The Ghana Navy ( GN) is the naval warfare organizational military branch of the Ghanaian Armed Forces (GAF). The Ghanaian Navy, along with the Ghana Army (GA) and Ghanaian Air Force (GHF), make up the Ghanaian Armed Forces (GAF) which are controlled by the Ghanaian Ministry of Defence (MoD).
History
The nucleus of the Ghana Navy is the Gold Coast Naval Volunteer Force formed during World War II. It was established by the colonial
United Kingdom administration to conduct seaward patrols to ensure that the coastal waters of the colony were free from
Naval mine. Following Ghana's attainment of independent nationhood on 6 March 1957 from the UK, the country's military was reorganized and expanded to meet its new challenges. A new volunteer force was raised in June, 1959 with headquarters at
Takoradi in the Western Region of Ghana. The men were drawn from the existing Gold Coast Regiment of Infantry. They were under the command of British
Royal Navy officers on
secondment. On 29 July 1959, the Ghana Navy was established by an Act of Parliament. The force had two divisions based at Takoradi and
Accra respectively.
On 1 May 1962, the British Navy formed the Royal Navy Element of the British Joint Services Training Team, thus changing the nature of its relationship with the Ghana Navy. The first Chief of the Naval Staff was Captain D. A. Foreman, a retired British Naval Officer. He was granted a Presidential Commission as a Ghana naval officer in the rank of commodore.
[S. Addoe, General History of Ghana Armed Forces: a reference volume, 2005, pp.466-7] In September 1961
Kwame Nkrumah terminated the employment of British officers in the armed forces: the first Ghanaian to become Chief of the Naval Staff was Rear Admiral David Animle Hansen, who was transferred from the Ghana army to head the navy. On September 14 1990, the GNS
Achimota was hit by NPFL artillery while on a fact-finding mission near
Monrovia. As a result, 2 Ghanaian sailors and 3 Nigerian nurses were killed, and the Ghanaian Air Force retaliated with
airstrike.
Organization
The Ghana Navy command structure consists of the Naval Headquarters at
Burma Camp,
Accra. There are three operational commands, the Western Naval Command at
Sekondi, the Eastern Naval Command at
Tema and The Naval Training Command at
Sogakope in the
Volta Region.
Western Naval Command
The command comprises the following elements:
[
]
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HQ Western Naval Command
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Ghana Navy Fleet
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The Naval Dockyard Complex
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Ghana Navy Stores Depot
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Naval Base, Sekondi – West Command
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The Naval Trade Training School
Eastern Naval Command
The command comprises the following elements:[
]
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HQ Eastern Naval Command
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Basic and Leadership Training School
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Naval Base, Tema
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Ghana Navy Band, Tema
Departments
The navy is organized into the following departments.[
]
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Operations
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Administration
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Training
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Logistics (Supply)
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Technical
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Intelligence and
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Research and Development
Roles
The Ghana Navy fulfills a broad range of roles. These include:[
]
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The monitoring, control and surveillance of fishing activities
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Maritime Presence in the West African Waters and Naval Support in the Region and Crises Areas when requested
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Surveillance, Effective Patrol and Control of Ghana's Territorial Waters and Economic Zone
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Evacuation operations of Ghanaian and other nationals from troubled spots
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Fighting and checking criminal activities such as piracy/armed robbery at sea, smuggling of illicit drugs, stowaways and dissident activities
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Disaster and humanitarian relief operations, search and rescue, and other mercy missions at sea
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Assisting civil authorities such as the Ghana Police, the Volta River Authority, the Electoral Commission, Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority
Equipment
Current active naval vessels
Snake-class patrol vessels
46.8m patrol vessels ordered from China's Poly Technologies subsidiary of China Poly Group Corporation in 2011 and delivered to GN (Ghana Navy) in October 2011. The boats were commissioned 21 February 2012.[ Navy to secure country's maritime boundaries Government Of Ghana]
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| Name | Pennant | Builder | Launched | Commissioned | Status |
| GNS Blika | P34 | Qingdao Qianjin Shipyard, China | 1 April 2011? | 21 Feb 2012 | Active |
| GNS Garinga | P35 | Qingdao Qianjin Shipyard, China | 1 April 2011? | 21 Feb 2012 | Active |
| GNS Chemle | P36 | Qingdao Qianjin Shipyard, China | 1 April 2011? | 21 Feb 2012 | Active |
| GNS Ehwor | P37 | Qingdao Qianjin Shipyard, China | 1 April 2011? | 21 Feb 2012 | Active |
|
Balsam-class patrol ships
U. S. Coast Guard vessels. After serving the USCG for 57 years, Woodrush was decommissioned on March 2, 2001, and sold to GN (Ghana Navy) to serve as GNS Anzone P30.
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| Name | Pennant | Builder | Launched | Commissioned | Transferred | Status | ex | |
| GNS Anzone (~shark) | P30 | Marine Iron & Ship Builders | 28 April 1944 | 22 September 1944 | 2001 | Active | | |
| GNS Bonsu (~whale) | P31 | Marine Iron & Ship Builders | 31 December 1943 | 26 July 1944 | 2001 | Active | USCGC Sweetbrier (WLB-405) |
|
Chamsuri-class patrol boat
Republic of Korea Navy vessels. Chamsuri means 'Sea Dolphin'.
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| Name | Pennant | Builder | Launched | Commissioned | Transferred | Status | ex | |
| GNS Stephen Otu | P33 | Korea Tacoma, Hyundai Heavy Industries, Hanjin Heavy Industries | | July 1980 | 21 January 2011 | Active | PKM 237 | |
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Albatros-class fast attack craft
German navy. Purchased in 2005 at $36 million for the two ships.
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| Name | Pennant | Builder | Launched | Commissioned | Transferred | Status | ex |
| GNS Sebo (~leopard) | P27 | Fr Lurssen Werft GmbH & Co | 19 September 1979 | 2 May 1980 | 2010 | Active | |
| GNS Dzata (~lion) | P31 | Fr Lurssen Werft GmbH & Co | 19 September 1979 | 4 December 1979 | 2010 | Active | |
|
Warrior-class/Gepard-class fast attack craft
German navy S74 Nerz and S77 Dachs. Purchased at $37 million for the two ships.[ Germany delivers two of its decommissioned FACs to the Armed Forces of Ghana . Germanydefence]
River Class
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| Name | Pennant | Type | Builder | Launched | Commissioned | Transferred | Status |
| GNS Pra | | offshore patrol vessel | Penguin Ship Yard | | 22 February 2022 | | Active |
| GNS Densu | | offshore patrol vessel | Penguin Ship Yard | | 22 February 2022 | | Active |
| GNS Volta | | offshore patrol vessel | Penguin Ship Yard | | 22 February 2022 | | Active |
| GNS Ankobra | | offshore patrol vessel | Penguin Ship Yard | | 22 February 2022 | | Active |
| |
USCG Defender-class boat
U. S. Coast Guard. In 2008, the Ghana Navy acquired three such boats from the US Navy. They were handed over to the GN Western Naval Command in Sekondi-Takoradi. On 13 March 2010, presented four additional boats.
Others
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GNS Achimota (P28) – Flagship of the Ghana Navy. German built FPB 57-class patrol ship (Launched: 14 March 1979, commissioned: 27 March 1981)
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GNS Yogaga (P29) – German-built FPB 57-class patrol ship (1979)
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GNS David Hansen – Named after David Animle Hansen, first Ghanaian Chief of Staff of the Ghana Navy. A single 20 m-long ex-US Navy PB Mk III inshore patrol craft that was built in the 1970s and transferred to Ghana in 2001.
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NAVDOCK 1 – Ghana's first indigenous landing craft.
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On 10 December 2010, the Ghana Navy received six new speedboats with complete accessories from Ghana Red Cross to facilitate its rescue mission in the country. The accessories included six Yamaha outboard motors, life jackets, life lines, first aid equipment and maintenance tools.
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GNS Achimota (2024) - Largest ship in the Ghana Navy. Built by Kurinoura Shipbuilding
[ name= "Kurinoura Shipbuilding"[4]] in Yawatahama[ name="Yawatahama"]Yawatahama, Ehime Prefecture[ name= " Ehime_Prefecture]"]Ehime Prefecture, Japan[ name="Japan"]Japan (Commissioned 23 December 2024)[ name="https://www.defenceweb.co.za/african-news/ghana-commissions-new-naval-base-and-naval-vessel/"][5]
Past naval vessels
The initial fleet of the navy consisted of two Ham-class minesweepers, GNS Yogaga and GNS Afadzato. They were recommissioned on 31 October 1959. They were joined by four T43-class minesweepers from the Soviet Union between 1961 and 1964, three Komar-class missile boats between 1967 and 1970 and one more in 1980, and two Yurka-class minesweepers in 1981–82.
Future plans
The Ghanaian Defence Minister, Lieutenant General J. H. Smith, announced in June 2010 that over 10 ships would be acquired as part of a short-term plan to re-equip the navy, and defend Ghana's exclusive economic zone.
Rank structure
Officers
The GN officers in descending order of seniority:
Ratings
The GN ratings in descending order of seniority:[
]
External links
