Ethiopian Navy
| Ethiopian Navy | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1955-1996 |
| Country |
 Ethiopia
|
| Branch | Navy |
| Size | 3,500 personnel (in 1991) 26 ships |
| Part of |
Ministry of Defence Ethiopian Armed Forces |
| Headquarters |
Massawa in Eritrea (1955-1990) Addis Ababa (1990-1996) |
| Engagements |
Ethiopian Civil War Eritrean War of Independence |
| Commanders | |
| Commander in Chief (1955-1974) | Emperor Haile Selassie I |
| Deputy Commander (1958-1974) | Rear Admiral Iskinder Desta |
| Insignia | |
| Naval Ensign (1955-1974) |
.svg) |
| Naval Ensign (1974–1975) |
.svg) |
| Naval Ensign (1975-1996) |
.svg) |
| Aircraft flown | |
| Helicopter |
UH-1 Iroquois Mil Mi-8 or Mil Mi-14 |
The Ethiopian Navy, known as the Imperial Ethiopian Navy until 1974, was a branch of the Ethiopian National Defense Force founded in 1955. It was disestablished in 1996 after the independence of Eritrea in 1991 left Ethiopia landlocked.
Ethiopia acquired a coastline and ports on the Red Sea in 1950 when the United Nations decided to federate Eritrea with Ethiopia. In 1955, the Imperial Ethiopian Navy was founded, with its primary base—the Haile Selassie I Naval Base -- at Massawa. By the early 1960s workshops and other facilities were under construction at Massawa to give it complete naval base capabilities.
In 1958, the navy became a fully independent service, organized as one of the three Ethiopian armed services – alongside the Ethiopian Army and Ethiopian Air Force – under the overall command of the Chief of Staff of the Imperial Armed Forces. The navy's deputy commander had his naval headquarters in Addis Ababa. The navy was conceived and built as a coastal navy for patrolling the Red Sea coast.
The Imperial Ethiopian Navy's personnel were among the best trained in the world. Even before Ethiopia took control of Eritrea, the British Royal Navy had seconded Ethiopian personnel to its bases in Eritrea to provide them with naval training. A naval college, where Ethiopian naval officers undertook a 52-month program of study, was founded at Asmara in 1956; each class admitted averaged 30 to 40 students in size, and they graduated with a naval commission and a bachelor of science degree. In 1957, a Naval Non-Commissioned Officer School was established at Massawa as well. A Frogman/Diving School for the training of a special commando unit and a Ratings' Training Establishment for the training of naval enlisted men also were established at Massawa by the late 1950s or early 1960s. Centers to provide enlisted men with training in technical specialities were established at Aseb, Asmara, and Massawa.
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