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Bulgaria occupies an important geostrategic position in southern Europe. It has a 248-mile coastline and its border with Romania on the Danube River is 290 miles long. The Turkish Straits—one of the principal Soviet objectives in a conflict between the Warsaw Pact and NATO—lie only about 80 miles from the Bulgarian-Turkish border. In such a scenario, the Bulgarian Black Sea Fleet would transport Warsaw Pact troops, defend Bulgaria’s coast, and protect sea lines of communication (SLOCs) in the Black Sea.
The Bulgarian Navy consists of about 75 seagoing combatants and 40 auxiliary ships and craft, most acquired from the Soviet Union. The navy’s personnel strength is estimated at about 8,800 men, of which 6,000 are draftees. All of its combatants except four submarines and four frigates are small and suitable only for coastal waters. Like the other nonSoviet Warsaw Pact navies, the Bulgarian Navy has replaced many of its older ships and craft over the past 15 years. However, the submarines and surface ships acquired from the Soviet Union are less sophisticated than those acquired by the East German and Polish navies. The force composition of the Bulgarian Navy is one of many signs that the Black Sea plays a much smaller role in Soviet military strategy than the Baltic Sea.
The main strengths of the Bulgarian Navy are its relatively large but short-range amphibious lift capability, and its mine countermeasures capabilities. The fleet has a limited power projection capability: a few older, refurbished submarines and frigates. The navy’s coastal offensive strength comprises a small force of missile and torpedo boats. Only a few landing craft and several auxiliary ships were built indigenously, thus the navy is heavily dependent on the Soviets for spare parts and some maintenance. In contrast to other non-Soviet War
saw Pact navies, Bulgarian shipyards do not build surface combatants or submarines.
1944-1954: Shortly after war broke out between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union, the Central Committee of the Bulgarian Communist Party (BCP) established the People’s Liberation Rebel’s Army (NOPA). The first armed groups ot Bulgarian “partisans” or guerrilla bands were formed in Ju^ 1941. The fortunes of the Bulgarian communists brightened by the end of summer of 1944 after Soviet troops entered Romania. As German troops withdrew from Bulgaria, they left their ships in the ports of Varna and Burgas T By 3 September, the Red Army reached the Bulgarian-Romanian border; shortly afterward, the Soviets declared war on Bulgaria- Moscow’s motive in declaring war was to enable Soviet troops to enter Bulgaria and set up a communist regime.1
After the capitulation of Bulgaria’s tsarist regime, the regu lar armed forces, including the 18,000-man NOPA, came under de facto Soviet control.2 The Bulgarian Navy then consisted of the remnants of the former tsarist navy and a fevV craft left by the retreating Germans. The first ships of the new Bulgarian Navy, including the minesweeper Vasil Levskiy, transported the troops and equipment of the first ec elon of the 3d Ukranian Front on 8 September 1944. The Bulgarian minesweepers also took part in joint sweeping wlt the Soviet Danube flotilla, which was commanded by former Soviet Navy Commander in Chief, then Rear-Admiral Sergel G. Gorshkov.3
In July 1946, control of the army transferred from a non communist government to an ostensible coalition, which vva8 in fact dominated by the communists. A September plebisci abolished the monarchy and proclaimed the People’s RcPu l of Bulgaria. The new regime purged some 2,010 officers, including officers of the nascent navy.4
trance of the Kiel Canal.29 Black Sea
Romania: Late in 1986, the Romanian Navy acquired one Kilo-class submarine from the Soviet Union.30 This was somewhat of a surprise because the Romanian and East German navies were the only non-Soviet Warsaw Pact navies that did not operate submarines in the previous 25 years.
There were reports that a second Mun- tenia-class destroyer was scheduled for completion in 1987.31 Though some sources report that the Muntenia design displaces 6,000 tons, others report 4,500 tons. The latter figure is probably closer to reality. In addition, one Tetal-class frigate was completed in 1987, to make a total of four.32
The combat craft force consists of 12 domestically built Epitrop-class torpedo boats, 24 Huchuan-class hydrofoil tor
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Bulgaria, as a former ally of Nazi Germany, was restricted - 1947 Paris Peace Treaty to a total of 65,500 men in
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Porty years ago, the Bulgarian armed forces numbered ’000, including 3,500 in the navy. The navy consisted of
garia
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•he Soviets pressed for a rapid buildup of the military, Png the navy. By November 1951, military strength was •j, times higher than that allowed by the Paris Peace 11 1 ty7— 180,000 men and a 100,000-man security force.9 tr|| ®ar,a antl its Soviet sponsors had also violated the peace a by acquiring submarines, mines, and torpedoes. The ed forces were officially named the Bulgarian Peoples (BPA) in 1952.
n ^5-60: The Bulgarian Navy began to receive a larger lj ^ber of relatively more modem ships from the Soviet
'ee
I . or relatively more modem snips trom tne ooviei ^ni°n after the 1955 Warsaw Pact Treaty. Consequently, the s shore support establishment and command and control
Ur>its likely took part in the exercise.
The Polish and East German navies lively participate in routine intelligence-gathering activities in the Baltic. Movements of Western shipping and Naval exercises in the Baltic are monitored almost daily. Polish ships maintain Watch off RQgen Island and one East Ger- 1,13,1 minesweeper is on station off Feh- in the Danish Straits. One Soviet S°‘P patrols daily off Kriegers Flak at the *°uthem exit of the sound. The Warsaw act navies maintain almost continuous Sarveillancc of movements in and out of kagerrak and Kattegat and the Kiel anal and monitor the activities of West erman submarines off Olpenitz, Kiel, and Eckernforde. Every other year, when lne NATO exercise Wintex-Cimex be- Bhts,
J arnted forces. The navy was restricted to 5,000 men and ’250 displaced tons of ships. The peace treaty also prohibit submarines, missiles, torpedoes, and sea mines for the Bulgarian Navy.5
Illvl lid 111^ J, JvU 111 111C lluVj . 1 Uv Utl V ^
- Black Sea Fleet, Danube Flotilla, Coastal Defense, and aval bases.6 After the March 1948 Treaty of Friendship, °°peration and Mutual Assistance between Bulgaria and the oviet Union was signed, many Bulgarian naval officers com- ^eted their basic or professional education in the Soviet a,llon.7 Naval education and training, regulations, manuals, uniforms were based closely on Soviet models, and So- 'et military science was wholly adopted by the Bulgarian uitary.8 Officer candidates with worker or peasant backends were favored for armed forces admission, and ac- °unted for about 82% of the officers by mid-1948.
the communist regime was firmly established in Bul
thn
fj "•“* was improved, as was naval education. The naval of- Uj 63 school was transformed into the Higher Naval School, deled on the Soviet school of the same name, and empha- t engineering.10
S|x<9rj/~75; jn the 1960s, the Bulgarian Navy acquired only and 5 t0n bO-I-class submarine chasers from the Soviets,
0l(j ttle navy’s strength actually declined because a number of ships and craft were scrapped. By the late 1960s, all '' services and the branches reportedly adopted new com
pedo boats, and 21 Shanghai-II-class gunboats. In addition, three aging exSoviet Kronshtadt-class patrol boats and three Poti-class submarine chasers are still listed.
The first Romanian air-cushion vehicle, designated the 0.23E, was completed in 1987. The 14-ton vehicle is 20.1 x 12 x 6.2 feet, is powered by a M-337 engine providing 155 kilowatts, or 210 horsepower, has a 4.5-hour endurance and a crew of three. It is not known whether the vehicle will provide naval or civilian services.33
The Romanian naval air arm operates six Mi-14 Haze-A ASW helicopters and a number of domestically built Alouette-III utility helicopters. According to a 1987 report, the 2,000-man coastal defense force operates ten battalions with about 100 130-mm. and 152-mm. guns and several launchers for the SSC-2b antiship missile.34
mand and control methods based on military forecasting and mathematical modeling.11 The Navy began to receive relatively new ships and craft in 1970, including six 190-ton Shershen-class torpedo boats, two 245-ton Vanya-class coastal minesweepers, and ten 600-ton Vydra utility landing craft.
Two Romeo-class submarines replaced the Whiskeys, and in 1971-73 the first two Osa-I-class missile boats and other ships were transferred from the Soviet Union. In 1975, the navy received three 580-ton Poti-class ASW corvettes.
1976-1987: Since the mid-1970s, the navy’s modernization has progressed slowly. Two Riga-class frigates were extensively refitted in 1980-81. Two more Rigas and two Romeo-class submarines were transferred from the Soviet Union in 1985-87, all reportedly refurbished before delivery. In 1978-84, four Osa-ll-class missile boats were acquired.
The first replenishment tanker built in the country, the 3,500-ton, 20-knot, Mesar-class Anlene, was commissioned in 1980.
The navy’s amphibious lift capability was almost doubled by the transfer of ten Vydra-class utility landing craft in 1979-81. Four 90-ton Yevgenya-class inshore minesweepers were acquired in 1977. In 1981—85, three 450-ton Sonya- and two Vanya-class coastal minesweepers arrived.
Organization: One of the three BPA services, the Bulgarian Navy is administratively subordinate to the Ministry of National Defense in Sofia. The Commander in Chief (CinC), a three-star admiral, is one of six deputies of the Minister of National Defense. The principal advisory body to the Minister of Defense is the Main Military Council. The council’s members include the three service CinCs and the BPA’s Chief of the Main Political Administration.
The country’s highest politico-military decision-making body is the State Defense Committee, members of which include the highest party and state officials and the Minister of National Defense, all appointed by the State Council. The authority to appoint and relieve the Supreme CinC of the armed forces is formally vested in the National Assembly.
Direct operational control of the BPA in peacetime is exercised by the BPA General Staff. Navy operational orders are transmitted by the General Staff to the Main Naval Staff in Varna. The Chief of the Main Naval Staff, a two-star admi-
Like Bulgaria, Romania unilaterally extended its territorial waters in the Black Sea from 12 to 200 nautical miles.35 The Danube-Black Sea Canal reportedly is capable of handling 80 million tons per year. Construction continues on the Poarta Alba-Midia Navodari canal. It is designed for simultaneous passage of 3,000-ton river ships in both directions. It will allow about 5.5 million tons of goods to be transported annually between Midia and Luminita and the industrial centers and transshipment facilities on the Danube River.36
The Adriatic
Yugoslavia: The first of a new class of domestically built and designed patrol submarines, dubbed the Lora class by NATO, is reportedly in service. These submarines are intended to replace the Sutjeska-class, both of which were out of
service by late 1986.
In 1987, Yugoslav sources asserted that the new TAa-class (initially known as the t/na-class) “diversionary” or midget submarines are tasked with defending the approaches to small and shallow ports, and in areas that are difficult to navigate. The Tisas displaces 76 tons surfaced and 88 tons submerged, and are 62 feet long, 12 feet wide, and draw an eight-foot surfaced draft. Outside the submarine’s hull are fittings to carry four autonomous submersibles. The midget submarine can alternatively be used to carry six mines. According to Western reports, three Tisas are in Yugoslav Navy service.37
The Titovo Brodogradiliste shipyard in Kraljevica completed the first of two Kotor-class frigates in 1987. The second Kotor-class ship, probably named the Pula, is nearing completion. There were also reports indicating that the shipyard is building ten 180-foot Kobra-class missis boats.
The Yugoslav Navy decommissioned the remaining six M-117-class inshore minesweepers.38 The navy’s amphibious lift capability was improved with the addition of three new 860-ton Lubin-class cargo/landing ships.39 The rest of the seagoing amphibious force consists of ^ aging DTM-211-class landing craft' minelayers and 22 new Type-21 landing craft. A number of the navy’s smaller auxiliary ships were decommissioned in 1987.
In March 1987, the coastal defend forces were reported to consist of ten battalions of troops, each with 12-18 85' mm., 88-mm., 122-mm., and 130-mrt1' guns, operated by the army. In addition’ the navy controls three missile batteries* each with three twin launchers for SSC-5 antiship missiles.40
Albania: The Albanian Navy operate5
ral, is also the First Deputy CinC of the navy. The navy’s Military Council serves as the principal advisory body to the CinC and includes the Chief of the Main Naval Staff, all deputy CinCs, and chief of the navy’s Political Directorate.
The Bulgarian Navy consists of the Black Sea Fleet, Danube River Flotilla, and naval educational establishment. The Black Sea Fleet consists of brigades and “divisions” (squadrons) of submarines and surface combatants, groups of auxiliary vessels, base commands, naval aviation, and coastal defense. There is also a small naval infantry force.12 The fleet is organized into one submarine squadron, one squadron of escort ships, one missile-boat squadron, one torpedo-boat squadron, one brigade of amphibious craft, and one brigade of minesweepers.
Force Composition: Of the navy’s 8,800 men, about 2,200 are afloat, 1,800 in training, and 2,500 serve ashore.
The submarine arm consists of four relatively old but still useful Romeo-class boats. The navy’s largest surface combatants are the four Riga-class frigates, and its relatively large but aging force of combat craft includes: three Osa-Is, four Osa-IIs, and six Shershens. Surface ship ASW is conducted by the Rigas and three Poti-class corvettes.
The Bulgarian Navy’s relatively large but short-ranged amphibious lift capability consists of about two dozen utility landing craft: 20 Vydras, four domestically built MFP-D3s, which are very old and probably not serviceable, and several commercial roll-on/roll-off ships that can transport troops and material. The mine warfare component consists of two ships and about 12 craft, including two aging T-43-class ocean minesweepers, three relatively modem Sonya- and four Vanya-class coastal minesweepers, and six Yevgenya-class inshore minesweepers.
In addition to the tanker Anlene, Bulgaria has three ex-East German Type-024 coastal tankers. The Anlene was designed and built specifically to provide support for the Riga-class frigates when deployed in the Mediterranean Sea.
The 200-man naval aviation arm consists of one ASW helicopter squadron of 12 recently acquired Mi-14 Haze-A helicopters and one search-and-rescue squadron of 12 Mi-2 Hoplite/Mi-4 Hound helos, based at Varna and Burgas. The coastal defense forces comprise about 2,100 men organized into 20 batteries, 16 of which have a total of 100 130-mm- SM-4-1 and 152-mm. guns. One missile battalion has six launchers for SSC-2b missiles.13 The principal naval bases o'1 the Black Sea coast are Varna, Burgas, and Sozopol. The naval base also controls shore facilities in the respective base areas.
The Danube River Flotilla operates 18 PO-2 minesweepinf boats and some patrol craft. The Danube River Flotilla’s m;lin bases are Vidin, Atiya, and Balchik.
Personnel: The People’s Higher Naval School Nikola Vaptsarov in Varna trains unrestricted line officers, ship’s engineers, and navigators for the navy and Bulgaria’s merchant marine. The school’s command engineer section provides training in navigation for naval officers and merchant marine navigators. The engineer section provides training in ships’ machinery and mechanics, maritime communications, and radio engineering. Officers completing the five-year curriculum are promoted to the rank of engineer-lieutenant and receive a civilian certificate in their speciality.
Applicants for this school must be: graduates of a secondary school, active members of the Dimitrov Communist Youth Union, physically fit, unmarried, 23 or younger, and have a “correct political orientation.” Preference for admission is given to the “sons of active fighters against fascism and capitalism” and those of servicemen who lost their lh'eS carrying out their military duty.
Naval officers destined from high seagoing commands or flag ranks complete their education at the Naval Academy A. Grechko in Leningrad or the General Staff Academy K- Voroshilov in Moscow. Bulgarian Navy political officers educated at a military-political school directly subordinate t° the Main Political Administration of the Peoples’ Army.
Petty officers of the deck are educated at the Warrant Off1' cer Secondary Naval School Anton Ivanov in Varna, which provides a four-year (some say two) education in three specialties—navigation, signals, and mechanics. The candidates must be members of the Dimitrov Communist Youth Union- Candidates serving in the BPA must also be recommended b-v the commander of their respective unit. Graduates must remain in active service for at least ten years.14
Military service is obligatory for all Bulgarian citizens.
about 50 surface ships of all types. Apparently still in service are two aged Whiskey-class submarines. The navy’s offensive strength was reduced in 1987 by the deletion of the last 12 P-4-class torpedo boats. The material condition of Albania’s entirely foreign-built fleet must be declining owing to a prolonged absence of contact with the outside world.
1'Wehrtechnik, November 1986, p. 60.
“John E. Moore, ed., Jane’s Fighting Ships 1987-88 (London: Jane’s Publishing House, 1987), p. 196. 3“Parchim-II -eine modifizierte Variante fuer die Sowjetmarine,” Marine Rundschau, March 1987, p. 180.; ibid., April 1987, p. 245.
4Jane's Fighting Ships 1987-88, p. 196. 5“Korvetten fuer die DDR und Polen," Soldat und Technik, November 1987; Europaeische Wehrkunde/ WWR, June 1987, p. 347.
6Wehrtechnik, November 1986, p. 60.
7Jane’s Fighting Ships 1987-88, p. 197.
8Wehrtechnik, November 1986, p. 60.
Vane’s Defence Weekly, 25 April 1987, p. 757.; International Defence Review, June 1987, p. 719.; Wehrtechnik, November 1986, p. 60.
10International Defence Review, June 1987, p. 719.; Allgemeine Schweizerische Militaerische Zeitschrift, January 1987, p. 44.
“Hans Harbor-Hansen, “Coastal Defence,’’ Maritime Defence, March 1987, p. 68. nSoldat und Technik, January 1987, p. 4.
13Marine Rundschau, May 1987, p. 314. uJane’s Fighting Ships 1987-88, p. 426. l5Jane’s Defence Weekly, 18 July 1987, p. 82.; Navy International, April 1987, p. 233.; Allgemeine Schweizerische Militaerische Zeitschrift, January 1987, p. 44; Marine Rundschau, September-October 1987, p. 314.
16J. L. Couhat, ed., Flottes de Combat 1988-89, p. 664.
17Europaeische Wehrkunde, June 1987, p. 347.
18Jane’s Fighting Ships 1987-88, p. 426.
,9Ibid.
20Ibid., p. 428.
21 Soldat und Technik, October 1986, p. 607. 22Jane’s Fighting Ships 1987-88, p. 426.
23Ibid, pp. 427-428.
24Soldat und Technik, January 1987, p. 81.
25Marine Rundschau, June 1986, p. 38. 26Harbor-Hansen, p. 68.
27“Soviet Tu-16 Badgers in Norwegian Sea exercises,’’ Jane’s Defence Weekly, 27 June 1987, p. 1345.
28Ibid.
29“Polish, GDR, Soviet Forces to Hold Exercise, East Europe Daily, 20 July 1987, p. AA1.
30Soviet Military Power 1987, p. 67.
3lJane’s Fighting Ships 1987-88, p. 439.
32Ibid., p. 440.
33Marine Rundschau, April 1987, p. 228.
34Maritime Defence, March 1987, p. 68, Marine Rundschau, April 1987, p. 229.
35Allgemeine Schweizerische Militaerische %elt' schrift, June-July 1987, p. 473.
36Seewirtschafi, October 1987 p. 153.
31 Flottes de Combat, 1988-89, p. 909.
3SJane’s Fighting Ships 1987-88, p. 822.
39Ibid., p. 826.
40Maritime Defence, March 1987, p. 69.
A graduate of the Yugoslav Naval Academy, ^r' Vego served 12 years in the Yugoslav Navy and at* tained the rank of lieutenant commander before re signing in 1973. He served in the West German met chant marine as a second mate before coming to the United States in 1976. He has a Ph.D. in Europe[1][2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15]" history from George Washington University and 3 Master Mariner’s license. He has been publish widely in the Western press on naval matters.
Navy draftees normally pass through two-year training in the paramilitary Organization of Assistance in Defense or Organization for Military Technical Training or Military Patriotic Education of Youth. These organizations have clubs and centers that provide training in communications, boat handling, and sailing. The navy’s draftees normally serve three years in active service.
Party control of the BPA is very strict and thorough. There is a party cell on board every naval ship and craft. The party organization and Dimitrov Communist Youth Union are established in every unit afloat or ashore. All applicants for the naval officer school are screened for family background and Dimitrov Communist Youth Union activity. Most naval officers become BPC members while midshipmen at a naval school or shortly after becoming officers. Officers who are not party members belong to the Dimitrov Communist Youth Union. The few officers who are not politically affiliated cannot assume any command.
Bulgarian naval officers, like their counterparts in the other BPA services, receive good pay and numerous fringe benefits, and enjoy high social status. The salaries and social prestige of petty officers and sailors are markedly lower.
Soviet Influence: All high naval posts and most staff positions on the staff of the Joint Command of the Warsaw Pact are held by Soviet officers. The Soviets exercise a powerful influence on the promotion of Bulgarian naval officers, especially those slated to serve on the staffs of Warsaw Pact joint forces. All Bulgarian naval officers must speak and write fluent Russian.
Soviet Navy regulations and manuals are pervasive throughout the Bulgarian Navy, and tactical manuals and training procedures follow the Soviet pattern. All staff work and documentation is adopted from the Soviet Navy.15
In contrast to the Baltic theater, there is not any joint command of the Warsaw Pact naval forces for the Black Sea. However, the Soviet and Bulgarian Black Sea fleets are, for all practical purposes, one fleet, especially with regards to operational-tactical training and party-political work.
Bulgarian naval vessels routinely conduct unofficial and official visits to Soviet Black Sea ports. The Bulgarian Navy’s CinC and a detachment of warships traditionally visit
Sevastopol and annually attend Soviet Navy Day in late July- In turn, the CinC of the Soviet Black Sea Fleet pays an annual official visit with a detachment of Soviet ships to Varna for Bulgarian Navy Day in August.
The Bulgarian Navy has participated in all major Warsaw Pact exercises held on Bulgarian territory since 1961. However, these exercises are not as numerous as those conducted in the Baltic. The last major exercise in the Black Sea area in which the Bulgarian Navy took part was held in 1977.
The annual training year is divided into winter and summer phases, culminating in the late summer or fall for the larges* annual maneuvers. Bulgarian and Soviet ships often conduct joint operational-tactical and tactical exercises during the training year, though they are not normally announced publicly. Since 1969, a Bulgarian Navy detachment, usually composed of two Riga-class frigates and one or two supply ships, has conducted occasional joint exercises in the Mediterranean with Soviet ships permanently deployed there.
'M. L. Miller, Bulgarin During the Second World War (Stanford University Press, 1975), pp. 204, 211.
[2]E. K. Keefe, et al.. Area Handbook for Bulgaria (Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 1974), p. 31.
[3]K. Radonov, "Combat Association and Cooperation of the Troops of the Be1' garian People’s Army and the Soviet Army in Second World War (September j 944-May 1945),’’ Voenno-lstoricheskoy Zhurnal, September 1984, p. 44■
[4]A- v. Antosek, The Origins of the Armies of the Members of the Warsaw Treaty 1941-49 (Moscow: Nauka Press, 1975). p. 273.
Peter Gosztony, ed., Zur Geschichte der europaeischen Volksarmeen (Bonn- Bad Godesberg; Hohwacht, 1976), p. 240.
"Antosek. p. 281.
[7]Semergiev, et al-, Geschichte der Bulgarische Volksarmee (Berlin: Vtilitaever lag der DDR, 1976), p. 165.
“Semergiev, p. 191.
"Gosztony, p. 245.
[10]Antosek, pp. 217-218.
"Semergiev, p. 229. ,
uEncyclopedia-Bulgaria (Sofia: Bulgarian Academy of Science, 1978), volun’1-’ p. 518.
‘■’Hans Harbor-Hansen, “Coastal Defense,” Maritime Defense, March 1987. p. 68.
[14]Keefe, et al., p. 295.
[15]RAdm. S. Damyanov, “The Methods of Improving Operational-Tactical Training in the Navy of the People’s Republic of Bulgaria,” Morskoy SborV • October 1986, p. 43.