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Belgium: History of the Navy

Introduction
Before independence (1815-1830)
From independence to the First World War (1830-1914)
From the First World War to the Second World War (1914-1939)
Second World War (1939-1945)
After the Second World War (1945- )
Royal Navy Section Belge

See also:

Introduction

The history of the Belgian Navy was described by Léon Nyssen in Flaggenkurier [dfk] (1995).

The original title of the paper is Einige Flaggen der belgischen Marine von 1815 bis heute (Some flags of the Belgian Navy from 1815 to the present).

Hereafter is the translation/rendition from German of the most interesting parts (i.e. nearly everything) of the original paper.

The original paper is available online.

Ivan Sache & Suzette Tanis-Plant, 11 May 2003

Before independence (1815-1830)

by António Martins

In 1815, after the abdication of Napoléon and the fall of the French First Empire, the Vienna Congress decided to unify Belgium and Holland under William I's rule. The new kingdom of the Netherlands inherited more than 200 vessels abandoned by France in the ports of Den Helder and Antwerp. Since those vessels were old, the king decided to start a reconstruction program and it took 15 years to build 34 new vessels. Holland and Belgium shared the costs.

These warships as well as the merchant navy hoisted the horizontally divided red-white-blue ensign, already known in the XVIth century.

by Ivan Sache

The opposition between Belgium and Holland increased with time, and Belgians started to ask for a status of autonomy within the kingdom in 1830. On 26 August 1830, the Belgians chose their own flag. The colours of the former duchy of Brabant, were placed horizontally on the new flag, from top to bottom red, yellow and black. The similarity with the colour pattern of the Dutch flag was intended to mean that the opponents were not promoting a total separation from the Netherlands.

From independence to the First World War (1830-1914)

by Vincent Morley

William I