After long service in the Bulgarian Navy, the Nadezhda (Hope) submarine will be decommissioned from service and transferred to Varna Municipality. It will subsequently continue its career as part of a navy museum exhibit, according to an official statement from the naval base chief, Roumen Nikolov, who stated this on January 5, as reported by Focus news. This has come as a reaction to the order from Nikolay Tsonev, the Bulgarian Defence Minister who issued the order for Nadezdha's decommissioning in mid-December 2008.

The only remaining Bulgarian submarine Slava (Glory) is still commissioned on active service, although the vessel is as archaic as Nadezdha. Its battery apparently is operating on 75 per cent capacity. The battery itself is in service for the ninth year running, although its warranty period is only five years.

Both the Nadezdha and Slava are Romeo class (Project 633) Soviet submarines, powered with a diesel-electric engine, built in the early 1950s. The actual combat origin of the Romeo class submarines can be traced 60 years back to the World War 2 German Type XXI Elektroboote U-boat, which was heavily involved in the battle of the Atlantic with the British Royal Navy, with the German U-boats subsequently losing the war to improved British anti-submarine destroyers, the U and V class which were commissioned to the Royal Navy and launched in 1942-1943.

At the end of World War 2, the Soviets obtained several Type XXIs, from which they were able to obtain certain key technologies. These technologies assisted the Soviets in constructing the Romeo class, of which two were purchased by the Bulgarian Navy.

Naturally, by today's standards, the Romeo class submarine is considered obsolete, with its only real tactical value being that of training drills and surveillance practice.

Meanwhile, Brigadier Admiral Nikolov and the Chief of Naval Staff, Rear Admiral Georgi Georgiev, officially inaugurated the new school year at the Naval Base Academy in Varna. After hoisting the Bulgarian naval jack and performing the march of the seamen, a new English-language classroom was consecrated. The facility was made possible with assistance from the US Embassy in Sofia and the Defence Ministry, equipped with 20 new computers, and it is meant to provide the new cadets with English training, among other things.

Nikolov stated that civil interest in a naval career is growing, as reported by Focus, and that a new advertising campaign for the recruitment of sailors is underway. Currently, there are 20 vacancies and more than 80 people are competing for a position in the naval service, but, thankfully, there are no longer cases of experienced officers leaving the service.

In 2009 Bulgaria will host Exercise Breeze, Nikolov said. In August, Bulgarian navy crews will take part in Exercise Parade 2009, which will be the culmination of the observances of the 130th anniversary of the Navy.