Royal Moroccan Navy
The Royal Navy of Morocco (Arabic: القوات البحرية الملكية المغربية, Berber languages: ⴰⴷⵡⴰⵙ ⴰⴳⴻⵍⴷⴰⵏ ⵏ ⵢⵉⵍⴻⵍ) is a branch of the military of Morocco responsible for conducting naval operations. The Royal Moroccan Navy is administratively managed by the Administration of Defence, which is (de facto) commanded by King Mohammed VI, the commander-in-chief of the Moroccan Armed Forces.
| Royal Moroccan Navy | |
|---|---|
| Arabic: القوات البحرية الملكية المغربية Berber languages: ⴰⴷⵡⴰⵙ ⴰⴳⴻⵍⴷⴰⵏ ⵏ ⵢⵉⵍⴻⵍ | |
Royal Moroccan Navy Seal | |
| Founded | active since: 11th century current form: 30 April 1960 |
| Country | Morocco |
| Type | Navy |
| Size | 7,800 personnel (includes 1,500 Marines)[1] |
| Part of | Royal Moroccan Armed Forces |
| Headquarters | Rabat |
| Anniversaries | April 1st (foundation) |
| Equipment | 121 vessels 17 aircraft |
| Commanders | |
| Inspector General of the Navy | Vice-Admiral Mostapha El Alami |
| Commander-in-Chief | King Mohammed VI |
| Insignia | |
| Naval Ensign | |
| Naval Jack | |
| Aircraft flown | |
| Helicopter | AS565 Panther |
Mission
The Royal Moroccan Navy is part of the Moroccan Armed Forces. Its mission includes the protection of Moroccan territory and sovereignty, as well as the control of Morocco's 81,000-square-nautical mile Exclusive Economic Zone. Given Morocco's significant coastline (2,952 km) and strategic position overseeing the Strait of Gibraltar, it (along with Spain and the United Kingdom) is deeply involved in the security of this important international waterway.
History
The history of the modern Royal Moroccan Navy began in 1960 with its foundation by King Mohammed V. The first admiral of the modern Moroccan Navy was Vice Admiral Mohammed Triki, who held the position as the Commander in Chief of the Royal Moroccan Navy for 14 years from 1991 to 2005, and devoted 46 years of services to the Moroccan Navy. Vice Admiral Triki was awarded these decorations: (from Morocco) Legion of the Order of Commander, Knight of the Order of the Throne by his majesty King Hassan II; (from France) Legion of Honor by President Jacques Chirac; (from USA) Legion of Merit by President Bill Clinton; and (from Spain) Legion of Merit. Although the modern Royal Navy was structured following independence, the Moroccan naval military traces its roots back to the 11th century, with the rise of the Almoravid dynasty, and its ambition for naval hegemony in the Mediterranean Sea. Admiral Abdullah Ben Meimoun is credited for being the first commander of the Almoravid dynasty organized naval forces. With the Almohad dynasty taking over most of northern Africa, together with Al-Andalus, the Almohad dynasty navy soon became the "first fleet of the Mediterranean".[2] At its peak, the Almohad navy's military reputation was well known, inciting Ayyubid dynasty Egypt and Saladin to seek its help in preventing Crusades expeditions. The 16th century had the starting decline of the Moroccan state and consequently the navy that served it. The capture of major coastal cities and locations by Spain and Portugal much affected Morocco's naval capabilities.
Bases
The main bases of the Royal Moroccan Navy are located in:
Equipment
Warships
| Class | Photo | No. | Ship | Origin | Year Commissioned | Note | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frigates (6) | |||||||
| FREMM | 601 | Mohammed VI | France/ Italy | 2014 | ASW version[3] | ||
| Floréal | 611 | Mohammed V | France | 2002 | |||
| 612 | Hassan II | France | 2002 | ||||
| Sigma | 613 | Tarik Ben Ziyad | Netherlands | 2011 | Sigma 10513 version | ||
| 614 | Sultan Moulay Ismail | Netherlands | 2012 | Sigma 9813 version (multi mission frigate) | |||
| 615 | Allal Ben Abdellah | Netherlands | 2012 | Sigma 9813 Version (multi mission frigate) | |||
| Corvettes (1) | |||||||
| Descubierta | 501 | Lieutenant-Colonel Errahmani | Spain | 1983 | Updated in 2014[6] | ||
| Missile boats (4) | |||||||
| Lazaga | 304 | El Khattabi | Spain | 1981 | |||
| 305 | Commandant Boutouba | Spain | 1981 | ||||
| 306 | Commandant El Harty | Spain | 1982 | ||||
| 307 | Commandant Azouggarh | Spain | 1982 | ||||
| Patrol boats (18) | |||||||
| OPV-70 | 341 | Bir Anzaran | France | 2011 | 4 under construction | ||
| OPV-64 | 318 | Raïs Bargach | France | 1995 | |||
| 319 | Raïs Britel | France | 1996 | ||||
| 320 | Raïs Charkaoui | France | 1996 | ||||
| 321 | Raïs Maaninou | France | 1997 | ||||
| 322 | Raïs Al Mounastiri | France | 1997 | ||||
| Osprey 55 | 308 | El Lahiq | Denmark | 1987 | |||
| 309 | El Tawfiq | Denmark | 1988 | ||||
| 316 | El Hamiss | Denmark | 1990 | ||||
| 317 | El Karib | Denmark | 1990 | ||||
| Cormoran | 310 | Lieutenant De Vaisseau Rabhi | f | 1988 | |||
| 311 | Errachiq | 1988 | |||||
| 312 | El Akid | 1989 | |||||
| 313 | El Maher | 1989 | |||||
| 314 | El Majid | 1989 | |||||
| 315 | El Bachir | 1989 | |||||
| PR-72 | 302 | Okba | France | 1976 | |||
| 303 | Triki | France | 1977 | ||||
| Damen Interceptor 1503 | 1-5 | TBD | Netherlands | 2016 | 5 under construction for Coast Guard Duties, capable of 60 knots (110 km/h; 69 mph) | ||
| Fearless 36 | 12 | ||||||
Amphibious and auxiliary vessels
| Class | Photo | No. | Ship | Year commissioned | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amphibious ships | |||||
| BATRAL | 402 | Daoud Ben Aicha | 1977 | ||
| 403 | Ahmed Es Sakali | 1977 | |||
| 404 | Abou Abdallah El Ayachi | 1978 | |||
| LCT | 409 | Sidi Ifni | Landing craft tank[7] | ||
| Support ships | |||||
| Hydrographic and oceanographic boat | 804 | Dar Al Beida | 2018 | Used to chart the underwater coastal area[8] | |
| Ad Dakhla CLS | 408 | Daoud Ben Aicha | 1997 | Cargo ship which has a displacement of 2100 tons[9] | |
| Hydrographic research boat | H-01 | H-01 | 2011 | Used to chart the underwater coastal area. | |
| Damen Stan Tug 2208 | A2 | Al Mounkid | 2015 | Coastal & harbour tug[10] | |
| BBP | 803 | BBP | Submariner training ship | ||
Inshore patrol vessels
- P-32
- El Wacil (203)
- El Jail (204)
- El Mikdam (205)
- El Khafir (206)
- El Haris (207)
- Essahir (208)
- Erraid (209)
- Erraced (210)
- El Kaced (211)
- Essaid (212)
- VCSM/RPB 20 (107-116)
- Rodman-101 (130-139)
- Arcor-46 (D01-D18) In Service with Moroccan Customs
- 15 Arcor-53 In Service with Moroccan Gendarmerie
- 2 Griffon 500TD hovercraft In service with Moroccan Gendarmerie
- 10 Rodman-55
- 10 Arcor-17
- No boats of this class have been built yet. Russia has offered the sub for sale to India, but in 2005, India ordered Scorpène-class submarines instead. On 4 July 2013, Rosoboronexport announced they will offer the Amur 1650 to the Moroccan Navy if they announce a tender for new submarines.[5]
Aircraft
| Aircraft | Photo | Origin | Mission | In Service | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maritime Patrol Aircraft | |||||
| Britten-Norman Defender | United Kingdom | Maritime patrol aircraft | 14 | Operated by the Royal Moroccan Air Force | |
| Beech King Air | United States | Maritime patrol aircraft | 4[11] | Two more were delivered in 2020. They are all of the 350ER versions | |
| Helicopters | |||||
| Eurocopter AS565 MA | France | Naval Military utility | 3 | Operated by the Royal Moroccan Navy | |
| Bell 412 MA | United States | Anti-submarine helicopter | 2 | Ordered two by the Royal Moroccan Navy | |
Notable sailors
- Abdellah Ben Aïcha, admiral of Salé, ambassador to king Louis XIV of France in 1689.
- Abdelkader Perez, ambassador to England in 1723 and again in 1737.
- Abdellah Ben Soleïman, commander of the Almohad fleet under sultan [Abd al-Mu'min]
- Abdellah Ben Taâ Allah, commander of the Almohad fleet under Muhammad an-Nasir and governor of Majorca
- Corsair Triki of Salé, 17th century.
- Vice Admiral Mohammed Triki of Safi, Commander in Chief of the Royal Moroccan Navy from July 1991 to June 2005.
Gallery
Descubierta class Lieutenant-Colonel Errahmani
Descubierta class Lieutenant-Colonel Errahmani
Descubierta class Lieutenant-Colonel Errahmani
Floréal class Mohammed V
OPV-64 Raïs Al Mounastiri
OPV-64 Rais Charkaoui
AS565 MA Panther of the RMN
Eurocopter AS565 MA Panther of the RMN
Lazaga class Commandant Azouggarh
BATRAL LST Abou Abdallah El Ayachi
Newport class Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdallah (inactive)
Moroccan Maritime Interdiction Operation (MIO) team during multi-national exercise Phoenix Express 2007.
Marines from Morocco during exercise Phoenix Express 2009.
Moroccan sailors conduct boarding exercises.
Moroccan maritime interdiction operations team on basic close quarter battle training in Exercise Phoenix Express 2010.
See also
References
- Baker III, A. D. (1998). Combat Fleets of the World 1998-1999. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-111-4.
- ^ International Institute for Strategic Studies (25 February 2021). The Military Balance 2021. London: Routledge. p. 356. ISBN 9781032012278.
- ^ André, Charles-André (1994). Histoire de l'Afrique du Nord. Paris: Payot. p. 866. ISBN 978-2-228-88789-2.
- ^ "DCNS delivers multimission frigate Mohammed VI to Royal Moroccan Navy". January 30, 2014. from the original on February 1, 2014. Retrieved February 3, 2014.
- ^ . 2011-08-11. Archived from the original on 2011-08-11. Retrieved 2020-05-12.
- ^ . 2012-03-31. Archived from the original on 2012-03-31. Retrieved 2020-05-12.
- ^ "Royal Moroccan Armed Forces". from the original on 2015-04-02. Retrieved 2015-03-21.
- ^ "MAROC - Commande d'une barge LCT de 50m - Dossier de presse : l'Actualité - PIRIOU - Construction, réparation et ingénierie navale". from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2016-05-13.
- ^ "Piriou décroche la commande d'un bâtiment océanographique pour le Maroc". from the original on 2016-05-12. Retrieved 2016-05-13.
- ^ Colombaro, Mike (2012-03-05). "Combat Fleets Of The World: Future of the Royal Moroccan Navy". Combat Fleets Of The World. Retrieved 2021-05-10.
- ^ "Royal Moroccan Navy turns to Damen for first tug". from the original on 2016-05-29. Retrieved 2016-05-13.
- ^ "Morocco starts maritime patrols with newly delivered King Air 350ER aircraft". defenceWeb. 2020-02-20. Retrieved 2021-05-10.