Historical overview

On September 20, 1957, the first group of riverine patrol boat was established in Giurgiu within the 519 Riverine Patrol Boat Squadron. Two years later, on February 1, 1959, the unit changed its name to the 88th Riverine Patrol Boat Squadron. The squadron was composed of ships built at the Olteniţa Naval Shipyard, being organized into three sections of two wooden-hulled dredgers each (vessels with boarding numbers 241, 242, 243, 244, 245 and 246) and the floating barge, boarding number 366, with the purpose of storing the unit's materials.

In 1960, the squadron is reorganized into two groups, each group having two sections of two stars each. On March 28, 1960, the 88th Riverine Patrol Boat Squadron left the Danube Flotilla Headquarter and came under the 33rd Riverine Patrol Boat Squadron, being deployed in Sulina, until June 1960, when the unit moved from Sulina to Tulcea.

On October 26, 1968, the unit redeployed to Giurgiu port. In the period 1977-1981, the wooden-hulled star dredgers were replaced by a new generation of aluminum vessels. Thus, in 1977, the first three project 822 starships arrived from the Turnu Severin Shipyard, with boarding numbers 147, 148, 149, following which, during 1978, three other dredger stars, numbered 150, 151, 152. And in May 1981, two more project 822 ships, with boarding numbers 161 and 162.

During the events of December 1989, this unit of ships raised its combat capacity, according to the alarm plans, being able to defend the anti-aircraft defense of the port of Tulcea, by redeploying to the Danube Delta region.

Following the restructuring program, developed by the Ministry of Defense, with a view to Romania's accession to NATO and the EU, on June 1, 2002, the division is reorganized and deployed in the military port of Brăila. The unit was constituted in the operational Section 1, staffed and the preserved Section 2, without staff. The best ships from our own and from the restructured units, the 73th and 92th Riverine Patrol Boat Squadron, from Galati and Giurgiu respectively, were selected.

In June 2004, Section 2 Riverine Patrol Boats is taken out of service and the ships are handed over to the Tulcea Collection Center.

On March 1, 2005, the unit was restructured again. The name of the unit was changed to the 88th Riverine Patrol Boat Squadron, which is made up of two sections, located in Brăila and Tulcea garrisons. Following the reorganization of the Romanian Naval Forces, in 2007, the division was raised to the rank of a regiment.

Currently, the 88th Riverine Patrol Boat Squadron is subordinate to the Riverine Flotilla Headquarter, with responsibility for the river sector between Călăraşi and the mouths of the Danube.