Latvian Naval Forces
I World War I, I Wars of Independence, Independence of the Baltic States, II World War II, IV Soviet Occupation, Restored Independence

The official date of the foundation of the Latvian Navy was August 10, 1919, when the Naval Division was established at the headquarters of the Commander-in-Chief of the Latvian Armed Forces, General D. Sīmansons, which included the previously established sailor company and the Mine Sweeping Party. During the freedom struggle (1918-1920), the need to create its own Navy for the new Latvian state became particularly evident. Private merchant ships, cutters, steamers and tugboats were involved in the war. The naval division made a significant contribution to the Bermontiade. On the left bank of the Daugava, in the vicinity of the Daugavgrīva fortress, it landed the 9th Rēzekne Infantry Regiment, participated in the battles at Voleri Manor, Vārnukrog, and the Šmitas Cement Factory, participated in the capture of Jelgava, and landed a sabotage unit near Ragaciems. On June 12, 1921, the first Latvian Navy ship VIRSAITIS was launched, which later served as the flagship. In accordance with the provisions of the League of Nations of October 1920, Latvia was allowed to establish and maintain a Navy. In 1924, by order of the President of the Republic, the individual units of the fleet were renamed the Coastal Defense Squadron, with Captain A. Keizerling appointed as its commander. On December 1, 1922, the Naval Aviation Division was established at the Aviation Division, but in 1923 it was separated and subordinated to a special task officer in naval affairs at the General Staff and later to the commander of the Coastal Defense Squadron. On May 1, 1926, a separate Naval Aviation Division was established.

The Navy was the most expensive unit of the Latvian Armed Forces, but it had not only national defense, but also international prestige. In 1938, the defense squadron was renamed the Latvian Navy and on July 15, the Minister of War, General J. Balodis, solemnly presented it with a naval flag with the motto: "We are united by the holy name of Latvia." The Latvian Navy began to form during the War of Liberation, when it became clear that the country with a 496-kilometer-long coastal border needed forces to defend it. The main tasks of the Navy were to protect the coast with mines, mobile coastal artillery, submarines, aircraft, torpedoes and small high-speed warships armed with light rapid-fire guns. The decline of the Latvian Navy began in the summer of 1940 after Latvia was forcibly incorporated into the USSR. Most of the ships and submarines of the Latvian Navy were destroyed or lost during World War II. The Latvian Navy was re-established in 1992 after the restoration of Latvia's independence. On April 11, 1992, a ceremonial flag raising ceremony took place on the first warship of the renewed fleet, the Sams. This date is considered the day of the revival of the Latvian Navy.