70 articles
Argentine Navy
Argentine Navy (Armada de la República Argentina, ARA), naval branch of Argentina's armed forces founded after 1810 independence; fought Spain and Brazil, raced Chile to the 1902 Pactos de Mayo, lost the Belgrano in 1982, and lost submarine ARA San Juan with 44 crew in 2017.
Austro-Hungarian Navy
Austro-Hungarian Navy (k.u.k. Kriegsmarine), the Habsburg Monarchy's naval force based at Pola and Cattaro; born from the 1797 acquisition of Venice, victorious at Lissa 1866, expanded into a four-dreadnought fleet by 1914, dissolved in 1918.
Bangladesh Navy (বাংলাদেশ নৌবাহিনী)
Bangladesh Navy (বাংলাদেশ নৌবাহিনী), the naval branch of Bangladesh's armed forces, born in the 1971 Liberation War through Operation Jackpot commandos and the gunboats Padma and Palash; organized 7 April 1972, now a three-dimensional fleet of over 80 ships with submarines, aviation, and SWADS.
Brazilian Navy
The Brazilian Navy (Marinha do Brasil) is the naval branch of Brazil's armed forces, one of the two strongest navies in Latin America alongside Argentina's.
Brown-water navy
A brown-water navy, associated with riverine warfare, is a naval force operating in rivers, estuaries, and harbors rather than the open ocean, using small, shallow-draft gunboats and patrol ships.
Bureau of Medicine and Surgery
Bureau of Medicine and Surgery (BUMED), U.S. Navy medical headquarters established August 31, 1842 as one of five original bureaus; its chief holds the title Navy Surgeon General since 1871.
Chilean Navy
Chilean Navy (Armada de Chile), Chile's naval service, founded during independence from 1810; operates eight frigates, four diesel-electric submarines, and builds LPDs under Escotillón IV at ASMAR.
Cuban Revolutionary Navy
Marina de Guerra Revolucionaria (MGR), Cuba's naval service under MINFAR, founded 3 August 1963; a Soviet-equipped Caribbean force that drew down after 1991 to a coastal-defense, coast-guard-like fleet.
Egyptian Navy (القوات البحرية المصرية)
Egyptian Navy (القوات البحرية المصرية), the naval branch of Egypt's armed forces, operating on the Mediterranean and Red Sea around the Suez Canal with about 149 vessels, two Mistral-class LHDs, 13 frigates, and 8 submarines.
Finnish Navy
Finnish Navy (Merivoimat, Marinen): coastal naval branch of the Finnish Defence Forces guarding the Gulf of Finland and Baltic Sea; NATO member since 2023; modernizing with four Pohjanmaa-class corvettes under Squadron 2020.
French Navy
The French Navy (Marine nationale) is France's naval force, the largest in the European Union, operating from Cherbourg, Brest, and Toulon, with the only nuclear-powered carrier outside the US Navy.
Future of the Indian Navy
Future of the Indian Navy: planned growth past 200 ships within a decade, a Builder's Navy indigenization drive, new carriers and submarines, and the Maritime Security Strategy-2026, shaped by Chinese and Pakistani naval expansion.
Future of the Russian Navy
Future of the Russian Navy: projected development of the Russian Federation Navy toward a submarine-centered, green-water surface force under the 2030 naval policy, constrained by sanctions, USC debt, and Black Sea combat losses.
German Navy
Deutsche Marine (German Navy), formerly Bundesmarine: the Bundeswehr's naval force, founded 1956, NATO-integrated, Baltic-focused, with six Type 212A submarines and new MEKO A-200 frigates replacing the cancelled F126 programme.
Goryeo navy
The Goryeo navy (고려 수군) was the maritime military force of Korea's Goryeo dynasty (918–1392), rebuilt in the late 14th century with gunpowder weapons to defeat Japanese pirates.
Hellenic Navy
Hellenic Navy (Πολεμικό Ναυτικό), Greece's naval branch: 69 warships, 8 submarines, 13 frigates; modernizing with four French FDI HN Belh@rra frigates, first HS Kimon received January 2026, distinguishing it from the larger Turkish fleet.
History of the United States Navy
History of the United States Navy: founded by Continental Congress resolution 13 October 1775, reestablished by the Naval Act of 1794, Department of the Navy created 1798; traces its growth from Continental Navy to global force, Naval War College 1884, CNO 1915, and 1986 Maritime Strategy.
Imperial German Navy
Imperial German Navy (Kaiserliche Marine), navy of the German Empire 1871–1918, built up by Tirpitz's 1898/1900 fleet laws into a High Seas Fleet that raced Britain, fought at Jutland, waged unrestricted U-boat warfare, and ended with the 1918 Kiel mutiny and the 1919 Scapa Flow scuttling.
Imperial Japanese Navy (大日本帝国海軍)
The Imperial Japanese Navy (大日本帝国海軍, IJN, Nihon Kaigun) was Japan's navy from the Meiji era to 1945; third largest by 1922, it attacked Pearl Harbor in 1941 and was disestablished after Japan's defeat.
Indian Navy (भारतीय नौसेना)
Indian Navy (भारतीय नौसेना), India's naval force tracing to the 1612 East India Company Marine. Operates carriers Vikramaditya and Vikrant, ~140 vessels, 17 diesel submarines and INS Arihant; protects sea lanes carrying over 90% of Indian trade.
Indonesian Navy
Indonesian Navy (TNI-AL, Tentara Nasional Indonesia–Angkatan Laut): naval branch of Indonesia's armed forces; largest fleet in Southeast Asia with over 100 vessels, four Type 209 submarines, three Koarmada fleet commands, and its first aircraft carrier KRI Sriwijaya-100.
Irish Naval Service
Irish Naval Service (tSeirbhís Chabhlaigh), Ireland's navy, maritime branch of the Defence Forces, established 1946, based at Haulbowline, Cork Harbour. Eight-vessel patrol fleet, about 719 personnel against an establishment of 1,094, focused on fisheries protection, surveillance, and search and rescue.
Islamic Republic of Iran Navy (نیروی دریایی ارتش جمهوری اسلامی ایران)
The Islamic Republic of Iran Navy (IRIN) is Iran's conventional navy under the Artesh, the more blue-water-oriented of the country's two independent naval forces alongside the IRGC Navy.
Israeli Navy (חיל הים הישראלי)
Israeli Navy (חיל הים הישראלי), the IDF's naval arm established as the Naval Service on 17 March 1948; operates Sa'ar corvettes and missile boats, Dolphin submarines, and Shayetet 13 commandos from Haifa, Ashdod, Atlit, and Eilat bases.
Italian Navy
Italian Navy (Marina Militare Italiana), successor of the Regia Marina founded 1861. Italy's naval service: 8 submarines (4 Sauro, 4 Type 212A), FREMM EVO frigates, PPA patrol ships, U212 NFS program, NATO Mediterranean operations.
Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (海上自衛隊)
Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (海上自衛隊, JMSDF), Japan's naval branch of the Self-Defense Forces, inaugurated July 1, 1954 from the 1952 Coastal Safety Force; defends Japan and sea lanes carrying over 90% of trade, with Aegis destroyers, two submarine flotillas, and Izumo-class F-35B conversions.
Korean People's Navy
Korean People's Navy (조선인민군 해군, KPAN): North Korea's naval service, historically a coastal-defense force of two fleet commands and 64-86 mostly aging submarines, now modernizing with nuclear-armed submarines and the 5,000-ton Choe Hyon-class destroyers.
Kriegsmarine
Kriegsmarine, the Nazi German navy 1935–1945, formed 21 May 1935; expanded to 35% of Royal Navy strength under the 1935 Anglo-German Naval Agreement, fought the Battle of the Atlantic with U-boats, lost a third of its surface fleet at Norway, dissolved 1945.
Maritime Squadron of the Armed Forces of Malta
Maritime Squadron of the Armed Forces of Malta (Malta Maritime Troop, 1970): the AFM's naval unit at Hay Wharf, Floriana, running offshore patrol vessels, SAR launches, and Gozo-based craft for surveillance, law enforcement, and search and rescue.
Mexican Navy
The Mexican Navy (Armada de México), operating arm of the Secretaría de Marina (SEMAR), is Mexico's war navy and coast guard: 127 surface units, dual defense and law-enforcement missions, 1821 origins, drug interdiction and SAR operations.