The Tongan Maritime Force is the naval arm of
His Majesty's Armed Forces of Tonga.
History
The Tongan Maritime Force was founded on 10 March 1973 by King
Tāufaʻāhau Tupou IV
Tāufaʻāhau Tupou IV (Siaosi Tāufaʻāhau Tupoulahi; 4 July 1918 – 10 September 2006) was List of monarchs of Tonga, King of Tonga from 1965 until his death in 2006. He was the tallest and heaviest Tongan monarch, weighing and measuring . ...
, who also commissioned the first craft on that date.
The first craft commissioned were (P101) and (P102), meaning ''Golden Arrow'' and ''Silver Arrow'', respectively.
They were crewed by volunteers and are no longer in service.
In subsequent years, additional vessels were added to the fleet, including:
* : A Pacific-class patrol boat, commissioned in 1989, provided by Australia as part of the Pacific Patrol Boat Program.
It was decommissioned in 2019.
* : A Pacific-class patrol boat, also part of the Pacific Patrol Boat Program, commissioned in 1990.
It was decommissioned in 2020.
* : Another Pacific-class patrol boat, also gifted by Australia, which was commissioned alongside VOEA Pangai.
It was decommissioned in 2020.
These ships were vital for Tonga's maritime security and law enforcement until they were decommissioned and replaced by the newer vessels, (P301)
and (P302).
[
]
List of craft
Decommissioned ships
The following ships have been decommissioned from active service:
Royal yacht
Patrol Boat Flotilla
The Guardian-class patrol craft were provided to Tonga by Australia as part of the Pacific Patrol Boat Program.
, the Tongan Maritime Force has two patrol vessels:
Logistic Support Flotilla
References
{{His Majesty's Armed Forces (Tonga)
1973 establishments in Tonga