West Coast Naval Command
The West Coast Naval Command was a naval command within the Swedish Navy that operated in various forms in from 1928 to 2000. The unit was based in Gothenburg.
History
The West Coast Naval Command was formed as a war unit on 1 January 1928, with the name West Coast Naval District. The background was the lack of clear command conditions and a unified staff for the Swedish coastal areas in war or in danger of war. Through the Defence Act of 1925, the territorial waters along the Swedish coast were divided into naval districts, where the West Coast Naval District constituted one of six naval districts. The naval district included the territorial waters, the naval defence district and the part that constituted land territory. By the Defence Act of 1936, it was decided that all naval districts would be peace-organized from 1 July 1937. With the new organization, the naval district came to include staff, personnel department, quartermaster administration, health care administration, kameralkontor, and from 1 August 1939 ship depots were added, as well as naval depots and Älvsborg Coastal Artillery Detachment. From 1 October 1942, the organization was expanded in the form of the Gothenburg Department for the ship units, the Gothenburg Coastal Artillery Defence and Älvsborg Coastal Artillery Regiment, and in 1943 with the Gothenburg Naval Station and the Gothenburg Naval Yard. In the years 1939–1945, the naval district also consisted of the Väner Department with associated ship detachment, fish distribution center and a coast guard department.On 1 October 1957, the West Coast Naval District was reorganized into Naval Command West, where Gothenburg Coastal Artillery Defence was separated so that on 1 July 1958, it formed its own authority. Gothenburg Coastal Artillery Defence itself was amalgamated with Gothenburg and Bohus as well as Halland Defence District and adopted the name Gothenburg and Bohus as well as Halland Defence District together with Gothenburg Coastal Artillery Defence. The new organization consisted of a command organization with staff and administration, the 5th Coastal Artillery Brigade, the 12th Coastal Artillery Group and the Bohus Group. From 1960, the 2nd Helicopter Division was also added, which was initially based at Torslanda Airfield. On 1 October 1966, a new regional command was introduced within the Swedish Armed Forces. Thus, the Naval Command West adopted the new name West Coast Naval Base. The West Coast Naval Base was in turn directly subordinate to the military commander of the Western Military District, from having previously been directly subordinate to the Chief of the Navy. The West Coast Naval Base in turn consisted of staff and administration, as well as Älvsborg Radio, the coast guard organization and ships and helicopter units.
Prior to the Government Bill 1978/79:96, the Swedish government proposed to the Riksdag that the three authorities West Coast Naval Base, Gothenburg Coastal Artillery Defence with Gothenburg and Bohus Defence District and Älvsborg Coastal Artillery Regiment be amalgamated into one authority in the peace organization. The background to the proposal for a amalgamation was due to savings reasons, where the Swedish Armed Forces and the government considered that the naval activities on the west coast could be coordinated under a joint command. On 15 February 1979, the Riksdag adopted the Government Bill. On 1 January 1981, the new organization came into force, under the name West Coast Naval Command with Älvsborg Coastal Artillery Regiment.
Prior to the Defence Act of 1982, the government proposed to the Riksdag in its Bill 1981/82:102 new savings within the Swedish Armed Forces. Among other things, that the basic training at the West Coast Military Command with Älvsborg Coastal Artillery Regiment would be reduced to a greater extent than what the Supreme Commander had proposed. The remaining basic training would then be limited to mainly radar and naval mine training. Furthermore, the government proposed that and that Älvsborg Coastal Artillery Regiment should be separated from the West Coast Military Command, and instead form an independent unit. The government also proposed, for regional policy reasons, that the Swedish Navy Officer College in Gothenburg and the main part of the Swedish Navy Medical School be located in Karlskrona. The background to the savings and the restructuring in Gothenburg, was due to the fact that the government wanted to keep the basic training at Härnösand Coastal Artillery Regiment. The activities that remained at the West Coast Military Command in Gothenburg were concentrated to Västerberget and Käringberget. Through Government Bill 1983/84:112 the Riksdag decided on 15 March 1984 that Nya Varvet would be left, and that the basic training battalion at Älvsborg Coastal Artillery Regiment would be disbanded, and that rear maintenance and major inspections of naval ships would be concentrated at the South Coast Naval Base and the East Coast Naval Base.
On 1 July 1986, a major reform of the Navy was carried out, when all naval bases amalgamated with the coastal artillery and formed naval commands. The new organization in Gothenburg largely reflected the previous one. At that time, Älvsborg Coastal Artillery Regiment already had a joint staff with the command. The most obvious change was that the command changed its name to the West Coast Naval Command, and where Älvsborg Coastal Artillery Regiment became a training unit within the command but with its own regimental staff.
Prior to the Defence Act of 1996, stage 2, the government proposed to the Riksdag to reduce the number of defence district staffs from 24 to 16 staffs. Among other things, it was proposed that the defence district staff in Borås should be disbanded. In the government's budget bill 1997/98:1, the government also proposed that the defence district staff in Skövde should be disbanded. This is against the background that Västra Götaland County would form a defence district with a defence district staff in Gothenburg at the West Coast Naval Command. In its place for the two former defence district staffs in Borås and Skövde, the Skaraborg Group and the Älvsborg Group were formed. As a further decision in the Defence Act of 1996, Öresund Naval District was also proposed to be included in the West Coast Naval Command. The new organization, which the Riksdag adopted on two occasions, came into force on 1 January 1998, and where the West Coast Naval Command was given the somewhat unusually long name "West Coast Naval Command including the Öresund Naval District and Västra Götaland Defence District ". In everyday speech, however, the West Coast Naval Command was used. Prior to the Defence District, the Swedish Armed Forces proposed to the government that training activities at the Gothenburg Marine Brigade should cease, however, the government considered in its bill that, given the importance of the Gothenburg area, training of amphibious units would be maintained. However, there was a change in the Defence Act regarding the coastal artillery, that the production responsibility for the Gothenburg Marine Brigade ceased on 31 December 1997, as well as the production responsibility for the 12th Helicopter Division.
Prior to the Defence Act of 2000, the government proposed in its bill to the Riksdag that the tactical level should be reduced by phasing out division and defence district staffs as well as naval commands and air commands. This is to design an Army Tactical Command, Naval Tactical Command and Air Force Tactical Command which would be co-located with the operations command. The proposal adopted by the Riksdag meant that all division and defence district staffs as well as naval commands and air commands were disbanded. On 30 June 2000, the West Coast Naval Command was disbanded. From 1 July 2000, the operations was transformed into a decommissioning organization, which operated until 31 March 2001.
Operations
When the West Coast Naval Command was formed in 1928, the naval district commander would exercise command over all units, bodies and institutions within the naval district, which included local naval forces, naval fortifications, coastal artillery defence, naval station and naval shipyards. With the expansion of the unit during World War II, large parts of the naval defence on the west coast were demobilized. However, the mine sweeping units remained, which cleared naval mines along the west coast until 1976, when all Swedish waters were declared free of mines. From 1 October 1958, the Naval Command's primary mission was to protect maritime import traffic from enemy submarines, aircraft, and mines. The coastal artillery defence had by this time been separated and formed an independent authority. The commander of the Naval Command West was directly subordinate to the Chief of the Navy regarding the operational command of the naval forces. On 1 October 1966, a new regional leadership was introduced throughout the Swedish Armed Forces, which meant that the operational responsibility was transferred to the military commander of the Western Military District. With the new organization, the protection of maritime import traffic was downgraded in favor of strengthening the invasion defense.In connection with the formation of Naval Command West on 1 July 1986, the command was organized into two parts, tactical command for land and sea and division into sections. In addition to the commander of the Naval Command, the position of deputy commander of the Naval Command was established, and where the role of cief of staff was dedicated to an army officer. Through the Defence Act of 1996, the command was given two new tasks, to support or participate in international operations and to support society in the event of severe strains. The new support to society was noticed in 1999, for example, when a fire occurred on and in the 2000 floods in Sweden, which affected Dalsland, among other places. Through the Defence Act of 2000, the West Coast Naval Command was disbanded on 30 June 2000. Before the command was disbanded, a handover ceremony was held on 20 June 2000 at Muskö Naval Base. Where the naval operational responsibility was handed over to the commander of the Naval Tactical Command, at the same time as the commander of the West Coast Naval Command received the ground territorial responsibility for Scania Defence District, Blekinge Defence District, Småland Defence District and Halland Defence District. From 1 July 2000, the Southern Military District was formed, which took over the territorial responsibility as well as a large part of the staff from the West Coast Naval Command, which then consisted of about 50% army officers.