Before Varna became the permanent center of Bulgaria’s navy, its beginnings were established on the banks of the Danube. On August 12, 1879, the Danube Flotilla and Naval Unit were founded in Ruse. Their composition included vessels transferred to the Principality of Bulgaria after the Liberation, marking the beginning of the construction of a naval organization for the new state.
Eighteen years later, this joint structure was divided. On November 12, 1897, Prince Ferdinand issued Decree No. 40, published in the “State Gazette,” issue No. 264 of November 28 of the same year. Under the decree, the Flotilla and Naval Unit were established as the Danube Flotilla with headquarters in Ruse and the Naval Unit with headquarters in Varna.
“Danube Flotilla with headquarters in Ruse and Naval Unit with headquarters in Varna”This wording reflected a change whose significance went far beyond an administrative division. Varna now had its own naval formation and began to establish itself as the fleet’s main base on the Black Sea coast. Historical research and the Naval Museum consider November 12, 1897, to be the founding date of the Varna Naval Base. The date is according to the Old Style calendar and corresponds to November 24 according to the New Style calendar.
Paul Pichon Takes Command of the Naval Unit
Captain 2nd Rank Paul Pichon, head of the French naval mission in Bulgaria, was appointed the first commander of the newly established Naval Unit. The French mission was tasked with assisting in the development of the Bulgarian navy and the training of its personnel.
The decree was followed by the adoption of the Provisional Regulations for the Administration of the Naval Unit. They defined the leadership functions and responsibilities of the formation’s commander. Thus, the new structure in Varna received not only a headquarters but also an independent administrative organization.
From Ruse to Varna
The transfer of the center of maritime activity to Varna was linked to the city’s growing importance, the development of its port, and Bulgaria’s need to establish a permanent naval foothold on the Black Sea. Ruse retained its role as the center of the Danube Flotilla, while Varna became the main hub of the Naval Unit.
The division, however, proved to be an interim stage. On January 13, 1899, the Danube Flotilla and the Naval Unit were merged into a Navy with headquarters in Varna. Thus, the city was definitively established as the center of the overall command of Bulgaria’s naval forces.
That is why November 12, 1897, remains more than just a date in the administrative history of the navy. It marks the moment when Varna acquired an institutional role in the development of Bulgaria’s naval power – a role that continues to this day.
Sources: maritime.bg, old-news.bnr.bg, morskivestnik.com