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The Maritime Squadron of the Armed Forces of Malta is the naval component of the current Maltese military. The Maritime Squadron has responsibility for the security of Maltese territorial waters, maritime surveillance and law enforcement, as well as search and rescue. It is based at Hay Wharf in Floriana. The Maritime Squadron was established in November 1970 as the Maritime Troop of the Malta Land Force. Its name changed a number of times: *Maritime Troop of the Malta Land Force (1970–1971) *1st (Maritime) Battery of the Malta Land Force (1971–1973) *1st (Maritime) Battery of the Armed Forces of Malta (1973–1980) *Maritime Squadron of the Armed Forces of Malta (1980–present) == History == Malta's first navy was built when it was under the Order of Saint John. It was a powerful navy with ships such as the ''Santa Anna''. The Order participated in various naval exploits against the Ottoman Empire while based in Malta, most notably the Battle of Lepanto of 1571 and the Battle of the Dardanelles of 1656. In the 17th and early 18th centuries Maltese vessels also went for corsairing expeditions against Muslim ships. Eventually corsairing decreased and the Order was weak and bankrupt, so there was little resistance when Napoleon landed on Malta in 1798. The Order's navy, indluding the ships of the line ''San Zaccharia'' and ''San Giovanni'', was integrated into the French navy and Malta no longer had its own naval force. Soon after the British occupied the island, the Mediterranean Fleet of the Royal Navy transferred its base to Malta. Malta became a hub of naval activity due to its harbours and strategic position, and it remained so during the Second World War and until the 1960s. The Mediterranean Fleet was disbanded in 1967, and three years later Malta's first naval force appeared after over 150 years. The Maritime Troop of the Malta Land Force was established in November 1970 and two Swift boats were transferred to Malta from the United States Coast Guard in January 1971. In July 1971 the force was renamed 1st (Maritime) Battery of the Malta Land Force and was based in Senglea. In the 1970s, the number of patrol boats increased as West Germany and Libya gave Malta some of their former customs launches. In 1973 a vessel built at the Malta Drydocks for the Customs Department was taken over by the Maritime Battery. In 1977, the Battery moved to its present base at Hay Wharf, or ''Xatt it-Tiben''. In 1978, the British gave Malta two search and rescue launches, and in 1979 they left Malta completely, handing over all their former responsibilities to the Battery. On 1 April 1980 it was renamed Maritime Squadron of the Armed Forces of Malta, as it is today. In the 1980s and 1990s, Yugoslavia, the United States, Italy gave more vessels to Malta. Malta purchased patrol boats for the first time in 1992, when former East German minesweepers and patrol boats were bought from Germany. The ''Swift'', ''Kondor'' and ''Bremse'' classes from the 1960s and 1970s were all decommissioned between 2004 and 2012 as new vessels replaced them. On 18 February 2015 it was announced that the ''Emer'' class offshore patrol vessel would be transferred from the Irish Naval Service as a short term measure pending Malta's purchase of a new OPV. It was commissioned into the AFM on 28 June 2015 as ''P62''. A new base for the Maritime Squadron is currently being built, also at Hay Wharf. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Maritime Squadron of the Armed Forces of Malta」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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