The Croatian Navy (, HRM; ) is the naval force branch of the Armed Forces of Croatia. It was formed in 1991, following the independence of Croatia, to secure its territorial waters and 1,778-kilometer coastline on the Adriatic Sea. The Navy is headquartered on the Lora Naval Base in Split, Croatia. It is the second-youngest service branch and second-largest above the Croatian Air Force and below the Croatian Army.
The Navy operates around 30 vessels, some of which alongside the Croatian Coast Guard. Its main offensive capabilities center on its coastal missile launcher network (RBS 15), six armed patrol boats, and five missile cutter warships. Since the 2020s, the Navy has seen resurgent defence spending in order to enable blue-water power and aid in international power projection. This includes the acquisition of two corvette warships as the Navy's next generation capital ships. The modern Navy has engaged in multiple military interventions including the anti-piracy Operation Atalanta as well as maritime security missions Operation Triton and Operation Sea Guardian.
History
Origins Since the ninth century, the Duchy of Croatia (later Kingdom) engaged in naval battles, struggling to maintain control over the eastern Adriatic coast and Adriatic merchant routes. Commemorating the first recorded Croat naval victory, when the subjects of Croatian duke Branimir defeated the Venetian naval expedition on 18 September, 887, the Croatian Navy Day is celebrated yearly on September 18. Croatian fleet was particularly active under duke Domagoj and king Petar Krešimir IV. Royal Croatian-Dalmatian navy with 12-15 galleys existed under Louis I in central Dalmatia in the 14th century. Afterwards Venetian Republic established control over most of Croatian coast until 1797. Modern foundations of Croatian Navy can be traced back to Austro-Hungarian Navy (1797–1918) and Yugoslav Navy (1918–1941, 1942–1991) when Croatia was a constituent part of these states. When Croatia was a part of Austria-Hungary, its Adriatic coast was essentially the only access to sea this Central European state had. A Habsburg arsenal and a naval shipyard were established in Kraljevica in 1729, while naval bases, schools, shipyards, headquarters and a naval academy were later set up in Pula and Rijeka. Navy's emblem included Croatian coat of arms. Many highly ranked officers came from Croatia: grand admiral Maximilian Njegovan, ship-of-the-line captain Janko Vuković Podkapelski and others. In 1885, 44.9% of sailors and NCOs and 10.3% of naval officers came from Croatia, while in 1910 those shares dropped to 29.8% and 9.8%, respectively."Sprachen beim Militär im alten Österreich ", Günter Ofner. Czech military historian Jindřich Marek points out that "Croats were more often applied to heavy labour as stokers and deck hands" and were at comparative disadvantage due to their lack of swimming and German language skills. At the end of October 1918, while Austria-Hungary was falling apart and the war was drawing to an end, emperor Charles handed the Navy over to the Zagreb People's Council, which promoted Vuković to the rank of the rear admiral and appointed him as a fleet commander. Croatian flag was hoisted on all ships in Pula (including, most notably, the flagship SMS Viribus Unitis), but the Entente navies soon captured nearly all vessels and divided them among themselves.Croatian officers and sailors continued to man the new Royal Yugoslav Navy (1918–1941) until its demise during the Axis invasion of Yugoslavia. During World War II Croatian partisans formed a guerilla Partisan Navy consisting of makeshift vessels in 1942, resisting Italian (and later German) occupation of the Adriatic. In the later phases of the war, they cooperated closely with the Royal Navy. After the war, Socialist Yugoslav Navy, sprung up from the partisan navy, had Split as its HQ and mainly used shipyards in Šibenik, Split, Kraljevica, Rijeka and Pula.
In 1991, after the federal Yugoslav armed forces sided with Serbian leadership under Milošević and decided to fight against the democratically elected Croatian government which proclaimed Croatia's independence, ethnically Croat naval officers and rank-and-file led by admiral Sveto Letica started forming a new Croatian Navy. Using coastal artillery batteries they forced Yugoslav ships to retreat from Croatian territorial waters while in commando actions Croatian forces and shipyard personnel seized naval equipment and 35 vessels. At least three Yugoslav patrol boats were disabled in action and two minesweepers sunk. The Croatian Navy played an important role during the Croatian War of Independence (1991–1995), especially after acquiring strategically important RBS-15B missiles.
21st century
Following Croatia's ascension into military alliance NATO in 2009, the Navy underwent multiple modernisation programs. During this time, two former Helsinki-class missile boats, FNS Oulu and FNS Kotka, were acquired from Finland for €9 million. They were renamed Vukovar and Dubrovnik, respectively, in December 2008. The Končar-class missile boat Šibenik was overhauled with new turbine engines and radars and in service until 2020. The Kralj-class vessels were planned to be extensively modernized at a price of €20 million, but as a result of the recent acquisition of Helsinki-class boats RTOP-11 completed a basic overhaul and engine upgrade worth around €5 million. The RBS-15 missile system was upgraded to include 20 units by 2018. Successful live firing of the upgraded missiles was conducted from a mobile launcher and from RTOP-12 in 2015 and again from RTOP-42 a year later."Successful Firing of RBS15 by the Croatian Navy", Saab Group, 27 october 2016"RBS15 Successfully Test-Fired By The Croatian Navy", Saab Group, 03 November 2015
Since the mid-2020s, the Croatian government pledged large-scale modernisation packages for the nation's navy. In 2025, the Navy announced a second Omiš-class patrol vessel, Umag (OOB 32), with anti-aircraft missile systems for €13.2 million. A year later, Croatia announced the procurement of two naval corvette warships worth €660 million to €1.6 billion.
Mission
The mission of the Croatian Navy (HRM) is to defend the integrity and sovereignty of the Republic of Croatia, to promote and protect its interest in the Adriatic Sea, islands and coast-lands. It carries and organizes the naval defense of the Republic of Croatia. The Croatian Navy fulfils its role by preparing itself and carrying out the following main tasks: Deterring the threat to the Republic of Croatia by maintaining high level of competence, training and technical quality of equipment Constant control of the Adriatic Sea and coast-land and monitoring of foreign warships' movement Strengthening of the safety conditions on the Adriatic Sea and preserving the integrity of the maritime borders Implementation of the program "Partnership for Peace in the Mediterranean"
Croatian Navy organization
The following commands were created to carry out the mission of the Croatian Navy:
Navy Staff The Navy Command in Split was reshuffled into the Navy Staff in 2013.Strategic Defence Overview 2013, MoD (in Croatian), p. 19. The Navy Staff is led by a Ship-of-the-Line Captain, who apart from being the chief of the Navy Staff also serves as a deputy commander of the Navy. This position is currently held by SotL Capt. Milan Blažević. A Command company is attached to the Navy Staff.
Navy Flotilla
The Navy flotilla handles all tasks regarding anti-ship and anti-submarine warfare as well as minelaying and mine countermeasures, anti-terrorist activities and VIP/residential transport. Flotilla is administratively based in Lora naval base in Split. Current commander is ship-of-the-line captain Damir Dojkić."Navy Flotilla", Armed Forces of the Republic of Croatia. Today it is accordingly divided into three squadrons:
Surface Operations Division, with 5 missile boats and 3 coastal mobile RBS-15 missile launchers, forming the main offensive capability of the Navy. Four missile boats and one mobile missile launcher have successfully fired missiles in live-fire exercises at sea targets as of 2016. Two Cetina-class minelayer-landing ships have also transported Croatian Army troops and AMVs to a NATO's "Trident Juncture" exercise in Spain in 2015. Mine Countermeasures Division, with one mine-hunter (LM-51), two REMUS autonomous underwater vehicles."Podvodna vozila Remus stigla u HRM" , defender.hr Naval infantry company at Ploče
Coast Guard
The Coast Guard, founded in 2007, deals with peacetime duties, e.g. environment protection, fishing control, control of tankers, ballast waters, anti-terrorist activities, combating narcotics and trafficking of people etc."Interview with Admiral Kardum" , Hrvatski vojnik, 2005. The Coast Guard's mission is to protect sovereign rights and carry out Croatia's jurisdiction in the Ecological and Fisheries Protection Zone, the continental shelf and the high seas. It also monitors vessels in the Croatian territorial waters. It provided training ship BŠ-72 Andrija Mohorovičić to EU's Operation Triton, rescuing migrants off the coast of Sicily in 2015. Its current commander is ship-of-the-line captain Ivo Raffanelli. It consists of two squadrons: 1st Division, based in Split with two former Yugoslav Mirna class patrol boats and other vessels 2nd Division, based in Pula handles Coast Guard tasks in northern Adriatic with two Mirna-class patrol boats and other vessels.
Four Air Force Mil Mi-171 helicopters (based at Divulje airfield near Split) and two Pilatus PC-9 planes (based at Zemunik Air Base) are operationally attached to the Coast Guard for maritime SAR and navy support and maritime patrol duties, respectively.
Sea Surveillance Battalion The Sea Surveillance Battalion operates four Enhanced Peregrine naval radar posts at Lastovo, Dugi Otok, Mljet and Vis and additional nine GEM SC-2050XS naval radar posts at Savudrija, Brijuni, Mali Lošinj, Dugi Otok, Žirje, Vis, Lastovo, Mljet and Molunat. The battalion also operates the navy's signals and communications equipment.
Split naval base The Split naval base's task is to manage the Lora Naval Base in northern part of Split, including "St. Nicholas" naval barracks, and to provide logistic support for the ships and vessels in Pula (Naval Detachment North) and Ploče (Naval Detachment South). It also manages Naval Training Center in Split and a medical center specifically designed to treat maritime disease, such as decompression sickness.
Ranks Commissioned officer ranks The rank insignia of commissioned officers.
Other ranks The rank insignia of non-commissioned officers and enlisted personnel.
Vessels
The Croatian Navy operates mostly vessels that were captured from the disintegrating Yugoslav Navy during the Croatian War of Independence in 1991. Most of those have been extensively overhauled or modernized (such as , extensively overhauled in 1991 to match the Kralj class), especially after the navy introduced RBS-15B missiles in its service instead of Soviet P-20s that used to be standard Yugoslav equipment. However, out of five missile boats, main combatant vessels, only Šibenik served under Yugoslav flag. Some ships were captured laid or unfinished in the docks and were finished by Croatians (such as in 1992). (commissioned in 2001) as Krešimir'''s improved design and Cetina-class minelayer-landing ships were built and commissioned in Croatia (1993 and 1995, respectively). Two Helsinki-class missile boats RTOP-41 Vukovar and RTOP-42 Dubrovnik (built in 1985/6) were purchased from Finland in 2008, while a small minehunter LM-51 Korčula was built in 2006.Krešimir underwent an extensive overhaul and engine replacement in 2014 while Zvonimir, being built during international arms embargo against former Yugoslav countries in the 1990s and thus featuring a mix of Russian and western equipment, also underwent an overhaul in 2015.