What happened to the Somali navy?

Malt_Vinegar · 14 Aug 2009 at 15:53

Hi guys, looking at recent issues, and how the Somali navy has 0 ships... Did'nt they used to have a very capable navy not too long ago? Like in the early to mid 70's? (originally backed by the soviets, and later the US)

What happened to all that metal? Was it sold off, or did it just get beeched and rotted away?

Does anyone have an knowledge on the subject.

This is all I can find online

Since independence, the Somali military establishment had undergone several changes. From the early 1960s to 1977, the period when good relations existed between Somalia and the Soviet Union, the Somali military had the largest armored and mechanized forces in sub-Saharan Africa, and the SAF and the Somali navy were among the region's best. However, the outbreak of the 1977- 78 Ogaden War and the withdrawal of Soviet military advisers and technicians had a crippling effect on the Somali military. After the emergence of the United States-Somalia alliance, Mogadishu reorganized the army so that it would be based on infantry, rather than on mechanized forces. As part of this restructuring, the military's overall personnel strength grew from about 23,000- -the size of the military during the Ogaden War--to approximately 50,000 in 1981, and about 65,000 in early 1990. But by late 1990, the Somali military establishment was in a state of disintegration. In large part because of dismay at Somalia's increasingly poor human rights record, foreign military assistance had been reduced to a minimum. Desertions and battlefield defeats had caused a decline in the military's personnel strength to about 10,000. By the time insurgent forces took the capital in January 1991, the Somali military had ceased to exist as a fighting force.

meghatronic · 14 Aug 2009 at 15:55

'Somalia' lost control of it's ports.

Was in the paper months ago.

And http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/8096137.stm

Malt_Vinegar · 14 Aug 2009 at 15:58

meghatronic said:
'Somalia' lost control of it's ports.

Was in the paper months ago.

And http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/8096137.stm

Indeed, but the ships, and tangible assets? They dont just dissapear, the Pirates dont appear to be galavanting around in destroyers, so where did they go?

Ross1234 · 14 Aug 2009 at 16:03

I have them.

daz · 14 Aug 2009 at 16:03

I would imagine they disappeared/changed hands.

phil675 · 14 Aug 2009 at 16:08

Probably just fell into a state of disrepair, no one knowing how to use/fix them.

durruti · 14 Aug 2009 at 16:09

Why do you want to know? And i'd imagine they're beached.

DampCat · 14 Aug 2009 at 16:11

Do Somalia even have an armed force outside of militia and geurilla forces? They don't have a government right?

Sash · 14 Aug 2009 at 16:12

Osama stole them and is keeping them in his cave.

Failing that the navy turned into pirates.

clv101 · 14 Aug 2009 at 16:16

DampCat said:
Do Somalia even have an armed force outside of militia and geurilla forces? They don't have a government right?

We're talking about the past.

I guess they were just sold or broke. Without high level of maintenance such assets would very rapidly fail.

Ewanb75 · 14 Aug 2009 at 16:54

By the looks of it they have a couple of torpedo boats, missile armed boats and a landing craft..

"In June 2009, the Somali navy was re-established with a new commander appointed: Admiral Farah Omar Ahmed. Up to 500 marines are training in Mogadishu with their training expected to finish in December 2009. They are the first batch of a 5000 strong navy force"