The destroyer Lennuk, one of two destroyers seized from the collapsing Russian Navy in 1919, was sold to the Peruvian Navy in 1933. estonianworld.com photograph
On Tuesday, November 21, the Marines celebrated the 105th anniversary of the troop with a ceremonial lineup at the Mine Harbor campus.
“I’ve been talking here years ago and saying that when we get one thing or another done, there will be times that will be a little calmer. Today I know that I was naïve and there will be no such times. National defense will never be finished, the Navy will never be ready. Our only solution to survive in this endless carousel is to make smarter decisions, be better ourselves and help each other,” Commodore Jüri Saska, commander of the Navy, said in his anniversary speech.
The navy’s biggest challenges this year have been to unite the Police and Border Guard Board’s fleet, receive approximately four times as many conscripts, and prepare for the arrival of anti-ship missile systems.
The naval anniversary celebration began with the ceremony of the Admiral Pitka memorial in the city center and continued at the Mine Harbor campus in North Tallinn, where all serving Marines lined up. At the lineup, the most exemplary naval personnel and active-duty servicemen were recognized with decorations. In addition, the ships of the Estonian Navy are currently in the flagpole, i.e. the flags of the signal code have been hoisted from the bow over the mast tops to the stern.
The day of the creation of the Estonian Naval Forces is considered to be November 21, 1918, when, by order of the Minister of War, Captain Rudolf Schiller, commander of the Naval Government of the Military Staff, was appointed. The first sign of the re-establishment of the Navy is considered to be July 1, 1993, when the Marine Department, which was to restore the type of force, was formed in the General Staff of the Defense Forces. The first post-war naval commander, Navy Captain Roland Leit, was appointed to the post on January 10, 1994.
The Navy, one of the three types of forces of the Estonian Defence Forces, protects the country from threats from the sea. To this end, the Navy has three main military capabilities: naval situational awareness, mine warfare, and surface protection. As the sea is an international environment, the Estonian Navy performs its main task in cooperation with allies. In addition, the Navy guards the Estonian maritime border, participates in search and rescue work, and is responsible for the detection and elimination of marine pollution in the Estonian maritime area, and is engaged in mine clearance.