- Hellenic Coast Guard
The Hellenic Coast Guard (Greek Λιμενικό Σώμα - lit. "Harbor Corps") is the national
coast guard ofGreece . Like most other coast guards, it is a paramilitary organization that can support theHellenic Navy in wartime, but resides under separate civilian control in times of peace. It was founded in 1919 by an Act of Parliament (N. 1753/1919) and the legal framework for its function was reformed in 1927.The Hellenic Coast Guard Force is under the authority of the [http://www.yen.gr/ Hellenic Republic Ministry of Mercantile Marine and Maritime Policy] headed by the Minister for Mercantile Marine and Island Policy and the Senior Coast Guard Officer who normally has the rank of Vice Admiral. The current Commander is "Vice Admiral Theodoros Rentzeperis".
The roles of the Hellenic Coast Guard in peace time are:
* Law enforcement in sea
* Search and rescue
* Pollution prevention in sea
* Fishery patrolling
* Prevention of the illegal immigration.In order to perform these roles, the Coast Guard operate a number of Patrol Boats of various sizes (6m to 60m) and different types (RIB's, coastal patrol boats, offshore patrol boats, lifeboats and pollution control vessels). On land the Hellenic Coast Guard is equiped with cars and motorcycles.
The Hellenic Coast Guard operates the Maritime Rescue Coordination Center (MRCC) in Piraeus and the Emergency Radio Communications Station "SXE" at Aspropyrgos (). Its four AS.332 Super Puma Search and Rescue (SAR) helicopters are operated by the
Hellenic Air Force 384 Squadron, based at Elefsis Air Base (LGEL), with mixed Air Force and Coast Guard crews. The six AS.365 maritime law enforcement helicopters are not yet operational due to lack of trained aircrew.! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Aircraft! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Origin! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Type! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Versions! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|In service"World Military Aircraft Inventory", Aerospace Source Book 2007, "
Aviation Week & Space Technology ",January 15 2007 .] ! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Notes
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Cessna 172 Skyhawk || || SAR helicopter || AS 332C || 4 || Operated by the Hellenic Air Force
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Aérospatiale AS 365 Dauphin ||
# Old headquarters and SAR coordination centre: coord|37|56|23.5|N|23|38|55|E
# Mooring for Open Sea Patrol Vessels (Keratsini): coord|37|57|25.7|N|23|36|39.7|E
# Coast Guard apron at Tatoi Air Base: coord|38|06|35.1|N|23|46|55.5|E
# Aspropyrgos Maritime Communications Radio Station SXE: coord|38|02|12.5|N|23|35|7.5|E
# Piraeus Central Port Authority: coord|37|56|23|N|23|38|24|E
# Enlisted men training facility ("Σχολή Λιμενοφυλάκων"): coord|37|56|10.3|N|23|37|40.4|E
# Piraeus VTMIS AIS receiver "002393200" coord|37|56.369|N|023|38.381|E
#Psyttaleia Island VTMIS AIS receiver "002391100" coord|37|56.620|N|23|35.664|E
# Patras VTMIS coord|38.24617|N|21.72886|E
#Corfu Island VTMIS coord|39.62708|N|19.90554|E
# Igoumenitsa VTMIS coord|39.48799|N|20.25899|EReferences
External links
* [http://www.yen.gr/en/ Hellenic Coast Guard official website]
* [http://www.international-lifeboat-federation.org/ International Lifeboat Federation]
*
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