SCENARIOS #1: Hellenic Navy 1998 - 2030

Written by D-Mitch 

In this new series of articles, I examine briefly how the composition of major surface combatants of a specific naval Fleet could be different than it is today and how it could possibly look like in the near future. A graph illustrates this development through the years examined. For the graph, I take into account only the serious "opportunities" (mainly second-hand vessels) emerged during the time period considered as well as the official declared interest by the country's and/or armed forces' leadership. Please note that I do not criticize the decisions taken by the Hellenic Armed Forces leadership as every offer had its pros and cons. In this first article, I examine the Hellenic Navy (Πολεμικό Ναυτικό) from 1998 until 2030 focusing on specific years and providing a brief overview of the situation.

SCENARIOS #1: Hellenic Navy 1998 - 2030. High resolution image here.

Analytically about the lost opportunities (?) and the future of the Navy, as it follows:

BOOK REVIEW #8: CIA & Военно-морской флот СССР

CIA & Военно-морской флот СССР
του Εμμανουήλ Μουρτζάκη

Welcome to my eighth book review, The Soviet Navy through the Central Intelligence Agency documents, by Emmanouil Mourtzakis. This book brings to light the Soviet naval Strategy and the capabilities of the Soviet Navy directly through CIA documents of that period. The book has not been published in English yet, therefore the review is written for Greek-speaking readers. 

Η συγκεκριμένη μελέτη με τίτλο "Το Πολεμικό Ναυτικό της ΕΣΣΔ μέσα από τα αρχεία της Αμερικανικής Κεντρικής Υπηρεσίας Πληροφοριών και η σύγχρονη Ρωσική Ναυτική Στρατηγική", παρουσιάστηκε για πρώτη φορά στο ελληνικό κοινό ως ένθετο στο τεύχος 606 της Ναυτικής Επιθεώρησης του 2019. Στόχος του βιβλίου είναι να παρουσιάσει τη Σοβιετική Ναυτική Στρατηγική και Πρακτική καθώς και τις δυνατότητες του Σοβιετικού Ναυτικού, για πρώτη φορά, απευθείας από τα αρχεία της Κεντρικής Υπηρεσίας Πληροφοριών (CIA) των ΗΠΑ. Τα δύο πρώτα κεφάλαια επιτελούν αυτό το σκοπό, με διαχωρισμό των διαφόρων χρονικών περιόδων των αρχείων της CIA στο δεύτερο κεφάλαιο. Στη συνέχεια, στο τρίτο κεφάλαιο παρουσιάζεται η Ρωσική πλέον Ναυτική Στρατηγική και ο τρόπος που εφαρμόζεται σήμερα στον Αρκτικό Κύκλο και την Ανατολική Μεσόγειο. Όπως στο προηγούμενο βιβλίο που παρουσιάστηκε εδώ, Admiral Gorshkov: The Man Who Challenged the U.S. Navy, αναδεικνύονται οι επιχειρησιακές δυνατότητες του Σοβιετικού Ναυτικού κατά τη διάρκεια του Ψυχρού Πολέμου, δυνατότητες τόσο σημαντικές που αποτέλεσαν ουσιώδη πηγή στρατηγικού, επιχειρησιακού και τακτικού προβληματισμού για τις δυνάμεις των ΗΠΑ και των συμμάχων τους εκείνη τη περίοδο. 

BOOK REVIEW #7: Admiral Gorshkov: The Man Who Challenged the U.S. Navy

Welcome to my seventh book review, Admiral Gorshkov: The Man Who Challenged the U.S. Navy, by Norman Polmar, Thomas A Brooks, and George E Federoff.

Admiral Gorshkov:
The Man Who Challenged the U.S. Navy

In October 2005 the Russian MoD placed an order with Severnaya Verf for the construction of the lead ship of a new class of high-tech frigates. That stealth frigate was the first large surface combatant being built for the Russian Navy in 15 years, years since the collapse of the Soviet Union. The launching of this new combatant as well as some years later the launching of the first Borei class ballistic missile submarine, marked the Russian determination to restore Russia to great power status. The name that was given to the lead ship, and thus to the whole class, was Admiral Flota Sovetskogo Soyuza Gorshkov (Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union Gorshkov). Who was Gorshkov? Sergey Georgyevich Gorshkov (Russian: Серге́й Георгиевич Горшков; 26 February 1910 – 13 May 1988) was an admiral of the fleet of the Soviet Union. Twice awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union, he oversaw the expansion of the Soviet Navy into a global force during the Cold War. He is one of the most famous Russian and Soviet commanders who will be remembered as the man who designed and built a potent high-seas fleet that could challenge the supremacy of the U.S. Navy during the Cold War!

PHOTO GALLERY #30: Admiral Makarov, Admiral Grogorovich class frigate of the Russian Navy

Photos by Γ.Μ.

Admiral Makarov, an Admiral Grigorovich-class frigate

In this post you will enjoy some very good photos of Admiral Makarov, the latest Admiral Grigorovich-class (pr. 11356M) multi-mission frigate of the Russian Navy Black Sea Fleet, during her visit in Kerkyra (Corfu), as part of the 17th Hellenic -Russian Week in the Ionian Islands. Admiral Makarov was commissioned in December 27, 2017 and she is the third and morel likely the final vessel in the class, as the two incomplete vessels (4th and 5th) will be purchased by India for completion while the future of the 6th vessel is not known. The general characteristics of the class is a displacement of approximately 4,000t at full load, length of 124.8m, beam of 15.2m, maximum speed of 30 knots and a range of 4,850n.m. with the speed of 14 knots. Because some systems are not visible, it should be mentioned that the ship is equipped with among others a bow sonar (MGK-335EM-03) and a towed sonar array (Vignette-EM). The crew is 180-200. Enjoy photos of this quite heavily armed frigate!