Bulgaria buries its last submarine
(BRUSSELS2) The Bulgarian submarine fleet has lived. The Bulgarian Navy celebrated – on Tuesday (November 1, Day of the Dead, quite a symbol) the decommissioning of its last submarine. A solemn farewell to the Slava (Glory) took place at the Varna naval base on the Black Sea. The flag was given to the military history museum, indicates our colleagues from the Bgnes agency.
The withdrawal of this submarine, the last in service, in the Black Sea state means the end of the underwater history for Bulgaria. He will not be replaced. The Bulgarian army – like many armies in Central and Eastern Europe – is in the grip of serious financial difficulties and must cut mercilessly.
A century of existence
Here ends 55 years of history, or 95 years, depending on where you go back. The first submarine unit had, in fact, been created during the First World War in 1916. But the Treaty of Neuilly-sur-Seine in 1919, the Allies prohibited Bulgaria – which was allied with Prussia – from have submarines. The unit was recreated after the Second World War, in 1954. The Soviet Union donated three submarines to Bulgaria, then two more in 1958. The venerable Slava was one of them. Which gives him 52 years at the helm. He was in a deplorable condition “indicate our colleagues. Which only rarely allowed him to go underwater.
The budget crisis is over
The Bulgarian submarine force had its heyday in 1983-1985 when it had 4 submarines in service. After the fall of communism in 1989, two were immediately withdrawn, for financial reasons. The General Staff did have a plan to revitalize its force by seeking to purchase two new submarines. First there was talk of buying an old Danish submarine, the HDMS Tumleren. Then the Dutch were in the ranks. An official announcement was even made in July 2010. But no follow-up. Financial reason.
And for the same reason, Bulgaria, which had – for a moment – indicated that it wanted to participate in the anti-piracy operation Eunavfor Atalanta with a frigate gave up, preferring to delegate a few officers to headquarters. Cheaper…
