Israeli navy

The Israeli Navy ( _he. חיל הים הישראלי) is the naval arm of the Israel Defense Forces, operating primarily in the Mediterranean Sea in the west and in the Gulf of Eilat, Red Sea, and Gulf of Suez in the south. The current commander of the Israeli Navy is Aluf Eli Marom.

Bases

* Haifa base - the Missile Boats Flotilla, the Submarine Flotilla, Patrol Boats Unit 914.: The symbol of the Haifa base is two arrows - one signifying the Missile Boats Flotilla and the other the Submarine Flotilla
* Atlit base - base of Shayetet 13
* Ashdod base - mainly a base for Patrol Boats Unit 916.: The symbol of the Ashdod base is two opposing arrows .
* Eilat base - Patrol Boats Unit 915.: The Eilat base was founded in 1951 and has been in charge of the Red Sea Naval Zone of the Israeli Navy since 1981, when the Red Sea Naval Command Center was withdrawn from Sharm el-Sheikh according to the Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty.: The symbol of the Eilat base symbolizes the red roofs of the houses of Eilat.
* The Naval Training base - located in Haifa.: The submarine operations school, the missile boat operations school, and the naval command school are located in the Naval Training Base.
* Mamtam (Hebrew: ממת"ם) - IT, processes and computing.: Mamtam is a small unit that is responsible for all communications and computer infrastructure and the IT systems, both logistic and operational, in the Israeli Navy. The soldiers that serve there are mainly programmers and university graduates in engineering, computer science and more technological degrees.: The symbol of the Haifa base is an owl - symbolizing wisdom and hard learning. .
* Naval Shipyards
* The Navy Headquarters - Tel Aviv

Forces

The 3rd Flotilla

The Missile Boats Flotilla. Based in the port of the city of Haifa.

Unit's objectives

* Protecting Israeli commerce at sea against foreign fleets.
* Preventing a possible naval blockade of Israeli ports during wartime.
* Blockading enemy ports at wartime.

The 7th Flotilla

The Submarine Flotilla. A volunteer elite unit, it was founded in 1959.

Unit's objectives

* Attacking enemy craft in their home ports.
* Covert information gathering.
* Acting as a support unit for other units.

= The 13th Flotilla=

Naval commandos: special forces and a counter terrorist unit.

Intelligence

The Corps' relies on its Naval Intelligence Department for sea intelligence.

Present Fleet

Corvettes

a'ar 5-class

* INS Eilat (Eilat, 1994) - Active
* INS Lahav (Blade, 1994) - Active
* INS Hanit (Spear, 1995) - Active

Missile boats

Sa'ar 4.5-class (Hetz)

* INS Romah (Halberd, 1981) - Active
* INS Keshet (Bow, 1982) - Active
* INS Hetz (Arrow, 1991) - Active
* INS Kidon (Lance, 1995) (Sa'ar 4-class built in 1974 and converted to Saar 4.5 class in 1994) - Active
* INS Tarshish (1995) - Active
* INS Yaffo (Jaffa, 1998) (Sa'ar 4-class built in 1975 and converted to Saar 4.5 class in 1998) - Active
* INS Herev (Sword, 2002) - Active
* INS Sufa (Storm, 2003) - Active

Sa'ar 4-class

* INS Nitzachon (Victory, 1978) - Active
* INS Atzmaut (Independence, 1979) - Active

Patrol Boats

* Dabur class patrol boats - 12 built by Sewart Seacraft, the rest by IAI-Ramta - 34 adopted in 1973-77, 15 active, numbers in a 860-920 range.
* Super Dvora class fast patrol boats - built by IAI-Ramta
* Dvora - 9 adopted from 1988, 9 active, numbers 811-819
* Super Dvora Mk II - 4 adopted from 1996, 4 active, numbers 820-823
* Super Dvora Mk III - 12 ordered
* Shaldag class fast patrol boats
** Shaldag Mk II - 5 ordered
* Nachshol class patrol boats (Stingray Interceptor-2000) - built by Stingray Marine - 3 adopted (1997-98), 2 active

upport ships

* INS Keshet - cargo ship
* INS Nir - costal tender ship
* INS Nahariya - coastal tender ship
* 78-ton tugs - built in Israel

ubmarines

* Dolphin Class - Type 800 coastal submarines
** INS Dolphin (1999)
** INS Livyathan (Whale, 1999)
** INS Tekumah (Revival, 2000)

On August 25, 2006, Israel signed a deal with Germany to purchase two additional submarines, a deal valued at $1.3 billion, with Germany financing one-third of the total cost. [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/24/AR2006082401050.html] ]

Commando boats

*Dolphin type underwater crafts
*Maiale (pig) type underwater crafts
*Snunit boats
*Zaharon boats
*Moulit boats
*Morena rigid-hulled inflatable boats

Equipment

* Harpoon - Anti ship missile
* Barak - Ship Point Defense Missile System
* Gabriel - Sea to Sea missile
* Typhoon - Naval Optronic Stabilized Weapon Platforms
* NAVAL Artillery Rocket System
* Protector Unmanned Naval Patrol Vehicle
* EL/M-2221 STGR - Search, Track & Guidance/Gunnery Radar
* EL/M-2228S AMDR - Automatic Missile Detection Radar
* EL/M-2228X SGRS - Surveillance & Gunnery Radar System
* EL/M-2238 STAR -Surveillance & Threat Alert Radar
* EL/M-2226 ACSR - Advanced Coastal Surveillance Radar

List of Commanders [http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Society_&_Culture/navy_commanders.html]

* Gershon Zak 1948-1949
* Paul Shulman 1949
* Shlomo Shamir 1949-1950
* Mordechai Limon 1951-1954
* Shmuel Tankos 1954-1960
* Yohai Ben-Nun 1960-1966
* Shlomo Harhel 1966-1968
* Abraham Botzer 1968-1972
* Benjamin Telem 1972-1975
* Michael Barkai 1975-1978
* Ze'ev Almog 1979-1985
* Abraham Ben-Shushan 1985-1989
* Michael Ram 1989-1992
* Ami Ayalon 1992-1995
* Alex Tal 1995-1999
* Yedidya Yaari 1999-2004
* David Ben Ba'ashat 2004-2007
* Eli Marom 2007-present

ee also

* Military equipment of Israel
* INS Dakar
* Palyam

References

External links

* [http://www1.idf.il/Navy/Site/Templates/Homepage.asp?lang=EN] (English)
* [http://www.israelvets.com/hist_navy.html History of the Navy] North American Volunteers In Israel's War of Independence
* [http://www.submarines.dotan.net Israeli submarines]
* [http://www.hazegray.org/worldnav/mideast/israel.htm#1 World Navies Today: Israel]