The Origins of the Iraqi Navy

-

The Iraqi Navy was founded on 12 August 1937 under the name of Riverine Force, when a group of four British River Gun boats was anchored in Basra. These were named Al Jasi (N.1), That Al Swary (N.2), Janadah (N.3) and Abdul Rahman (N.4). Built by Thornycroft, in Southampton, they were Diesel-engine boats armed with army guns, intended for service on the Tiger and Euphrates rivers with bullet-proof plating.

On 5 August 1937, Maj. Gen. Ahmed Rushdi Bin Mohammed was appointed as leader of the riverine force. Headquartered in Baghdad, the Iraqi Navy was originally linked to the general office of the Ministry of Defense and then transferred to Amara on August 30 of the same year. During the period between 1937 and 1958, the Iraqi Navy was only a riverine force carrying out only a few patrol duties along the Shatt Al Arab. These British ships were armed with machine guns and mortars and took part in several clashes with tribesmen in southern Iraq under command of Maj. Gen. Ahmed Rushdi Bin Mohammed.

On August 1944, the riverine force was connected to the Artillery command of the 1st Infantry Division of the Iraqi Army and stayed that way until the establishment of the naval base on 1 September 1960. By that time, it was connected to the HQ of the naval base as one of the General Headquarters’ sectors.

After the revolution of 1958, the Iraqi naval force began to expand and the country signed a contract with the Soviet Union for 12 P-6 torpedo boats. The first batch of three P-6s arrived on 27 November 1959, followed by three more, and then six in 1961. In order to complement their small riverine force, Iraq received three “SO-1”-class anti-submarine ships in 1962, each fitted with two racks of depth charges, and three Soviet-made “PO-2”-class coastal patrol craft in 1966.

Following the 17-July Revolution of 1968, plans were developed to create a new fleet that could prevent any aggression coming from the Gulf, as this was regarded as a critical area exposed to foreign forces due to its strategic importance.

The first two OSA-class missile boats (OSA-I) were delivered in July 1972 and these deliveries will continue until 1984 for a total of 6 OSA-Is. The first two "Osa-II" class were delivered in April 1974 and the deliveries will continue until 1977 for a total of eight OSA-IIs. These boats were armed with two aft 30-mm guns and four Styx missiles each with a maximum range of 46-95 km, depending on the variant.

Delivered between July 1974 and November 1975, the navy took charge of five Soviet “Zhuk”-class inshore patrol boats. This cheap, simple patrol boat class was designed for easy mass-production and economical use. They were used for coastal and inshore patrolling purposes. The machine gun turrets were not linked to any fire control system and were operated manually and locally. Electronics were limited to a 12-channel HF radio and one simple radar. 

 To be continued...









Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Origins of the Iraqi Army

-
Image
     On 6 January 1921, the Headquarters of the Ministry of Defense was established. Initially, the Army was formed of volunteers between 18 and 40 years old with serving terms ranging from two years for Infantry to three years for the other arms, consisting mainly in those days of Cavalry, Packed Artillery and Animal Transport. On the 28 July, 1921, the First Infantry Regiment was formed and placed under Iraqi Officers that had service records in the Turkish Army. The Army was organized on a Regiment basis at the beginning. This was changed later and the Infantry Brigade was considered to be the standard fighting formation. It was designed and equipped to operate on various types of Iraqi terrain which varied from mountains in the north to deserts and marshes in the south. In mid-1936, though, the Army was reorganized on a Divisional basis, with the First Infantry Division (1ID) and the Second Infantry Division (2ID) being created on the 15 April 1936.  ...
Read more

The Origins of the Iraqi Air Force

-
Image
After the creation of the Iraqi Army in 1921, the country decided to establish an air arm to support their ground troops and increase the combat capability. Thinking small at the beginning, Iraq planned to develop its air force depending on their needs and the financial situation of the country. Following an agreement signed with the British in 1924 within the framework of the Anglo-Iraqi Treaty of October 1922, the latter committed to withdraw its RAF squadrons from Iraq, being them replaced slowly by Iraqi units. After tough negotiations and several delays which got to put a strain on the already fragile Iraqi-British relations, it was finally agreed that six Iraqi pilots would be trained at the British Air Force College in Cranwell. The names of these students were: Mohammed Ali Jawad, Natiq Mohammed Khalil Al Tai,  Musa Ali Talib (all three in the final year of military school), Nasser Hussein Al Janabi (second year of military school), Hifzi  Aziz (fourth grade of...
Read more

Iraqi Mirages in Combat is here!!

-
Image
Long-awaited, our book about the Iraqi Mirages is already available. As an effort from the OIAA to provide an accurate picture of the events concerning the Mirage F.1EQ story in Iraq, the book is printed in full-color (230 pages), providing a good reference on contracts, Mirage variants, missions, pictures and anecdotes covering the period 1975-2003. Endorsed by IQAF personnel, wi th the collaboration of several key Mirage F.1EQ figures, it is the author's intention that this book serves as a tribute to those who spent most of their lives working side by side with these beautiful birds. Let's take-off... The book can be found here: https://www.amazon.com/Iraqi-Mirages-Combat-story-F-1EQ/dp/1717467555 Happy reading!!
Read more