soviet Union and Bulgaria's communist regime, all Bulgarian armed forces fell in decline due to their reduced relevance, and the economic crisis of the 1990s limited the resources that could be set aside for their modernization. The Navy was no exception. After a period of negotiations and reforms in order to comply with NATO standards, Bulgaria was admitted in the alliance in 2004. Since then, the Navy has acquired and operates a small number of relatively modern vessels.
Since the 1940s, the Bulgarian Navy has two main bases, each near one of the two major commercial port cities in the country - Varna and Burgas (by the village of Atia).
The Bulgarian Navy scuttled its four Danube gunboats during the Second Balkan War, probably to avoid capture by the invading Romanian Army.[5] The four gunboats were 400-600-ton vessels, with a top speed of 11 knots (20 km/h; 13 mph) and armed with two-to-four 75 mm (3 in) guns and two-to-four 47 mm (1.9 in) guns. They were still present on the Bulgarian Navy list in August 1916.[6]
World War I
When Bulgaria entered World War I in 1915, its navy consisted mainly of a French-built torpedo gunboat called Nadezhda and six torpedo boats. It mainly engaged in mine warfare actions in the Black Sea against the Russian Black Sea Fleet and allowed the Germans to station two U-boats at Varna, one of which came under Bulgarian control in 1916 as Podvodnik No. 18. Russian mines sank one Bulgarian torpedo boat and damaged one more during the war.[7]
World War II
The Bulgarian Navy during World War II supported the Axis Powers in the Black Sea and consisted mainly of four obsolete Drazki-class torpedo boats, five modern Lurrsen type motor torpedo boats and three formerly Dutch motor torpedo boats. Bulgaria and the Soviet Union were not at war with each other, but there was still little naval fighting with Soviet submarines operating in Bulgarian waters, its main action taking place in October 1941.[8]
The so-called Operation Varna consisted in the minelaying of the Bulgarian coast by the Romanian minelayers Amiral Murgescu, Regele Carol I and Dacia, escorted by Romanian 250t-class torpedo boat Năluca, Sborul and Smeul, Romanian gunboats Sublocotenent Ghiculescu and Căpitan Dumitrescu and Bulgarian torpedo boats Drazki, Smeli and Hrabri.[9] The operation, lasting between 7 and 16 October 1941, was largely successful, as despite the loss of the Romanian auxiliary minelayer Regele Carol I to a Soviet mine,[10] the five minefields laid by the Romanian minelayers along the Bulgarian coast are credited with the sinking of four Soviet submarines: S-34, L-24, Shch-211 and Shch-210, although the latter could have also been sunk by German aircraft or depth-charged by the Bulgarian patrol boats Belomorets and Chernomorets.[11]
On 6 December 1941, Belomorets and Chernomoretsdepth-charged and sank the Soviet submarine Shch-204.[12]
Soviet submarines also laid mines near the Bulgarian coast. The 2304-ton Bulgarian steamer Shipka ("Шипка", also transliterated Chipka) was sunk off Varna in September 1941 by mines laid by the submarine L-4.[13]
On 19 May 1943, the Bulgarian torpedo boat Smeli foundered between Varna and Burgas during a storm.
Any hostilities ended when Bulgaria changed sides and joined the Allied powers in September 1944.
Cold War
In line with Soviet naming practices the navy of the Bulgarian People's Army was called the Military-Maritime Fleet (Bulgarian: Военноморски флот, ВМФ). The merchant marine, which was to mobilize in wartime in support of the regular navy was called Bulgarian Sea Fleet (Български морски флот, БМФ).
In the 1970s the Burgas Naval Base relocated to Atia with a corresponding change in name.
The Bulgarian Communist Party was forced to give up its political monopoly on 10 November 1989 under the influence of the Revolutions of 1989. With the restoration of freedom from the Warsaw Pact entanglement, it became a member of NATO in 2004,[15] and after several years of reforms, it joined the European Union and the single market in 2007, despite EU concerns over government corruption.[16]
In order to meet some of the NATO requirements, the Bulgarian government purchased a Wielingen-classfrigate from Belgium in 2005. Wandelaar (F-912), built in 1977, was renamed to Drazki. That same year the Bulgarian frigate Smeli took part as a full NATO member for the first time in Operation Active Endeavour. In 2006, following a decision of the Bulgarian National Assembly, Drazki deployed as part of the United Nations Interim Forces in Lebanon (UNIFIL), patrolling the territorial waters of Lebanon under German command. This was the first time the Bulgarian Navy took part in an international peacekeeping operation. The Bulgarian government purchased two more Wielingen-class frigates and one Tripartite-classminehunter in 2007.
On 21 July 2020 took place the official inauguration of the Maritime Coordination Center in Varna. This was an important step towards greater NATO and regional cooperation in the Black Sea region.[17]
Command structure in 1989
Directly subordinate to Naval Staff
Electronic Warfare Section (Отделение РЕБ)
Independent Electronic Warfare Battalion type "NS" (Отделен батальон тип "НС") (one company type N for jamming of enemy communications and one company type S for jamming of enemy targeting systems)
8th Submarine Division, Varna Naval Base, with 4x Romeo-class submarines (Afterwards two were decommissioned without replacement in 1990, one in 1992, and the last one in 2011.)
81Pobeda (Победа, "Victory", delivered in 1972, former Soviet S-57), 82Victoria (Виктория, delivered in 1972, former Soviet S-212), 83Nadezhda (Надежда, "Hope", delivered in 1983, former Soviet S-36), 84Slava (Слава, "Glory", delivered in 1985, former Soviet S-38) (traditional female names)
2nd Coastal Missile Brigade, south of Varna, with 4K51 Rubezh anti-ship missiles
10th Missile & Torpedo Boat Brigade, in Sozopol (mixed composition of the divisions, the torpedo boats had the dual role to attack enemy vessels with their torpedoes and to provide target acquisition for the missile boats)
Coastal Base Sozopol (Брегова база Созопол, the brigade's logistic formation)
274 (fireboat project 364 of Soviet build)
25th Signals Regiment, in Varna
63rd Anti-submarine Helicopter Squadron, at Chayka Independent Naval Helicopter Base in Varna (in the Chayka suburb), flying 8x Mi-14PL anti-submarine helicopters (nr. 801, and nr. 810 of the original ten were lost), 1 x Mi-14BT (nr. 811; nr. 812 had been retired in 1986 and the minesweeping equipment removed from 811. Afterwards nr. 811 was used for transport tasks) and 1 x Ka-25C (Hormone-B, nr. 821, used for OTH targeting of the shore-based AShM systems).
65th Maritime Special Reconnaissance Detachment (65-ти Морски Специален Разузннавателен Отряд (65ти МСРО)), in Varna (Tihina) (Navy frogmen)
130mm Coastal Artillery Training Battery, in Varna (in wartime the navy would mobilize the 1st (Varna) and 2nd (Burgas) Coastal Artillery Regiments with 5 batteries each)
Riga-class frigates: 11Drazki (Дръзки, "daring, bold", delivered in 1957, former Soviet Black Sea Fleet SKR-67), 12Smeli (Смели, "Brave", delivered in 1958, former Black Sea Fleet SKR-53, replaced on Sept 4 1989 by the Koni-class frigate11 "Brave", this caused renumbering of the Riga-class ships, but they were retired only a year later), 13Bodri (Бодри, "Cheerful", delivered in 1985, former Soviet Baltic Fleet SKR "Kobchik")
Poti-class small ASW ships: 14Hrabri (Храбри, "Brave", delivered in 1975, former Soviet MPK-106), 15Bezstrashni (Безстрашни, "Fearless", delivered in 1975, former Soviet MPK-125)
3rd Minesweepers Division
31Iskar (Искър, after the river), 32Tsibar (Цибър), 33Dobrotich (Добротич, after the medieval ruler), 34Kapitan-Leytenant Kiril Minkov (Капитан-лейтенант Кирил Минков), 35Kapitan-Leytenant Evstati Vinarov (Капитан-лейтенант Евстати Винаров), 36Kapitan I Rang Dimitar Paskalev (Капитан I-ви ранг Димитър Паскалев) (minehunters project 257D/DME, Soviet second hand, NATO reporting name Vanya)
51 - 56 (minehunters of project 1259.2 project "Malachite", NATO reporting name Olya, built in Michurin), 2 auxiliary cutters of project 501 (former auxiliary minesweeping boats) and a commander's cutter of project 371
18th Independent Division of Special Purpose Ships (former 18th Harbour Area Security Ships, includes supply, rescue and support ships and small patrol craft)
221Yupiter (Юпитер, "Jupiter") (East German fire-/ tugboat project 700, used as fireboat, salvage tugboat, submarine rescue ship and target tow for the coastal artillery and ships)
401Admiral Branimir Ormanov (Адмирал Бранимир Орманов) (Polish project 861-МВ hydrographic ship, built in 1977)
206Kapitan I Rang Dimitar Dobrev (Капитан І ранг Димитър Добрев) (Polish project 1799 (class 130 for the Soviet Navy) degaussing ship, built in 1988, the modern Polish Navy ship ORP Kontradmirał Xawery Czernicki is a development on the same hull type)
311Anton Ivanov, later Mitsar and Anlain ("Антон Иванов", "Мицар", "Анлайн", Auxiliary transport (replenishment) ship Bulgarian project 102, built in Ruse in 1979, main task was to provide en route replenishment for the Bulgarian ships, committed to the Soviet Navy Operational Mediterranean Squadron)
223 (diving support boat Bulgarian project 245, built in Varna in 1980)
121, 215 and 216 (multirole motor cutters Bulgarian project 160, built in Varna)
1 fireboat type L26, pennant number changed several times (built in Rostock, GDR in 1954-55)
218 and 219 (auxiliary cutters, former minesweeping boats type R376 "Sever")
55th Surveillance and Signals Battalion (55-ти батальон за наблюдение и свръзки) (Radar and SIGINT)
Poti-class small ASW ships: 41Letyashti (Летящи, "flying"; delivered in 1982, former Soviet MPK-77), 42Bditelni (Бдителни, "Vigilant"; delivered in 1982, former Soviet MPK-148), 43Naporisti (Напористи, "persistent, assertive"; delivered in 1982, former Soviet MPK-109), 44Strogi (Строги, "stern, rigorous"; delivered in 1975 to Varna, transferred in 1982 to Burgas, former Soviet MPK-59)
65, 66, 67, 68 (minesweepers project 1258E "Korund", NATO reporting name Yevgenya)
7th Landing Ships Division
701 "Sirius" ("Сириус") and 702 "Antares" ("Антарес") (Polish project 770Е medium tank landing ships, NATO reporting name Polnocny)
703 - 712 (Soviet project 106K small tank landing ship and auxiliary minelayers, practically self-propelled landing barges, built in Ruse and Burgas, NATO reporting name Vydra)
(another 14 project 106K small tank landing ships and auxiliary minelayers mothballed after construction and stored by Bulgarian Sea Fleet (the state-owned merchant marine) as wartime mobilization stock)
96th Independent Division of Special Purpose Ships (former 96th Harbour Area Security Ships, includes supply, rescue and support ships and small patrol craft)
301Kapitan Kiril Halachev ("Капитан Кирил Халачев") (Command ship Bulgarian project 589, built in Ruse)
302Atiya (Атия; auxiliary transport (replenishment) ship Bulgarian project 102, built in Ruse in 1987, main task was to provide en route replenishment for the Bulgarian ships, committed to the Soviet Navy Operational Mediterranean Squadron)
323 (diving support boat Bulgarian project 245, built in Varna in 1980)
331 (torpedo salvage boat Bulgarian project 205, built in Varna in 1980)
312 and 313 (multirole motor cutters Bulgarian project 160, built in Varna)
1 fireboat type L26, pennant number changed several times (built in Rostock, GDR in 1954-55)
57 and 58 (auxiliary cutters, former minesweeping boats type R376 "Sever")
66th Surveillance and Signals Battalion (66-ти батальон за наблюдение и свръзки) (Radar and SIGINT)
Coastal Radiolocation Station "Periscope I" (ELINT unit)
Repair Workshop
Shore based support units
Naval Equipment
In 1989 the people's navy's inventory consisted of:
4x Romeo-class submarines (all decommissioned with last in 2011)
3x Riga-class frigates (One decommissioned in 1989, two in 1990)
1x Koni-class frigate (Commissioned in December 1989)
2nd Coastal Anti-Ship Missile and Artillery Battalion
Independent Naval Helicopter Air Base "Chayka"
63rd Naval Special Forces Reconnaissance Detachment "Black Sea Sharks"
Hydrographical Service of the Naval Forces
Equipment Storage Base of the Naval Forces
Military Police Company of the Naval Forces Command
A "Division" is the equivalent of land forces battalion or air force squadron as the Bulgarian Navy follows the Russian naval tradition, according to which an "Operational Squadron" or "Оперативная эскадра" is a temporary formation, an equivalent of a land forces division and in modern times a "Squadron" of the Russian Navy is an equivalent of a land forces corps.
According to the reform plans envisioned in the White Paper on Defence 2010, the two naval bases would be merged into one with two base facilities in Varna and Burgas. The manpower of the Navy would account to about 3,400 seamen. The ordered Eurocopter AS565 MB Panther helicopters were reduced from six to three units. Between 2011 and 2020 the naval "Longterm Investment Plan" should come into action, providing the sea arm of the Bulgarian military with modernised ships and new equipment.
Ships
The list does not include vessels assigned to the border police. The Bulgarian Navy has inherited the Soviet tradition of "board numbers" (Bulgarian: бордови номер, romanized: bordovi nomer), which means that unlike pennant numbers and hull classification symbols, they do not identify uniquely a vessel during its lifetime – for example, a ship can change numbers when it's transferred to another unit, and new ships reuse the numbers of old ones in the same unit.
In November 2020, the Bulgarian Ministry of Defense signed a contract with Lürssen Werft Germany to build two patrol boats for the Bulgarian Navy. The boats will be built by the Bulgarian MTG Dolphin shipyard in Varna and delivered in 2025 and 2026 with the 984M lev (approximately €503M) price also including training.
On 9 June 2017 during a training mission of artillery fire against surface targets as a part of the "Black Sea-2017" exercise of the Bulgarian Navy, a Panther helicopter crashed in the water, killing the commander and injuring the other two officers on board. The helicopter's main rotor made contact with the fore flagpole of the frigate BGS-41 Drazki, after which it crashed into the sea. The crew commander suffered heavy injuries upon the crash, causing his death. The other two crew members suffered minor injuries, mainly by inhaling gases caused after the crash.[45]) The helicopter has been written off and the remaining two units have been grounded for a month on 10 June. After the helicopter struck the flagpole it became increasingly unstable and the commander, Capt. Georgi Anastasov, decided to turn back to the frigate and attempt an emergency landing in the water nearby, maximizing the chances for a rapid emergency recovery by the surface ships nearby. According to the Ministry of Defence and Navy officials his actions have directly contributed to the saving of the other two officers on board with only minor injuries, for his efforts he has been posthumously promoted to Major.
Andreev, J. & Boshniakov, S. (July 1997). "L'aviation navale bulgare (récit complete)" [Bulgarian Naval Aviation]. Avions: Toute l'aéronautique et son histoire (in French) (52): 38–42. ISSN1243-8650.
Todorov, Ilia (1996). "Fifty Years of the Bulgarian Navy". Warship International. XXXIII (1): 16–44. ISSN0043-0374.
Bulgaria
Rear Admiral Kyril Mikhailov
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