Namibian Navy sailors on parade in downtown Windhoek on 20 March 2015 during Namibia's Independence celebration
Development of Namibia's navy has been slow. The force was only formally established on 11 September 1998 as a maritime wing, and in 2004 as a fully fledged navy, fourteen years after independence.
Extensive Brazilian aid has assisted in the navy's development. Initially a group of four learners were dispatched to the Naval Academy in Brazil who got complemented by ten officers from the Namibian Army who would be the core group were sent to Brazil in August 1995[clarification needed] after Walvis Bay had been integrated into Namibia in 1994. This group, led by Phestus Sacharia, consisted of officers such as Peter Vilho, Sinsy Nghipandua, Alweendo Amungulu and Petrus Tjandja, would be the future Headquarters staff[clarification needed] and ship captains.[3] Later in the 1990s, two more groups were sent to Brazil to study at Admiral Wandenkolk Instruction Center in Rio de Janeiro.
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.[4] The Brazilian Navy has also trained the Namibian Marine Corps.[5]
Operations
The Navy's maritime wing headquarters was established in 1998, while in 2000 construction of a naval base began at Walvis Bay.[6] The first maritime wing commander was Captain Phestus Sacharia.
The Navy has approximately 1200 personnel and deploys a small number of lightly armed patrol vessels.
The first ship to be commissioned into service was the donated patrol boat Oryx in 2002.[7] In 2004, Brazil and Namibia signed an agreement for the delivery of a patrol boat and two smaller patrol craft. The newly built 200-ton patrol boat NS Brendan Simbwaye, built at the Brazilian shipyard INACE, was commissioned on 19 January 2009.[8]
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."[9]
Fleet
The fleet is operationally divided into four squadrons, based on the different roles of the craft. The squadrons, which became active on 24 May 2018, are:
The 'Old Naval Base' in Walvis Bay functions as the current headquarters of the Namibian Marine Corps. The current Commandant of the Old Naval Base is Commander Rachel Tuyoleni.
The navy is a hierarchical organisation with the navy commander exercising overall command. The Navy Commander is always a 2 star flag officer who is then deputized by two 1 star flag officers heading the Naval Operations and the Naval Support directorates. The two directorates are made up of divisions headed by Chiefs of Staff(COS) who are usually Captain(N). Division of Naval Plans & Naval Operations falls under Naval Operations Directorate, while Naval Personnel & Naval ICT falls under Naval Support Directorate. The Navy is further augmented by the Namibian Marine Corps. The navy has 1200 personnel, most of whom have been trained in Brazil and South Africa.
The following officers have held the appointment of Navy Commander or its previous title Maritime Wing Commander since the commissioning of the Maritime Wing on 11 September 1998
The Master at arms of the Navy is the senior most appointment a Warrant Officer Class one my hold at the Navy. Roles of the Master at Arms include ensuring that discipline, drills, dressing code, performance standards and morale of the non-commissioned officers are maintained.
1998–2007 WO1 DJ Angolo
2007 -unknown W01 Hamunyela
unknown-currently WO1 Kamati
Marines
The Namibian Marine Corps are a unit of the Navy. Its role is to provide naval infantry, amphibious, diving and small boat capability to the Navy. They are a battalion strong. The marines are trained by Brazilian naval instructors at the Naval Training School near Walvis Bay. The marine commandant is Captain Appolos Haimbala.[16]
Ranks and insignia
Naval ranks and insignia are based on the Royal Navy. Non-Commissioned Officers only retain the ranks as their insignia consists of a system of chevrons. 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 but the highest appointment is Namibian Defence Force Sergeant Major.
Naval Officers, sailors and marines of the Namibian Navy
Marines of the Operational Boat Unit
Namibian Navy Namacurra with a fisheries patrol vessel
NS Daures & Brukkaros
NS Brendan Simbwaye
Marlim Class HPB
References
^. Archived from the original on 21 September 2016. Retrieved 7 March 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
^(PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 July 2015. Retrieved 28 June 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
^"Navy – GRN Portal". Mod.gov.na. from the original on 31 December 2019. Retrieved 26 February 2022.
^Brazil-Namibia co-operation 13 February 2012 at the Wayback Machine, Brazilian Navy (in Portuguese)
^. Mar.mil.br. Archived from the original on 20 March 2012. Retrieved 20 October 2012.
^. Archived from the original on 28 September 2015. Retrieved 14 September 2015.
^Namibia Defence Force: Namibia Navy marks its day.(n.d). 2012-04-25 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 10 October 2011, Namibian Ministry of Defence
^Press release: Brazil exports warship to Namibia 20 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine, Brazilian Navy, 8 January 2009. (in Portuguese)
^. Mod.gov.na. Archived from the original on 5 August 2017. Retrieved 9 April 2018.
^ ab"Nghipandua jetzt Chef – Ministerium – Allgemeine Zeitung". Az.com.na. 2 October 2017. from the original on 5 October 2017. Retrieved 9 April 2018.
^ ab. Namibtimes.net. Archived from the original on 2 August 2018. Retrieved 9 April 2018.
^ abMartin, Guy (11 September 2013). "KND progressing with 19-vessel order for Namibian Navy – defenceWeb". defenceweb.co.za. from the original on 3 April 2017. Retrieved 2 April 2017.
^"Namibia navy orders 17 new vessels". namibian.com.na. Retrieved 2 April 2017.[permanent dead link]
^. New Era. Archived from the original on 17 August 2012. Retrieved 20 October 2012.
namibian, navy, maritime, warfare, branch, namibian, defence, force, emblem, founded10, october, 2004, years, 2004, country, namibiatypenavysize1, part, ofnamibian, defence, forcegarrison, hqwalvis, erongo, region, namibiaanniversaries11, september, 1998, mari. The Namibian Navy is the maritime warfare branch of the Namibian Defence Force Namibian NavyEmblem of the Namibian NavyFounded10 October 2004 18 years ago 2004 10 10 Country NamibiaTypeNavySize1 200 1 Part ofNamibian Defence ForceGarrison HQWalvis Bay Erongo Region NamibiaAnniversaries11 September 1998 Maritime Wing 2 10 October 2004 Navy CommandersCommander In ChiefHage GeingobMinister of DefenceFrans KapofiNavy CommanderRear Admiral Alweendo AmunguluInsigniaNaval Ensign Contents 1 History 2 Operations 3 Role 4 Fleet 4 1 Current 4 2 Other boats 4 3 Decommissioned ships 5 Installations 5 1 Naval Base Capt PN Sacharia 5 2 Naval Calling Station Luderitz 5 3 Naval Training School 5 4 Old Naval Base 5 5 Naval Base Impalila 6 Organisation 6 1 Command structure 6 2 Navy Commander 6 3 Master at arms of the Navy 6 4 Marines 6 5 Ranks and insignia 6 6 Commissioned officer ranks 6 7 Other ranks 6 7 1 Proficiency badges 7 Gallery 8 References 9 Further readingHistory Edit Namibian Navy sailors on parade in downtown Windhoek on 20 March 2015 during Namibia s Independence celebration Development of Namibia s navy has been slow The force was only formally established on 11 September 1998 as a maritime wing and in 2004 as a fully fledged navy fourteen years after independence Extensive Brazilian aid has assisted in the navy s development Initially a group of four learners were dispatched to the Naval Academy in Brazil who got complemented by ten officers from the Namibian Army who would be the core group were sent to Brazil in August 1995 clarification needed after Walvis Bay had been integrated into Namibia in 1994 This group led by Phestus Sacharia consisted of officers such as Peter Vilho Sinsy Nghipandua Alweendo Amungulu and Petrus Tjandja would be the future Headquarters staff clarification needed and ship captains 3 Later in the 1990s two more groups were sent to Brazil to study at Admiral Wandenkolk Instruction Center in Rio de Janeiro 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 4 The Brazilian Navy has also trained the Namibian Marine Corps 5 Operations EditThe Navy s maritime wing headquarters was established in 1998 while in 2000 construction of a naval base began at Walvis Bay 6 The first maritime wing commander was Captain Phestus Sacharia The Navy has approximately 1200 personnel and deploys a small number of lightly armed patrol vessels The first ship to be commissioned into service was the donated patrol boat Oryx in 2002 7 In 2004 Brazil and Namibia signed an agreement for the delivery of a patrol boat and two smaller patrol craft The newly built 200 ton patrol boat NS Brendan Simbwaye built at the Brazilian shipyard INACE was commissioned on 19 January 2009 8 Role EditThe 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 9 Fleet EditThe fleet is operationally divided into four squadrons based on the different roles of the craft The squadrons which became active on 24 May 2018 are Combat Squadron Combat Support Squadron Coastal Patrol Squadron Harbour Patrol SquadronCurrent Edit Name Picture Origin Class Type Built Entered service LNF NotesCombat Support SquadronS11 Elephant China Elephant class Logistics Support Vessel 2012 2012 Multipurpose offshore Patrol and logistics vessel built at Wuhan Shipyard Coastal Patrol Boat SquadronP11 Brendan Simbwaye Brazil Grajau class patrol boat Patrol Boat 2009 2010 Hull P11NPV Oryx Germany Oryx Class Patrol Boat 1975 2002 Transferred from Namibian Fisheries ministry to NavyCombat SquadronC12 Daures 10 China Type 037 corvette Class 11 Corvette 2017 Ex PLAN ship Wanning hull 786C13 Brukkaros 10 China Type 037 corvette 11 Corvette 2017 Ex PLAN ship Ledong Hull 748Harbor Patrol SquadronHPB20 Terrace Bay Brazil Marlim Class Patrol Craft 2009 2010 Hull HPB20HPB21 Mowe Bay Brazil Marlim Class Patrol Craft 2009 2010 Hull HPB21Y01 and Y10 South Africa Namacurra class harbour patrol boat 1980 1981 2002 Donated by the South African NavyOther boats Edit In 2012 2013 the Namibian Navy ordered 19 new craft from Kobus Naval Design and Veercraft Marine of South Africa 12 5x 4 meter Rowboats 12 5x 6 meter RHIBs 2x 6 meter Harbor Patrol Boats 2x 8 meter Boarding Boats 2x 8 meter Swamp Boats 1x 11 meter Landing Craft 2x 14 meter Interceptors 13 Decommissioned ships Edit 1 Imperial Marinheiro class corvette 1025 standard tons 1954 14 NS Lt Gen Dimo Hamaambo ex Brazilian NavyInstallations Edit Naval Base PN Sacharia Naval Calling Station Luderitz Naval Base Impalilaclass notpageimage Map of Namibia showing the Namibian Navy bases Click on base icon for link to details Naval Base Capt PN Sacharia Edit Main article Naval Base Capt N P N Sacharia Naval Calling Station Luderitz Edit Main article Naval Calling Station Luderitz Naval Training School Edit Main article Naval Training School Old Naval Base Edit The Old Naval Base in Walvis Bay functions as the current headquarters of the Namibian Marine Corps The current Commandant of the Old Naval Base is Commander Rachel Tuyoleni Naval Base Impalila Edit Main article Naval Base ImpalilaOrganisation EditThe navy is a hierarchical organisation with the navy commander exercising overall command The Navy Commander is always a 2 star flag officer who is then deputized by two 1 star flag officers heading the Naval Operations and the Naval Support directorates The two directorates are made up of divisions headed by Chiefs of Staff COS who are usually Captain N Division of Naval Plans amp Naval Operations falls under Naval Operations Directorate while Naval Personnel amp Naval ICT falls under Naval Support Directorate The Navy is further augmented by the Namibian Marine Corps The navy has 1200 personnel most of whom have been trained in Brazil and South Africa Command structure Edit Sleeve insignia Appointment Rank and Name Navy Commander Rear Admiral Alweendo Amungulu Deputy Navy Commander Rear Admiral JG Sackeus Gonteb Commander Naval Operations Rear Admiral JG Lazarus Erastus 15 Commander Naval Support Rear Admiral JG Naftal Shuumbwa Chief of Naval Staff Personnel Captain N Stanley Kapuire Marine Corps Commandant Captain N Olavi Shipunda Naval Training School Commandant Captain N Fanuel Iyambo PN Sacharia Naval Base Commandant Captain N Paulinus Nuuyoma Old Naval Base Commandant Commander Naval Calling Station Commandant Commander George A Kiimba Naval Base Impalila Commandant Commander Master at Arms of the Navy Warrant Officer class 1Navy Commander Edit The following officers have held the appointment of Navy Commander or its previous title Maritime Wing Commander since the commissioning of the Maritime Wing on 11 September 1998 1998 2002 Captain N Phestus Sacharia 2002 2017 Rear Admiral Peter Vilho 2017 2020 Rear Admiral Sinsy Nghipandua 2020 incumbent Rear Admiral Alweendo AmunguluMaster at arms of the Navy Edit The Master at arms of the Navy is the senior most appointment a Warrant Officer Class one my hold at the Navy Roles of the Master at Arms include ensuring that discipline drills dressing code performance standards and morale of the non commissioned officers are maintained 1998 2007 WO1 DJ Angolo 2007 unknown W01 Hamunyela unknown currently WO1 KamatiMarines Edit The Namibian Marine Corps are a unit of the Navy Its role is to provide naval infantry amphibious diving and small boat capability to the Navy They are a battalion strong The marines are trained by Brazilian naval instructors at the Naval Training School near Walvis Bay The marine commandant is Captain Appolos Haimbala 16 Ranks and insignia Edit Naval ranks and insignia are based on the Royal Navy Non Commissioned Officers only retain the ranks as their insignia consists of a system of chevrons 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 but the highest appointment is Namibian Defence Force Sergeant Major Commissioned officer ranks Edit The rank insignia of commissioned officers Rank group General flag officers Senior officers Junior officers Officer cadet Namibian Navy 17 vte Admiral Vice admiral Rear admiral Rear admiral junior grade Captain Commander Lieutenant commander Lieutenant Lieutenant junior grade Ensign MidshipmanOther ranks Edit The rank insignia of non commissioned officers and enlisted personnel Rank group Senior NCOs Junior NCOs Enlisted Namibian Navy 17 vte No insigniaWarrant officer class 1 Warrant officer class 2 Chief petty officer Petty officer Leading seaman Able seaman SeamanProficiency badges EditGallery Edit Naval Officers sailors and marines of the Namibian Navy Marines of the Operational Boat Unit Namibian Navy Namacurra with a fisheries patrol vessel NS Daures amp Brukkaros NS Brendan Simbwaye Marlim Class HPBReferences Edit Archived copy Archived from the original on 21 September 2016 Retrieved 7 March 2016 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint archived copy as title link Archived copy PDF Archived from the original PDF on 2 July 2015 Retrieved 28 June 2015 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint archived copy as title link Navy GRN Portal Mod gov na Archived from the original on 31 December 2019 Retrieved 26 February 2022 Brazil Namibia co operation Archived 13 February 2012 at the Wayback Machine Brazilian Navy in Portuguese Marinha do Brasil forma Primeira Turma de Soldados Fuzileiros Navais da Namibia Mar mil br Archived from the original on 20 March 2012 Retrieved 20 October 2012 Ministry of Defense Archived from the original on 28 September 2015 Retrieved 14 September 2015 Namibia Defence Force Namibia Navy marks its day n d Archived 2012 04 25 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 10 October 2011 Namibian Ministry of Defence Press release Brazil exports warship to Namibia Archived 20 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine Brazilian Navy 8 January 2009 in Portuguese Ministry of Defence Mod gov na Archived from the original on 5 August 2017 Retrieved 9 April 2018 a b Nghipandua jetzt Chef Ministerium Allgemeine Zeitung Az com na 2 October 2017 Archived from the original on 5 October 2017 Retrieved 9 April 2018 a b Two new navy vessels delivered for Namibia Namib Times Namibtimes net Archived from the original on 2 August 2018 Retrieved 9 April 2018 a b Martin Guy 11 September 2013 KND progressing with 19 vessel order for Namibian Navy defenceWeb defenceweb co za Archived from the original on 3 April 2017 Retrieved 2 April 2017 Namibia navy orders 17 new vessels namibian com na Retrieved 2 April 2017 permanent dead link Naval ship Lt Gen Dimo Hamaambo decommissioned New Era Archived from the original on 17 August 2012 Retrieved 20 October 2012 SAS SPIOENKOP visits Walvisbaai Archived from the original on 22 October 2013 Ministry of Defense Mod gov na Archived from the original on 18 October 2012 Retrieved 20 October 2012 a b Government Notice PDF Government Gazette of the Republic of Namibia Vol 4547 20 August 2010 pp 99 102 Retrieved 20 December 2021 Further reading EditNavy Namibia 2011 Retrieved 10 October 2011 from Janes articles List of Namibian admirals Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Namibian Navy amp oldid 1150434531, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
