Ghana Navy

The Ghana Navy (GN) is the naval force of the Ghana Armed Forces. The navy, along with the Ghana Army and Ghana Air Force, make up the Ghana Armed Forces.

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 British administration to conduct seaward patrols to ensure that the coastal waters of the colony were free from mines. 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. In September 1961 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 Anumle Hansen, who was transferred from the Ghana army to head the navy.

Organization






The Ghana Navy command structure consists of the Naval Headquarters at Burma Camp, Accra. There are two operational commands, the Eastern Naval Command at Tema and the Western Naval Command at Sekondi.

Western Naval Command
The command comprises the following elements:
 * Ghana Navy Fleet
 * The Naval Dockyard Complex
 * Ghana Navy Stores Depot
 * Naval Base, Sekondi - West Command
 * Naval Base, Tema - East Command
 * The Naval Trade Training School

Eastern Naval Command
The command comprises the following elements:
 * Basic and Leadership Training School
 * Naval Base,Tema
 * Ghana Navy Band

Departments
The navy is organized into the following departments.
 * Operations
 * Training
 * Administration
 * Logistics (Supply)
 * Technical
 * Intelligence and
 * Research and Development.

Roles
The Ghana Navy fulfils a broad range of roles. These include:


 * The monitoring, control and surveillance of fishing activities.
 * Peace Support Operations in the West African sub-region by regularly re-supplying Ghana's ECOMOG contingent.
 * Maritime Presence in the West African Waters and Naval Support in the Region and Crises Areas when requested.
 * Surveillance, Effective Patrol and Control of Ghana's Territorial Waters and Economic Zone.
 * Evacuation operations of Ghanaian and other nationals from troubled spots.
 * Fighting and checking criminal activities such as piracy/armed robbery at sea, smuggling of illicit drugs, stowaways and dissident activities.
 * Disaster and humanitarian relief operations, search and rescue, and other mercy missions at sea.
 * Assisting civil authorities such as the Ghana Police, the Volta River Authority, the Electoral Commission, Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority.

Snake Class Patrol Vessels
46.8m patrol vessels ordered from China's Poly Group in 2011 and arrived in Ghana in October 2011. The boats were commissioned 21 February 2012.

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 the Republic of Ghana to serve in Ghana Navy as GNS Anzone P30.

Chamsuri Class Patrol Boat
Republic of Korea Navy vessels. Chamsuri means 'Sea Dolphin'.

Albatros Class Fast Attack Craft
German navy. Purchased in 2005 at $35 million for the two ships.

Warrior class/Gepard Class Fast Attack Craft
German navy S74 Nerz and S77 Dachs. Purchased at $37 million for the two ships.

USCG Defender Class Boat
U. S. Coast Guard. In 2008, the US government gave the Ghana Navy three such boats. They were handed over to the Western Naval Command in Sekondi-Takoradi. On 13 March 2010, presented 4 additional boats.

Others

 * GNS Achimota (P28) - Flagship of the Ghana Navy.  German built FBP 57 class patrol ship (1979)
 * GNS Yogaga (P29) - German built FBP 57 class patrol ship (1979)
 * 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.
 * 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.

Past Naval Vessels
The initial fleet of the navy consisted of two Ham class minesweepers, GNS Yogaga and GNS Afadzato from the British Government. They were re-commissioned on 31 October 1959.

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.

Substantive Chiefs of the Naval Staff
There have been 16 heads of the Ghana navy since its inception. One officer, Rear Admiral Dzang served two terms.




 * Commodore D. A. Foreman (Jan 1959 – Jun 1961)
 * Rear Admiral David Animle Hansen (Sep 1961 – Jun 1967) - First Ghanaian Chief of Naval Staff
 * Air Vice Marshal Michael A. Otu (Jun 1967 – Mar 1968)
 * Commodore Philemon F. Quaye (Apr 1968 – May 1972)
 * Commander Joy Kobla Amedume (May 1972 – Jan 1973)
 * Commodore C.K. Dzang (Feb 1973 – Aug 1974)
 * Commander G.Bedu-Addo (Aug 1974 – Jul 1975)
 * Rear Admiral C.K. Dzang (Jul 1975 – Jun 1977) - Member of SMCI
 * Rear Admiral Joy Kobla Amedume (Jun 1977 – Jun 1979) - Member of SMCII
 * Commodore Stephen Obimpeh (Jun 1979 – Dec 1981)
 * Captain J.W.Boateng (Jan 1982 - Mar 1982)
 * Commodore J. K. Oppong (Mar 1982 – Jul 1985)
 * Rear Admiral Benjamin Ohene-Kwapong (Jul 1985 – Jun 1990)
 * Rear Admiral Tom Annan (Jun 1990 – Sept 1996)
 * Vice Admiral E.O. Owusu-Ansah (Oct 1996 – Mar 2001)
 * Rear Admiral John Kodzo Gbenah(Mar 2001 – June 2005)
 * Rear Admiral Arthur Riby Sampa Nunoo(May 2005 – Mar 2009)
 * Rear Admiral Matthew Quashie (31 Mar 2009 – 2013)
 * Rear Admiral Geoffrey Mawuli Biekro (2013- present)

Officers
In descending order of seniority:
 * Admiral
 * Vice-Admiral
 * Rear-Admiral
 * Commodore
 * Captain
 * Commander
 * Lieutenant Commander
 * Lieutenant
 * Sub-Lieutenant
 * Acting Sub-Lieutenant

Ratings
In descending order of seniority:
 * Chief Petty Officer Class I
 * Chief Petty Officer Class II
 * Petty Officer Class I
 * Petty Officer Class II
 * Leading Seaman
 * Able Seaman Class I
 * Able Seaman Class II