| Cuban Revolutionary Navy | |
|---|---|
| Marina de Guerra de la República de Cuba | |
 Badge of the Cuban Revolutionary Navy | |
| Founded | 1909 |
| Country |  Republic of Cuba |
| Type | Naval |
| Role | Naval warfare |
| Size | 3,550 personnel |
| Part of | Revolutionary Armed Forces |
| Nickname(s) | MGR |
| Engagements | Battle of Santiago de Cuba |
| Insignia | |
| Naval Jack of Cuba |  |
| Naval Aviation roundel |  |
The Cuban Revolutionary Navy (Spanish : Marina de Guerra Revolucionaria) is the navy of Cuba.
The Constitutional Navy of Cuba was the navy of Cuba that existed prior to 1959. During World War II, it sank the German submarine U-176 on 15 May 1943.
During the Cold War, the Cuban Navy successfully captured the freighters Leyla Express and Johnny Express, both vessels blamed for CIA-related activities against Cuba. In 1988, the Cuban Navy boasted 12,000 men, three submarines, two modern guided-missile frigates, one intelligence vessel, and a large number of patrol craft and minesweepers. [1] However, most of the Soviet-made vessels have been decommissioned or sunk to make reefs. By 2007, the Cuban Navy was assessed as being 3,000 strong (including up to 550+ Navy Infantry) by the IISS with six Osa-II and one Pauk-class corvette. The Cuban Navy also includes a small marine battalion called the Desembarco de Granma. It once numbered 550 men though its present size is not known.
After the old Soviet submarines were put out of service, Cuba searched for help from North Korea's experience in midget submarines. North Korean defectors claimed to have seen Cubans in mid to late 1990s in a secret submarine base and appeared in public view years later a single picture of a small black native submarine in Havana harbour. It is rumored to be called 'Delfin' and is to be armed with two torpedoes. Only a single boat is in service and the design appears original, even if influenced both by North Korea and Soviet designs. [2] [3]
The Cuban Navy rebuilt one, large ex-Spanish Rio Damuji fishing boat. BP-390 is now armed with two C-201W missiles, one twin 57 mm gun mount, two twin 25 mm gun mounts and on 14.5 mm machine gun. This vessel is larger than the Koni class, and it is used as a helicopter carrier patrol vessel. A second unit (BP-391) was converted and entered service in 2016. [4]
The Cuban Navy today operates its own missile systems, the made-in-Cuba Bandera (a copy of the dated Styx Soviet missiles) and Remulgadas anti-ship missile systems, as well as the nationally produced Frontera self-propelled coastal defence multiple rocket launcher. The navy's principal threats are drug smuggling and illegal immigration. The country's geographical position and limited naval presence has enabled traffickers to utilise Cuban territorial waters and airspace. [5]
The Cuban Navy's air wing is an ASW helicopter operator only and is equipped with 2 MI-14 Haze helicopters. [6]
| Aircraft | Origin | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mil Mi-14 | USSR | ASW | 2 |
The border guards have: 2 Stenka class patrol boats and as of 2007 approximately a dozen, down from 30/48, Zhuk patrol craft. Cuba makes Zhuk patrol craft and some are seen with an SPG-9 mounted on front of the twin 30mm guns. [9] [10]
The rank insignia of commissioned officers.
| Rank group | General / flag officers | Senior officers | Junior officers | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Cuban Revolutionary Navy [11] |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | |||||||||||||
| Almirante | Vicealmirante | Contralmirante | Capitán de flotilla | Capitán de navío | Capitán de fragata | Capitán de corbeta | Teniente de navío | Teniente de fragata | Teniente de corbeta | Alférez | ||||||||||||||
The rank insignia of non-commissioned officers and enlisted personnel.
| Rank group | Senior NCOs | Junior NCOs | Enlisted | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cuban Revolutionary Navy [11] |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | No insignia | No insignia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Suboficial mayor | Primer suboficial | Segundo suboficial | Suboficial | Sargento primero | Sargento de segunda | Sargento de tercera | Cabo | Marinero de primera | Marinero | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Cuban Revolutionary Armed Forces are the military forces of Cuba. They include Revolutionary Army, Revolutionary Navy, Revolutionary Air and Air Defense Force, and other paramilitary bodies including the Territorial Troops Militia, Youth Labor Army, and the Defense and Production Brigades, plus the Civil Defense Organization and the National Reserves Institution. All these groups are subordinated to the Ministry of the Revolutionary Armed Forces.
The Battle of Latakia was a small but revolutionary naval action of the Yom Kippur War, fought on 7 October 1973 between Israel and Syria. It was the first naval battle in history to see combat between surface-to-surface missile-equipped missile boats and the use of electronic deception.
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The Koni class is the NATO reporting name for an anti-submarine warfare frigate built by the Soviet Union. They were known in the Soviet Union as Project 1159. 14 were built in Zelenodolsk shipyard between 1975 and 1988. They were originally intended to replace the older Riga-class frigates, but were instead chosen as a design for export to various friendly navies. The Koni I sub class were designed for European waters and the Koni II were made for warmer waters. One ship was retained by the Soviets in the Black Sea for training foreign crews. Only a few of these vessels remain in service today.
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