Sveto Letica

Sveto Letica (4 April 1926 – 6 November 2001) was a Croatian admiral, and the first commander of the Croatian Navy.

Biography Letica was born in 1926 in Podgora, where he was involved in creating a Partisan Navy in 1942. He graduated at the Naval and War Academy. For 20 years he served on different warships of the Yugoslav Navy. He was Fleet commander, he was chief of a naval region, and before his retirement he served in Generalštab of JNA. He retired in 1986 with the rank of Vice Admiral of the JNA. By decree of the President of the Presidency of the SFRY from September 1986, he was retroactively promoted to the rank of admiral. The long-time experience of Letica was precious for Croatia when the Croatian Navy was established in 1991. On 12 September 1991, the President of the Republic, Franjo Tuđman, named him Commander of the Croatian Navy. He served as supreme navy commander until his second retirement on 1 June 1996.

Career summary

Duties Commander of Croatian Navy - 12 September 1991 - 1 June 1996

Ranks SFRY Rear Admiral (December 1974) Vice Admiral (December 1978) Admiral (September 1986)

Croatia Fleet Admiral (March 1996)

Decorations Order of Duke Trpimir Order of Duke Domagoj Order of Ban Jelačić Order of Croatian Trefoil Order of Croatian Wattle Commemorative Medal of the Homeland War Commemorative Medal of the Homeland's Gratitude.