Royal Navy of Oman

The origin of the Royal Navy of Oman can be traced to the reign of Imam Ghassan bin Abdullah (807–824 CE). He was the first ruler of Oman to possess a Navy. He commissioned ships in order to fend off pirates operating along the western shores of the Indian Ocean who were conducting raids along the coast of the Arabian Peninsula.[1]

The Omani Navy dominated the Western Indian Ocean for many years thereafter until the arrival of the Portuguese that changed the balance of sea power in the region. Beginning in 1508 with the invasion of Oman by the Portuguese the conflict came to end in 1515 with the loss of Oman’s maritime trade routes.[1]

Beginning in 1624, Oman started to recover its lost naval ports under Imam ‘s Nasir bin Murshid (1624–1649), and Sultan bin Saif (1649–1688) the objective of the Omani navy's role was force out the Portuguese from their bases in Oman that was achieved by 1650.[5]

The Royal Oman Navy fell into another period of neglect until the reign of Ahmed bin Said. (1749–1783). He began to rebuild the Omani Navy and had commissioned a fleet of four ships, that were equipped with 40 guns, additionally, he had 25 coastal boats built. A stronger navy was rebuilt between the seventeenth and nineteenth centuries. Its main purpose was to then protect Oman’s overseas territories.[5]

During the reign of Sultan Said bin Sultan (1806–1856) the navy grew larger. The Sultan had sent several Royal Omani Navy ships on specific commercial and diplomatic visits, first to New York in 1840 the Al Sultanah transported Ahmed bin Al-Noman Al-Ka’abi who was the first Arab envoy sent to the United States.[1][6]

From 1862, the Sultanate of Oman lapsed again into a period of steady decline due to internal political wrangling’s and along with it the Royal Oman Navy. In 1888 Oman became a protectorate of the British Empire, which it would remain for almost 100 years. In 1962, the Dhofar Rebellion erupted, pitting communist insurgents against the Omani government. Although small, the Omani Navy undertook an important role in this conflict by providing naval gunfire support and bombarding insurgent positions inland.[5]

During the late 1960s, the Royal Oman Navy existed as the naval branch of the Sultan’s Armed Forces (SAF) instead of as a separate standing navy. In 1971 the British Protectorate of Oman came to an end, and following the discovery of oil fields leading to the sale of oil abroad, that provided much-needed investment in modernizing the navy and growing the existing fleet.[5]

The main naval base moved from Sultan Bin Ahmed Naval Base in Muscat to Said bin Sultan Naval Base in Wudam Al Sahil, near Al-Musannah, which opened in 1988. One of the largest engineering projects in Oman, it serves as a homeport for the fleet and includes training facilities as well as repair bays. The Sultan Qaboos Naval academy, located at the base, provided instruction for officers and enlisted personnel, as well as specific branch training. Originally, most of the officers were British, with non-commissioned officers being mostly Pakistani. However, by 1980, most of the officers were Omani, though British and Pakistani technicians remained. In 1992, the Royal Oman Navy had a strength of 3,000 personnel.

The Royal Oman Navy does not have a marine corps or any naval infantry formations, though it has multiple amphibious warfare ships. A modernization program is ongoing in order to protect the coastline as well as the strategically important Strait of Hormuz. The British Royal Navy, in 2011, helped train corvette crews with its Flag Officer Sea Training.[3]

• Four Brooke Marine patrol craft

• Qahir Al Amwaj