This is just the beginning of a story filled with successes, difficulties, victories, heroism, self-sacrifice and unquestioning fulfillment of duty to the motherland. Unforgettable for the history of the fleet are a number of events such as: the founding of the first maritime school in Ruse - 1881; the establishment of a naval arsenal and naval headquarters in Varna; the replenishment of the ranks with new ships such as the cruiser "Hope" and the six torpedo carriers "Brave", "Courageous", "Strong", "Flying", "Noisy" and "Druzky" between 1897 and 1909; the first victories on the sea waves, the most striking of which was the torpedoing of the Turkish cruiser "Hamidie" by "Druzki" in November 1912; the first submarine - "Submarine No. 18", entered service in May 1916; the first sea landing at Balchik in September 1916; the entry into new water areas during the wars for national unification - in the Sea of Marmara and the White Sea, Lake Ohrid, and in 1969 in the Mediterranean Sea; the reforms after 1989; our entry into NATO in 2004 and our active participation in the Pact's exercises. The listed events define the worthy path of all officers, sailors, engineers and shipbuilders who dedicated years of effort, deprivation and hard work to protect the territorial waters of Bulgaria. The names of some of our naval military figures who became famous in the service of the motherland have also remained in history: Captain Simeon Vankov, commander of the Danube Flotilla during the Serbo-Bulgarian War, which supplied and maintained the garrison of the Vidin fortress; Captain II rank Dimitar Dobrev, who led the destroyer squadron against "Hamidie"; midshipman XNUMXst rank Georgi Kupov, commander of "Drazki", whose torpedo disabled the Turkish cruiser; Colonel Miltiad Zhelezov – creator of the Bulgarian coastal artillery; Rashko Serafimov – the first Bulgarian officer – submariner; the first Bulgarian Rear Admiral Sava Stefanov; the first Bulgarian acting rear admiral Ivan Variklechkov. These worthy Bulgarians not only fulfill their military duty, but a large part of them actively participate in the political, economic and social life of the Third Bulgarian State.
The fleet of the Principality of Bulgaria, the Kingdom of Bulgaria, the People's Republic of Bulgaria, and currently the Republic of Bulgaria has always defended the maritime borders of our country with honor, skill and sacrifice. 140 years since its creation is a good occasion to remember its historical path and its many successes. And let us be sure that in the future its officers, sailors and sailors will continue to be a faithful guard of the native shores.
In the virtual exhibition of the National History Museum "140 years of the Bulgarian Navy" we present some of the most interesting exhibits stored in the museum. In August, they, along with other undisplayed objects and documents, will be exhibited in the halls of the National History Museum.
